****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
*****This book is a follow up to the author's previous book, "The Marketing of Evil", which I haven't read. You can read this book without having read the former; I can say that it stands alone as a provocative and challenging book that will appeal to people, primarily Christians, with a strong conservative world view. I am NOT one of those people (I am a more liberal, moderate Christian) but despite my beliefs, I found it interesting, compelling, and convicting. I have to admit that it made me think and perhaps reconsider some of my views, many of which I can now see are heavily influenced by my culture. This is a very, very controversial book as it is Bible-based, coming from a thoroughly Christian world-view, patriotic, pro-capitalism, anti-global warming, and pro-life. Many people will see these biases as negative or naive or even dangerous, and if that is you, this may not be the book for you. If however, you are a Christian, and you are curious as to how your stand on these things and many others relate to the concept of evil, deception, and truth, you will be fascinated by the book; I certainly was. If you are a liberal Christian and are open-minded to understanding a more intelligent presentation of conservative faith, I think you will find much to like here as well.The author's premise is that we don't understand the mechanism of evil and how it works in American society today. He demonstrates how he sees evil working using examples from current events, science, and psychology, and of course, many Biblical references. The book is heavily footnoted and has a very detailed index. I especially appreciate the index because this book is one that I will think about and refer back to again and again, and look up examples the author discussed. This is a book I definitely want to discuss with others.The book includes chapters focusing on diverse topics including: the failure of marriages, what the author calls "sexual anarchy", terrorism, neopaganism, the overuse of psychiatric prescription drugs, militant atheism, the demise of fatherhood and education for boys, celebrity culture, the power of hate, and so much more. It is well organized and contains convincing arguments that make the author's central point that we are corrupted by anti-biblical philosophies and societal confusion and that, as Christians, we lack courage and moral clarity. I think that he makes his point well and I have to agree with him. It made me want to become braver and it helped me to become clearer on what I really do believe. It helped me to see deception and yes, even evil, in many of the arguments for situational ethics and moral relativism. The author explained how many of the politically correct views we have today are based upon things like pride, a need for approval, and even narcissism. He demonstrates this in a powerful way. Unlike some conservative books that are more like rants or screeds, this book is calm and based upon reasoning---still, it is like a wake-up call for Christians. It certainly was a wake-up call for me.The book discusses the remedy for cultural disarray--authentic Christian faith--which looks pretty different from the lifestyle of the typical American Christian. He interprets Bible passages that make sense to me in light of the times, and in a way that is not hateful, ugly, and judgmental. He calls evil "evil" which is a pretty brave and hard thing to do, especially in a way that is caring, concerned, and even loving. He makes the point often that the truth can be hard, but that it doesn't make it any less true, and he demonstrates this well, I think. It is a modern book for a modern time.I don't want to be too over-the-top here, but this book was life-transforming for me. If you are ready for this, buy the book.Highly recommended.*****
