Since I still don’t have a job … I’ve been trying to catch up on some reading. Here’s a few books I’ve read that I wanted to make some comments on.
Godless
by Ann Coulter
Before I make any detailed comments, let me say first of all that if you are a Christian, this is one of the most important books to come out in the last few years. Even though Coulter is unashamedly conservative, she does a great job describing the current state religion and its structure. You may not agree with some of her political beliefs, but her argument is necessary for the Church to understand.
Like I said, Coulter is a believer in conservatism, so her book is colored by that perspective, but to me its no different than watching CNN and looking past their extreme political views and find something interesting and important in what they report. Ann Coulter is an excellent writer and has a sharp wit. I really appreciate her research. Her personal digs are funny even though I probably wouldn’t write that way myself.
This book does, however, kinda me off, because she took one of my ideas for a book. Mine was going to be called Neo-Communism and detail the religious implications of the new socialism combined with dogmatic adherence to evolution and reliance upon the state and a necessary hostility towards those of real faith, Christians.
But I feel she did a better job than I could have done immediately if only because of the amount of research that she includes. She cites everything she says either within the text or with footnotes, and many of the things she talks about I remember either reading or seeing on TV myself. Her time on evolution and abortion alone are worth the price of the book, they are so well done and supported.
If you are a Christian and consider yourself a liberal or a Democrat or both, you will feel attacked in this book. If you choose to read it (and I recommend you do), just remember that is what it feels like to be a conservative Republican and watch most mainstream media other than Fox News.
Blue Like Jazz
by Donald Miller
On the other side of the political fence, we have Donald Miller who would not consider himself a conservative Christian or a Republican. His book is very different, however, since it has a different focus and purpose.
Donald Miller comes from the framework that truth is found while we compare our experiences and realize the value of the individual within the group as we hear their stories. A few people had recommended this book, so I knew what to expect in a general sense.
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First of all, I thought he was a good writer. His thoughts flowed easily and the whole stream of consciousness thing really worked for him. Second, it reminded me a lot of my own doubts and experiences as I became disenfranchised with traditional religious Christianity and tried to experience more of life than a conservative framework would have allowed. Thirdly, I thought there were some powerful statements within his book, most notably his honest experience that a group of forest hippies and a very paganistic college campus were more accepting and loving than even the best church that he could find.
I would recommend this book, as well. His storytelling is engaging, and his honesty is refreshing, even though I might not always agree with every point he either makes or implies. He is a challenge to Christians to really look at who they are and what they believe and what they conform to.
The Barbarian Way
by Erwin Raphael McManus
This was by far the most challenging book of the three, to me. Because while I could have said much of what McManus talked about, and sometimes have said them, he made it more than just a concept piece. He did an excellent job of making it real and personal and inclusive, too.
Erwin McManus’ contention is that most of Christianity has become too civilized to do any good. There are few risk takers or adventurers or innovators left. The ones that do exist are seen as rare or weird.
His point is that every Christian should be seen as weird and a risk taker and an adventurer. Most of us settle for a safe life and attach Christianity to it and never do any good for anyone. We are supposed to do the things that seem dangerous to the world without a second thought. True Christianity is not safe or easy or predictable.
But if we’ll choose the narrow road, the rewards are greater and we are more satisfied than we could ever be in a safe, easy life that we call Christian.
Peace.