Author: Chris Hedges
Publication Date: 2008
Rating: 4/5
This is a very different kind of Christian book - and I still class it as Christian, even though it is, strictly speaking, more a critique against atheism than a book about Christianity. Hedges is a professed Christian, but he is the sort that unfortunately has no regard for church or the always nefariously referred to "organized religion". Yet, much along the lines of many great Christian radicals - and even the Hebrew prophets - he wears his faith on his sleeve, not in any dogmatic or theological sense, but in his actions and his words.
He is one of those precious, rare breeds of human that place themselves on the far left of the political spectrum but do not fall victim to the assumption that to be left-wing necessitates denouncing God and religious faith. He is a proper advocate for real (rather than superficial) social justice, he despises hypocrisy on both the secular and the religious sides, and he is a staunch pessimist in a way that does align more closely with the Christian mindset: that we are all tainted with original sin, and that, left to our own devices, will always perpetuate systems that sanctify or disguise evil and injustice, as we are all inherently corrupt - thus our need for Christ's loving sacrifice, for God's compassion and forgiveness, and for a religious life that directs us away from ourselves and all the self-delusions of perfectibility modern utopians would have us believe are real.
His book is a challenge to both sides. I can easily see why all the atheists hated this on Goodreads, but I can also imagine it ruffling the feathers of many Christians - myself included, as at times he does come across almost borderline atheist in his occasional denunciations of the Bible and the belief in Heaven, which he never elaborates his real views on. Certainly I couldn't nod and smile at everything he says in this book. Sometimes I just plain didn't agree with him; sometimes he poked at a hurtful truth that made me see my own (even if indirect or merely associative) complicity in the Western moral malaise that defines our cultural norms and privileges. Contrary to the misleading title, which suggests a breezy Christian polemic against those silly, rude and ever-bitter unbelievers, this book is no less a challenge to Christians as it is to atheists.
A confronting, powerful and commendable book.
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Concerning Christian Books
RandomThis book will primarily be a collection of very short reviews of Christian books taken from my Goodreads page, and also several reflections on Christian subjects. For anyone who cares to know, I am a Catholic Christian, therefore anything I say wil...
