Friday, March 2, 2012

Book Review: The Coming Revolution

Today's Book Review comes from Booksneeze, the blog-reviewer program from Thomas Nelson Publishers. Free book in exchange for a free opinion.

Reading Dr. Richard Lee's book The Coming Revolution was something of an exercise in repetition for me. That's not to say it was bad, but neither was it distinctively good. It fits along the line of being a clearly articulated vision of America as a Christian nation. Lee puts forth his case that America began as nation with a predominantly Christian identity and has lost that identity. He further stands with the idea that the liberty and uniqueness of America will be lost if we do not regain that identity.

His points are well-crafted. I felt he covered the history well regarding the founding era of the United States. Lee does not whitewash that some of the Founders were not strong Christians, though his focus remains on the Christian influence on even those who were Deists and agnostics.

His arguments regarding the history and intention of the nation are good, but they are not quite conclusive. I find myself agreeing with his views of history, but the arguments are likely not strong enough to persuade a strong opponent.

Instead, his arguments should serve the purpose I see him intending, and this is to push a few people off the fence. There are a good number of people who fill the pews of churches Sunday after Sunday that will vote their wallets and not their consciences and this book will hopefully spur them to consider other factors.

The second portion of this work is a collection of suggested action points for concerned readers to take. The actions suggested are good, ethical suggestions that involve working through the established legal processes in this country. For now, that's a good thing: while I agree with Lee's concerns regarding the threat of the recent decades of excessive government, we are not truly at a point in history calling for bloodshed.

To that end, Lee's use of "Revolution" needs a better explanation, and he gives it when he expresses that the true American Revolution came before the War of Revolution. It was a revolution of thoughts and ideas, a revolution of people who refused to be ignored any longer.

With all that said, I found this book worth reading. If you're inclined that America was and always will be better off as a purely secular country, all this will do is make you angry. You'll find the holes to nitpick and find fault with everything.

Yet if you are of the opinion that America can be more than we have become, this book will still make you angry. Angry at our unfulfilled potential. Angry at the growing menace found in the bought and paid-for politicians of all stripes that trade liberty for their power and wealth. Angry that we've sat still while it has happened.

And if we'll all go ahead and follow some of Lee's suggestions, then perhaps we can find a better way forward.

Book provided by publisher in exchange for review.

The Coming Revolution: Signs from America's Past That Signal Our Nation's Future

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