WANTED WOMEN: Faith, Lies & The War on Terror: The Lives of Ayaan Hirsi Ali & Aafia Siddiqui, by Deborah Scroggins – Harper/HarperCollinsPublishers New York, NY Copyright © 2012 by Deborah Scroggins.

 A review by Bill Dahl

A Legitimate Pulitzer Prize Candidate:

When I received my copy for review – the title and cover made me skeptical…but…I started reading…then – I couldn’t out it down.

This book is unique and profoundly distinctive in so many ways. The following are noteworthy:

a) Deborah Scroggins spent 6 years on this project.

b) Initially, I viewed the structure of the book as a gamble – alternating chapters for Ayaan Hirsi Ali & Aafia Siddiqui – I came to absolutely adore it.

c) The author had never interviewed either woman directly during the research and writing of the book. Yet, the tertiary sources Scroggins plied to obtain the pertinent material are both comprehensive and intimate – providing the reader with the ability to become acutely familiar with each subject.

d) You can’t write a book like this without placing your personal safety and welfare in jeopardy (no matter what the author says).

This work has it all: religion, women’s rights, equality, terrorists, murder, birth, faith development, human development, intrigue, political intrigue, Somalia, the war on terror, the disconnect between the west and the rest, family relations, refugees, terrorism, suicide bombings, contradiction, lies, deception, death, Africa, immigration, racism, Guantanamo, secret CIA prisons, abductions, prejudice, divorce, intolerance, relationships, misunderstanding, certainty, fundamentalism, Judaism, Pakistan, charisma, injustice, finance, bodyguards, assassinations, court proceedings, mental health issues, separation, The U.S., extremism, the media, anarchy, survival, irrationality, mystery, children, misperception, military engagement, war, genocide, foreign policy, Iran, Iraq, the oppressed, poverty, affluence, the pursuit of personal achievement, strategic international relations, CIA, FBI, ISI, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Daniel Pearl – and running for your life…whatever that may mean.

In the absence of such an incredibly gifted investigative journalist/author (Deborah Scroggins) – this book might have easily become a mediocre mess. I garnered a deep appreciation for both the writing and storytelling skill of Scroggins, as well as the unimaginable perseverance she aptly displays – crafting a page-turning, insightful examination of the intersection where the issues I enumerate above collide…in the lives of real people…today. She lets the story speak for itself (if there really is such a thing). The voice Scroggins equips the two central characters with is a feast for the reader.  The manner in which she shares this story is so terribly poignant and powerful yet, unequivocally uniquely creative – causes the reader to become curious, engaged, concerned, educated, perplexed, angry — to ponder deeply — and arrive at a place where one understands just how much difficult work we have yet to accomplish — in directly addressing the innumerable challenges, contradictions and life shaping/threatening conditions WANTED WOMEN: Faith, Lies & The War on Terror: The Lives of Ayaan Hirsi Ali & Aafia Siddiqui so cogently illuminates.

Today, as a species, in our current historical epoch, homo-sapiens (that’d be us) – particularly those who are sufficiently fortunate to be free from worry about survival on a daily basis – also seem to have acquired another peculiar tendency this book illuminated for me. It’s epistemological self-righteousness – We humans have an infernal capacity to come to believe what we think we know is both adequate and sufficient. As Princeton research psychologist and Nobel Prize winner Dan Kahneman has said in his most recent book, Thinking, Fast and Slow – we develop the tendency to think What You See Is All There Is. Kahneman writes: “At work here is that powerful WYSIATI rule: You cannot help dealing with the limited information you have as if it were all there is to know. You build the best possible story from the information available to you, and if it is a good story, you believe it.”[i] Kahneman refers to this as “pretended knowledge” – a phenomenon very apparent in the lives of both Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Aafia Siddiqui…and our world.

As any superlative literary work of non-fiction requires Deborah Scroggins’ WANTED WOMEN: Faith, Lies & The War on Terror: The Lives of Ayaan Hirsi Ali & Aafia Siddiqui leaves the reader with the veil epistemological modesty firmly affixed to ones’ heart and soul. Yet, the work clearly defines the challenges ahead, prompting the essential dialog required to re-think our current beliefs, policies, practices and past approaches to the ongoing, unresolved issues so vividly and persuasively illuminated by this book. There’s vastly more import to this work than your what you see is all there is mechanism might suggest.

Like I said…a legitimate Pulitzer Prize candidate. Believe it!

Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church

By Pam Hogeweide

Beyond Beliefism – From “Just Us” to Justice – A Book Review by Bill Dahl

Once Upon A Time…

Once upon a time – long, long ago – in a universe far, far away – there existed the planet of KOG. The planet was inhabited by billions of people – including those who lived in the Kingdom of Christendom. The kingdom was ruled by the emperor “Justus.” The citizens were ruled by a body of laws – including the few – and excluding the many – from full participation in the Kingdom. The “laws of Justus” were deemed sacred, inviolable and not subject to interpretation, by countless villages throughout the kingdom. Each village was referred to as “church” – a place where like-minded villagers would come together for fellowship, study of the law, and worship of God. More specifically, numerous laws excluded women from exercising their God-given gifts within the Church – including leadership and teaching. Truth be told, the “laws of Justus”   denied women fundamental equality with men in the Church. However, this particular set of rules regarding the role of women in daily life – and the Church – were often cloaked in a veil of vagueness, facilitating the transmission of the ongoing submission of women to the “laws of Justus” – from one generation to the next – to preserve unity within the Church…and the normative standard of ladylike identities, roles and behavior by women.

Throughout the years, many women left their local Church when they realized (among other things) their God granted giftedness and calling would not be honored by their male counterparts who led, taught and administered the Church. Many women remained content at Church. Others resigned and walked away. Others, continued to show up without being present.[1] Many more remained in the Church, submitted to the laws. Although those who inhabited the broader culture, outside the subculture of Justus, had canonized rules to insure the equality of women throughout the land – the Church remained a curious exception to these rules. How can this be? Some women (and men) began to whisper to one another. The laws of Justus demanded beliefism – an unswerving dedication to a body of beliefs – no matter what – passed from one generation to the next within the Church. It is the adoption of a way of thinking and set of beliefs about self, others, life and God that are right – and provide the basis for suspicion of others who believe differently ( see Henderson).

 Unladylike?

[1] Henderson, Jim The Resignation of Eve – What If Adam’s Rib Is No Longer Willing To Be The Church’s Backbone, BARNA – An Imprint of TYNDALE House Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2012 by Jim Henderson, p. 7.

Watch David and some young people talk about the book here on YouTube:

For any artist who produces an initial smash hit, the next work they produce is typically a yawner (few exceptions so noted).

After releasing his initial smash hit, unChristian – What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity – And Why It Matters: David Kinnaman honestly performs the unimaginable….he crafts a follow-up You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith that’s at least as fine as his initial release. NO KIDDING!

In unChristian, Kinnaman states: “We can’t change what we are known for unless we change how we live.” (p. 231). The thesis in You Lost Me is basically summed up in the following:

“We are at a critical point in the life of the North American church; the Christian community must rethink our efforts to make disciples. Many of the assumptions on which we have built our work with young people are rooted in modern, mechanistic , and mass production paradigms. Some (though not all) ministries have taken cues from the assembly line, doing everything possible to streamline the manufacture of shiny new Jesus-followers, fresh from the factory floor. But disciples cannot be mass produced. Disciples are handmade – one relationship at a time.” (pp.12-13).

Based upon an avalanche of significant research, Kinnaman observes on page 15, “As a faith community we need a whole new mind (emphasis is mine) to see that the way we develop young people’s faith – the way we have been teaching them to engage the world as disciples of Christ—is inadequate for the issues concerns and sensibilities of the world we ask them to change for God.”

WOW! Read the excerpt in the paragraph above AGAIN….This is Earth shaking stuff…this is an 8.0 on the established religious landscape Richter Scale. Kinnaman’s book reveals that a wholesale readjustment – if not outright reinvention of the way disciples of Jesus Christ are formed in North America! Holy religious industry tsunami Batman!

Yet the fault lines that Kinnaman uncovers effect a far broader population than simply those who inhabit the terra-firma above the chasms – they require a wholesale relocation from each and every generation who claim the name of Christ….no matter how comfortably you might find your current abode. Translation: You cannot avoid the essential change by simply moving to some higher, moral or spiritual ground. No, the essential changes Kinnaman defines are going to require courage to ask new, bold and challenging questions regarding discipleship, youth ministry and gauging ongoing, authentic spiritual transformation in Christ. They are going to threaten the foundations of established programs, power structures, processes – as well as the people who currently have a vested interest in “maintaining things just the way they are.”

This is NOT a book that simply focuses on what I refer to as “the ship-wrecked” – the obvious deficiencies that inhabit Christian leadership, relationship, apprenticeship, fellowship, eldership etc. No,  this book is focused solidly on the quality of Christian craftmanship – the ability to form disciples of Jesus – whose beliefs and behaviors are deep, enduring, and transformational throughout the lifetime of the disciple – and the positive, biblical impact they are capable of imparting to others and the world around them.

This book is about  ownership – owning up to the fact that our workmanship  on behalf of the God we claim to worship – is in need of evaluation and change. It’s going to require that Christendom re-read the instruction manual, examine long-held assumptions, assess resources, delivery systems – and personnel. As Kinnaman says, it’s going to require a “whole new mind” regarding discipleship. Translation: Change is desperately needed at this time.

The veracity of the facts laid out in You Lost Me are unassailable. The changes outlined by Kinnaman are informed and should provide the basis for essential reparations to an apparatus whose output of “more of the same” does not honor the God we worship.

It took a lot of guts and angst to write this book. It’s going to take the same to implement the reality that its prophetic message requires.

Take ownership – for the sacred quality of the craftsmanship of those we have the privilege to be a part of forming – with the God we claim to worship.

Your first step is to BUY THIS BOOK!

This is an incredibly well written book. Very well researched. Thought provoking and mind-bending. A terribly good book to guide and inform group discussions of a myriad of issues that arise in faith communities in the U.S. today.

The first part of the book, focusing on the issues of Church and State is likely one of the best treatments of the subject I have ever read. The interviews that are interspersed throughout the book enhance what could have been a purely historical/scholarly discussion of a myriad of issues. These interviews include the following: Robert Andrescik, Larry Perry, Tim McFarlane, Mark Batterson, Dan and Barbara Lacich, Robert Cizik, Greg Boyd, JI-Hye and Hank, Joel Hunter, David Gushee, Heather Gonzales, Shane Claiborne, Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo etc.

 In the concluding remarks, the following is terribly poignant:

 “What do religio-political shifts suggest about religion? Possibly that it is a pawn, an institution that follows the fashion of the day or is recruited for economic and political interests. Perhaps, but these historical shifts may also point to something else – religions unremarkable humanness. The Divine may be omniscient and infallible, but religion as practiced in this world is a human institution. Like other such institutions , churches respond to circumstances in their perspectives and conduct. Though each faith tradition maintains core tenets, these tenets rarely fully determine religious praxis. Religion, as it is practiced, is both adaptable and corruptible, as are all (human) social, political and economic systems. Any history of religion makes it trite to say that practices today differ from those of yesterday; they differ from country to country, at times from street corner to street corner.” (p.244).

The book contains in-depth look at both the history and the current status of issues that seem to populate religion – just as they inhabit culture and creatures of culture (that would be you and me) These include issues like churches and political endorsements, (maintaining a tax-exempt status), religious symbols in public places, economic justice, hiring, school prayer, school vouchers, healthcare, human rights, HIV/Aids, racism, war and militarism, faith-based social services, environmental protection, abortion, immigration, creationism v. evolution, gay unions, and caring for the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized. ) Forgive me if I missed a few).

“New” evangelicals….I’m not so sure. Yet, Pally adroitly highlights the same with a quote from Richard Cizik to capture the honest essence:

“New evangelicals” as a misnomer: “ “New evangelicals” are not new; they are people returning to the political visions and social activism that characterized evangelicals from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth.”(p.238)

 According to Pally, “New evangelicals” maintain and update the political visions of toleration, and church-state separation developed by the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth century devout. These ideas of church-state separation respect for the way others see things have led “new evangelicals” to  issue-by-issue policy assessment rather than aligning the Christian way with the way of a political party or government.” (p.238).

 As with any superb, scholarly work relying upon the methods of historical exegesis and the synthesis of qualitative dialog provided by compelling interviews with current actors – the work must illuminate more opportunities to explore the subject of “New evangelicals.” Of course, Pally’s work does just that. Here are a few of mine:

1. Interviews with “new evangelicals” who are not paid academics or Christian pastors would be fascinating.
2. The development of a quantitative data collection mechanism that might measure the extent to which one possesses “new evangelical” attributes (BOTH verbal and behavioral) seems to be an obvious next step.
3. Interviews with those who are beneficiaries of the efforts of these new evangelicals

 If, as Cizik and Pally suggest: “New evangelicals” are not new; they are people returning to the political visions and social activism that characterized evangelicals from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth.” (emphasis is mine) —- this implies some sort of movement…a movement or shift that can and must be measured….with a vastly broader sample, and new tools to explore and examine the characterizations of “new evangelicals” and their presence and impact in  society.

As George Barna is characterized as the social researcher who measures the extent to which the  “biblical worldview” is held by Christians in the U.S. – Perhaps Pally’s next initiative might muster the mechanisms to measure the movement and members of the “New evangelical” worldview so well defined in this work.

I really enjoyed this book. Marcia Pally is a scholar, a gifted investigator, writer, thought leader and policy architect to pay attention to. Stay tuned to Marcia Pally.

Marcia Pally”s Bio (Excerpt below from Amazon):

Professor Marcia Pally teaches at New York University in Multilingual Multicultural Studies and is a permanent Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities. She spoke at the World Economic Forum in 2010 and has been awarded the German Research Foundation’s prestigious Mercator Guest Professorship (The German Research Foundation is roughly the equivalent of the National Institutes for the Humanities). Additionally, she is the co-recipient of a German Research Foundation research grant to compare the political ethics and activism of American and German evangelicals, has been a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin in 2007 and 2010.

In addition to her academic work, Prof. Pally has been a columnist in the U.S. and Europe for over 20 years, writing for The New York Times, Telos journal, Internationale Politik (German Council on Foreign Relations), die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Südduetsche Zeitung, Merkur, Tageszeitung, and Frankfurter Rundschau, among other periodicals.

Karnow’s ability to go back – WAY BACK – to characterize the ancient history of Vietnam that inhabited the conflict during the 50′s, 60′s and its culmination in 1975 – is simply breathtaking, yet, eminently digestible. His investigative journalistic talents that define the players throughout the conflict are unique and very interesting.

This is NOT a boots on the ground, bullet by bullet, battle by battle action-adventure type thriller. The perspective that Karnow takes translated into the PBS series…it is distinctly historical perspective with just enough intimacy to keep the reader turning pages throughout this 800 page treatise.

All the human weaknesses are on display and dutifully explained that culminated in “America’s lost war.” The assumptions, worldviews, energies and ego’s that became war, are in full view for the reader to discern and digest.

Frankly, if you want to see the “parallels” between America’s War in Afghanistan today – and the Vietnam War – this is the book to read that will make the same vividly apparent.

Unfortunately.

Like I said, this book is a treasure in the library of American literature.

After consuming the two books above, I chose Neil Sheehan’s A Bright Shining Lie – John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam.

Although John Paul Vann dedicated his life to service to his country, the book does not pull any punches regarding the weaknesses and humanity of the character in its title.

Sheehan was “on the ground – in-country” throughout this period of time in Vietnam. He was one of the “embedded” news reporters who lived this war, side-by-side with those responsible for strategizing and carrying out the plans of war.

Through Vann’s rise through both civilian and military hierarchies solely dedicated to the war, we are offered a terribly unique perspective – that merits the time one must invest to complete this 800 page manifesto…It’s truly worth it.

I highly recommend this book….just don’t expect to come away with a warm and fuzzy feeling in your soul. It just “ain’t gonna happen.” Such is war.

Although the focus is clearly on the rise and fall of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,  the authors state that it differs from other treatises on the financial crisis in two important ways:  it clearly identifies all the players whose contributions to catastrophe have been heretofore overlooked; and it integrates what have been treated as disparate events and occurrences, providing the background, context and the relevant relationships between the same. The thesis of the book is stated as follows:

“Reckless Endangerment is a story of what happens when unfettered risk taking, with an eye toward huge personal paydays, gains the upper hand in corporate executive suites and on Wall Street trading floors. It is a story of the consequences of regulators who are captured by the institutions they are charged with regulating. And it is the story of what happens when Washington decides, in its infinite wisdom, that every living, breathing citizen should own a home.” p. xiv.

This book is NOT one of those “partisan pieces” demonizing one political party to the detriment of the other. This book is the result of an even-handed, in-depth examination by two eminently talented investigative journalists; who also possess solid credentials in the financial services field that add both access to what others have overlooked, and a capacity to translate “financial matters” into language that the layperson can comfortably digest.   After having some figure approaching two dozen different books on the U.S. financial crisis, I urge you to read this one. WARNING: Unseasoned truth can make you sick. There are no spices necessary to bring across the the fresh, unadulterated flavor of unequivocal systemic failure.

This book has it all; intrigue, power, money,greed, influence peddling, self righteousness and the tragic results of wishful thinking/influence peddling when directed at maintaining the momentum of the status quo that is killing our country like a toxin coursing through one’s veins. Listen to the following:

“Wall Street helped propel world financial markets to the brink of collapse. The voraciousness of these firms would also push the nation’s economy into it’s most serious recession in more than seventy-five years. Their avarice would finally, and forcefully, demonstrate how a noble idea like home ownership could be corrupted into something that so poisoned the global economy it was left in a semi-vegetative state.”(p.274).

The focus on Freddie and Fannie is truly a unique contribution of this book vis-a-vis the others that have been published before it. The progression of decades of seemingly disconnected decision making via numerous administrations, regulatory bodies, congressional committees, lobbyists, legislators and private sector influence peddlers – add up to providing the reader with a deep and broad sense of “what the heck happened to America?” It is truly the story of the progression of the prospective virtues of a noble notion ( increase home ownership in America) to the consequences of when,who and how said noble notion morphs into something it was never intended to be, is kidnapped, held hostage, and a global economy is held for ransom by the perpetrators.

The is a VERY important work. Superbly documented and incredibly well written. I highly recommend it.

To suggest that the “global financial crisis” is even remotely close to being stabilized is utter nonsense. There is much more work to be done. This book definitely points the way to the essential reparations that have yet to be incorporated in a systemic reconfiguration.

Finally, as the authors state: The failure to hold central figures accountable for their actions sets a dangerous precedent. A system where perpetrators of such a crime are allowed to slip quietly away from the scene is just plain wrong.” (p.xv).

Frankly, the level of absurdity that became reality/ordinary course leading up to the financial cataclysm within these countries is baffling, it’s laughable – then again, it’s not funny at all. It’s the story of what happens during the life cycle of an economic bubble, which Lewis defines as follows:

“A bubble is inflated by nothing firmed than people’s expectations. The moment that people cease to believe that house prices will rise forever, they will notice what a terrible long term investment real estate has become, and flee the market, and the market will crash….it was sustainable so long as it went unquestioned and it went unquestioned as long as it appeared sustainable.” (pp.90-91)

You simply must read this book (written for the layperson – translation: MBA NOT required to thoroughly enjoy it). The humor in the book is unanticipated and will likely make some howl with spontaneous laughter.

I’ll use a quote near the end of this book to capture how I felt when I had completed it:

“All the forces in the state are lined up to preserve the status quo. To preserve the delusion. And here – this place – is where reality hits.” (p. 199).

Unfortunately (or fortunately), Boomerang leaves one with the unavoidable impression thta:

1. The “delusion” of preserving things the way they are regarding national, state and municipal government financing – is just that – a delusion.

2. To expound “sunny economic days” will be here by next week – is delusional.

3. As Friedman and Mandelbaum state in their newest book, ” One thing we know for sure: The path to a happy ending begins with the awareness that something is wrong, that changes are necessary, and that we the people have to be the agents of those changes.” (p.348 – “That Used to Be Us”).

To garner a more complete appreciation for a. what is wrong b. the necessary changes c. how to become an agent of said change — one would truly benefit from reading Boomerang.

I did. I hope you will too.

Needless to say, America is struggling through difficult times.

Enter George Barna and FUTURECAST. At his own admission, Barna has a new perspective on a fundamental element seemingly overlooked or currently missing as a key to the “spiritual health” of America…a return to “the way Jesus did things – changing one life at a time.”

In the first part of the book, Barna characterizes the distinct changes that have become resident in America since 2007: loss of illusory wealth, heightened uncertainty, a decline in hopefulness (optimism), fear, etc.

Barna cites a “polarization within the American population regarding moral and spiritual matters that boils down to an inconsistency between how people see themselves and how they behave. (p. 11-12). Furthermore, he characterizes this phenomenon in this way: “Americans have become comfortable maintaining a belief in opposites.” Translation: saying one thing and behaving contrary to that verbal utterance.

The book delves extensively into the issues of American family life, attitudes and values, media,technology and entertainment, Religious beliefs, Religious behavior, Institutional faith, Demographics and a conclusion that “Together we can redirect these trends.”

Frankly, there is much that is new in this book. To attempt to summarize it here would be a task that I become weary even contemplating. THIS IS A BOOK WORTHY OF STUDY.

As a point of full disclosure, my personal library contains almost every book George Barna has ever published. I find both the research that his writings synthesize so succinctly, – and the heart of a man who cares passionately about the spiritual health of this nation – unavoidably essential reading.

Trained as a  sociologist in graduate school with a focus on social research and survey research, The Barna Group’s work has had an intellectual and spiritual attraction for me. HOWEVER, that’s not to say that I agree with everything Barna has to say.

FUTURECAST highlights one of the truly problematic issues faced by social researchers attempting to measure Christian America’s spiritual health. As Barna states on page 124:

“there must be a connection between claiming the name of Jesus and one’s lifestyle and choices. Yet, it appears that millions of self-described Christians are more like Lincoln’s five-legged dog: They embrace the title without backing it up with visible proof of their allegiance.”

Asa Barna’s protege David Kinnaman has stated in hs book unChristian – What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity – And Why It Matters: “We can’t change what we are known for unless we change how we live.” (p. 231).

The two appear to be of one mind on the theisi of changing one life at a time. Listen to the following from David Kinnaman’s most recent book, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith:

“We are at a critical point in the life of the North American church; the Christian community must rethink our efforts to make disciples. Many of the assumptions on which we have built our work with young people are rooted in modern, mechanistic , and mass production paradigms. Some (though not all) ministries have taken cues from the assembly line, doing everything poissible to streamline the manufacture of shiny new Jesus-followers, fresh from the factory floor. But disciples cannot be mass produced. Disciples are handmade one relationship at a time.” (pp.12-13).

Yet, here’s the challenge I referred to several paragraphs above regarding the measurement of an individuals spiritual state:

1. If you know that the verbal responses you receive from those you interview  varies distinctly and significantly from their behavior – has the degree of the reliability of the findings you are reporting been compromised?

2. Answer to # 1 above…”No, not if you are measuring their behavior as well and thus, have a basis for comparing verbal responses to actual behaviors.”

3. Yet, there’s a third possibility that Futurecast brought to light for me: Perhaps we are at a point where new methods of behavioral data collection are essential and helpful in measuring the “faith equation” for human beings.

FUTURECAST cannot be accurately characterized as “just another condemnation” of Christianity in America, the Church or self-proclaimed Christians. It’s a gut check, a reality check – not simply painting a brutally truthful, yet hard to swallow reality (that’s what prophets do you know); but a treatise that contains solutions to the conundrums so identified by the years of research Barna meticulously sorts through and interprets for the reader.

Finally, one would be remiss to recognize the sheer dedication of the author, as evidenced by his book (also published in 2011 by George Barna) entitled Maximum Faith – Live Like Jesus – Experience Genuine Transformation. It’s in this volume where Barna reveals the results of research that show, “Of all the adults who make a profession of faith in Christ – that is, they become “born again” – there is surprisingly little to show for the effort. On numerous occasions Jesus talked about the fact that you can tell Christians by the spiritual fruit they bear, but the data suggest that just one out of every ten adults who accept Jesus as their Savior make any substantial changes in their spiritual routines.” (pp.25-26)….”It’s time to acknowledge that the institutional, programmatic approach to facilitating true faith is as broken as it can get – much more broken than the people being numbered among God’s chosen one’s.” (p.185).

My suggestion: Read Futurecast before you read Maximum Faith. Actually, Read them BOTH. You really can’t get the entire picture of picture of the challenge and the solutions being defined by George Barna unless you do! Claim to Be A Christian? Grab BOTH these books today.

George Barna – A bold and courageous man, eminently gifted,  who believes all things are possible – with Jesus Christ.

This 771 page epic is the final in a trilogy from Taylor Branch ( Pilliar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65 and Parting The Waters: America in the King Years 1954-1963 (Pulitzer Prize Winner for Non-fiction).

I find that a reading of history is incredibly informative regarding the issues and challenges currently faced by one’s country and our world.

This book truly captures the essence of an ongoing struggle in each and every society. As stated by President Lyndon Johnson (p.230): “But wantin’ to do what’s right and doing’s what’s right’s two different things – and sometimes, it’s a long hill to climb in between.”

In reading this book, you re-live this era. Your heart breaks. Your soul is shattered. You’re shocked and appalled. You become baptized in the depth of the sacrifices made and lives that were lost. You see the faces and voices of hate, bigotry and prejudice – deeply ingrained in the human equation. Yet, you see what progress can and must be made when the immorality within the day-to-day of human existence is confronted with a movement of moral determination.

Consider the following excerpt from President Johnson(pp.112-113):

“Rarely are we met with a challenge, not to our growth and abundance, or our welfare or our security, but rather to the values and purpose and the meaning of our beloved nation….we have already waited a hundred years and more and the time for waiting is gone.”

As I read the book, I couldn’t help but contemplate ongoing, unresolved issues of social inequity and injustice where America has “waited over 200 years and the time for waiting is gone.“

In what Robert Kennedy called “a moral issue — as old as the Scriptures…as clear as the constitution.” (p. 474) – segregation, in it’s many forms, remains an ongoing, unresolved challenge in America today. As I read Taylor Branch’s book, I could hear current day voices and the faces and places of the immorality of prejudice, bigotry and segregation the continue to inhabit the heart of this great nation. Essential U.S. immigration reform kept coming to mind. The most segregated social institution in America remains the church.

That’s why books like Andrew Himes The Sword of the Lord are so darn important. They remind us that the life’s work of Dr. King, Taylor Branch — and all those who have preceded us as citizens of this great country — that we have much more to do where the time for waiting is gone.