|
 n
the time-honored tradition of shameless self-promotion, it is hereby
announced that a new book by this writer and coauthor Vincent Carroll
is coming out this month. It is entitled Christianity
on Trial: Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry, and
is generously presented by Encounter Books, San Francisco. Its editor
is the legendary Peter Collier, and the buzz seems to be that no
American home should be without a copy.
While it would
be extremely crass to offer a review of one's own writing (I speak
from much experience), it is surely admissible to say that the parts
by my co-writer, Mr. Carroll, are brilliant. His basic argument,
which does bleed over into the non-Carroll chapters, is that Christianity
has, all told, been an enormous blessing to mankind. Believers,
indeed, will be reminded that pride in their faith is fully justified,
while scoffers should be challenged in their view that Christianity
has been a largely criminal enterprise.
This is not
merely biased opinion. Booklist, whose word cannot be doubted,
said the following in its pre-publication review:
The standard trashing of Christianity is false, as Carroll and
Shiflett demonstrate by putting specific events, such as the Crusades,
and practices, such as slavery, in historical and cross-cultural
perspective. They don't deny genuine wrongdoing by Christians
and churches but balance the wrongs with the much larger record
of right doing by Christians and churches. They back their presentation
almost exclusively with the findings of secular scholars. They
write intelligently and uncondescendingly but very accessibly
and with enough animation to pull readers into and speed them
through each chapter. Superb argumentation.
Bless you,
Booklist.
Sensible people,
to be sure, must admit that mistakes have been made during Christianity's
2,000-year trek, but then Christianity took on a very tough assignment:
to make saints of human beings. It has failed spectacularly with
some, but succeeded incredibly with many others. In a time when
the dustbins of history and flophouses of modernity are being searched
for heroes, it is perhaps telling that Christian heroes are routinely
overlooked. Very telling, in fact, for there are many to choose
from.
Consider the
career of Theodore Dwight Weld, a largely forgotten hero of the
antislavery campaign, a man described by a contemporary as "the
most simple hearted and earnest follower of Christ that I have known."
He drew large crowds of sympathizers to his hours-long orations,
and critics as well. On one occasion an assailant threw a stone
through a church window, an event Weld later described in his journal.
The stone was "one so well aimed that it struck me on the head
and for a moment stunned me. Paused for a few moments till the dizziness
had ceased, and then went on and completed my lecture. Meanwhile
some of the gentlemen had hung their cloaks up at the window so
that my head could not be so easily used as a target. The injury
was not serious, though for a few days I had frequent turns of dizziness."
What was interesting
about Christians such as Weld was not only their physical bravery,
but their willingness to challenge the received wisdom of their
time. Herewith the received wisdom of the era regarding blacks:
Vices the
most notorious seem to be the portion of this unhappy race: idleness,
treachery, revenge, cruelty, impudence, stealing, lying, profanity,
debauchery, nastiness and intemperance, are said to have extinguished
the principles of natural law, and to have silenced the reproofs
of conscience. They are strangers to every sentiment of compassion,
and are an awful example of the corruption of man when left to
himself.
This description
was not lifted from the pages of an antebellum South Carolina newspaper,
but from the 1797 Encyclopedia Britannica. Similarly, the
great minds of the day, including philosopher David Hume, compared
blacks to animals: Hume's line was that a black who learned to speak
English was similar to a parrot. Most Christians knew better, and
some died proving the point. It should also be remembered that these
exertions were undertaken on behalf of people who were often non-Christians.
This book will
not be universally admired, to be sure. One thinks, for instance,
of the slightly dowdy representative of a group called Freedom From
Religion, who took to the airwaves just after September 11 to point
out that the attack was a "faith-based" operation. If
we were all atheists, this dolt announced, there would be peace
on earth.
Overlooked
in this analysis, besides Mao, Stalin and Hitler (the latter, the
group's spokesman insisted, was Catholic - this book clears that
up) was the fact that many, if not most, of the heroic firemen and
police officers who died that day were Christians, and many of the
dying and injured were taken to hospitals named after saints, not
Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
Indeed, one
particularly engrossing chapter of our book concerns the rise of
Christian charity, truly a revolutionary development. Quoting historian
John McManners, it is pointed out that "The Roman empire was
no welfare state." Likewise, sociologist Rodney Stark adds,
classical philosophy "regarded mercy and pity as pathological
emotions-defects of character to be avoided by all rational men.
Since mercy involves providing unearned help or relief, it was contrary
to justice."
Christians
had a different view. Their grace was unearned, and their Savior
had instructed them that helping the sick, injured, weak and powerless
was not an option-it was an imperative: One's eternal destiny depended
on assisting the crippled child in the gutter and seeing the face
of God in the poor. The wretched of the earth held the Key To Paradise.
A more profound shift in perspective can hardly be imagined.
Those who believe
it is important to support struggling authors who promulgate the
truth can buy this book at the usual Internet locations such as
Amazon.com,
or call 1-800-786-3839 to place an order. It is being shipped to
bookstores as well, in time for the Christmas season. The authors
suggest that scoffers, such as the lady from Freedom From Religion,
may require two copies.
|
