Total Page : 448
Publisher : Da Capo Press
Publication Date : 2008 09 30
>> Decent memoir
This memoir is well written but I found my enjoyment hampered by the unlikeable nature of most of the main figures While this provides evidence that Schaeffer was probably presenting an accurate portrait not least of himself it makes it hard to root for any of them
>> Must Read re contemporary US society
This book covers a pretty wide arc from enlightened Christian spiritually of the 1960 s through the turgid burgeoning religious right of his personal encounters with the likes of Pat Robertson James Dobson et al He gives an even handed account of his own parents as well as himself Schaeffer points out that the new religious right was all about religiously motivated morality which it used for nakedly political purposes He further opines that the leaders of the new religious right were different from the older secular right in that they were gleefully betting on American failure If for instance crime went down dramatically for any other reason that a reformation and revival this would make the prophets of doom look silly when they said that only Jesus was the answer to all our social problems He further explains that the evangelical community merged the entertainment business with faith the flippant lightweight kitsch of paranoia of the American right wing enterprise Schaeffer left the new religious right and is now an Orthodox Christian After some down years he found himself as a novelist and has come full circle This is a fascinating account of his entire experience with organized religion in America Any one interested in contemporary American society and culture should read this book
>> Definitely Worth Reading
This is a good read and I wish more people would pick it up especially Evangelicals and Pentecostals Having been raised in that world myself as the son of a pastor I could relate to much of the sentiments expressed by Mr Schaeffer It is one thing to come to these faiths as an adult but the theology and culture of it can be devastating to the psychology and emotional well being of a child Nevertheless I don t think you need to relate to his childhood to appreciate the book It is interesting in many ways
However this is a memoir and those simply looking for a commentary on modern Evangelical America may find themselves bogged down in the many personal stories that don t relate to that subject It is a very quick read and those wanting to skip a couple chapters should have no problem doing so Furthermore I suppose masturbation is a natural part perhaps necessary to everyone s life especially men but so is defecation I m not sure I needed to hear so many stories regarding his manipulative affection That said if you are even slightly interested in picking it up I would recommend it with no reservations
