This month, I finished reading a new book called God is Back by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge. I enjoyed it. I thought it was a very well-argued, meaty, and thought-provoking book. As the title implies, the author's argument is that "religion is surging worldwide" and that "the global rise of faith will have a dramatic and far- reaching impact on our century."
A few reflections...
*First, this isn't the first time I've a read a book by this dynamic duo. I plowed through 2 of their earlier books - The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America (published in 2004) and A Future Perfect: The Challenge and Promise of Globalization (published in 2001). These books - like the newest one - were well-researched, well-argued, and enjoyable. However, it should be noted, that Mr. Micklethwait and Mr. Wooldridge have a terrible sense of timing. A Future Perfect was released on Aug. 14, 2001 - literally one month before the September 11 terrorist attacks halted globalization in its tracks. And while The Right Nation came out before President Bush's re-election, it should be pointed out that the next two elections - in 2006 and 2008 - were disasters for the Republican Party. Nonetheless, these two journalists are very good at spotting long-term trends, and explaining why those trends exist (even if, unfortunately for them, those trends have a habit of reversing themselves once their book hits the shelf).
*This would probably be a good time to mention another problem I have with the book: I'm not entirely convinced that God is "back," per se. I never think He left! If anything's changed in recent years, it's with how the American Elite perceives religion. Let me explain.
For literally decades - going back at least to the 1962 Supreme Court decision banning school prayer - the American Elite has been trying to remove religion from the public square, and acting aggressively on issues that directly affect religious Americans (think of abortion, stem cell research, gays in the military, etc.). In politics, as in science, every action has an equal and opposite RE-action. And, not surprisingly, by the 1970s, the Christian community was organizing itself into a potent political force. The 2000 and 2004 elections - in which a "born again" President was elected and then re-elected - represented the peak of the Christian Right's power. But they remain active to this very day (how it could not, when the American Elite continues to force their values down their throat? See the latest news on same-sex marriage). Ironically, though, with the exception of the welfare reform bill in 1996, it's hard to think of a single social conservative policy that became law.
Besides American politics, the other reason for the American Elite's RE-discovery of religion is 9/11. Needless to say, since that awful day, the nexus of religion of politics on a global stage has been the preeminenant issue of our lives. Will that continue? Yes, of course. There is a violent strain of Islam that is irrenconciable with the Western world, and that remains just as true today as it was eight years ago. In fact, you could make the argument that the tension between Islam and the West is higher now than at any point since the 17th century. So, yes, thanks to Islam's inability to reconcile itself with the modern world, religion will continue to be a major issue for decades to come.
However, God is Back is mostly focused on Christianity - NOT Islam. The majority of the book is focused on how Christianity - especially in America, but also in emerging countries, like China and Brazil - is using the tools of capitalism to rebrand itself and emerge stronger than most people could've ever expected. In light of these developments, the authors are quite "bullish" in Christianity. But unfortunately, they have a few blind spots.
*First of all, I think it's intriguing that the authors wait until p. 189 (!) to reflect on whether or not Christianity is "true" and then dismiss the subject of "truth" altogether in one sentence! While I am sure that most people share the author's casual attitude about the "truthfulness" of Christianity, there is a large minority of people who AREN'T as casual. And they may still find Christianity unattractive.
*Also, the authors only mention Intelligent Design ONCE and for a single paragraph! In fairness, as I said above, the authors weren't weighing the "truthfulness" of Christianity, per se. But even so, the rise of I.D. is a major public issue in its own right, and it's hard to see how the authors could've written a 400-page tome without giving the subject a more thorough treatment.
*Last, but not least, I don't think the authors ever proved their argument that "the global rise of faith will have a dramatic and far- reaching impact on our century." Like I said above, the book is mainly focused on how traditional Christianity is coping with the demands of the modern world (and they're coping quite nicely, thank you very much). But I don't think that's where the action is. The action is with 1) Islam and 2) Intelligent Design. In the case of Islam, we are trying to reconcile Islam with the modern world. And through Intelligent Design, we are trying to reconcile Science and Faith with each other.
Having said all that, I do think the authors are correct in asserting that Christianity itself (as its been traditionally practiced) has a promising future - perhaps not in the West, but certainly in the Developing World). But the action, as I said above, is in the West (and especially on the frontlines between the West and Islam). And in that case, the ability of I.D. to reconcile the best of the Enlightenment with the best of Christianity would bolster the power of the West in its battle with an alternative faith.
As I've hinted at before (especially in The Mustard Seed), it's not clear to me that Christianity (as it's currently practiced) has a bright future in the West. The good news is that Christianity has already changed many times over it's 2,000-year history. And it can change again. In fact, it will need to.
-Todd
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