God-Greed Bless America?

Book excerpt: Lulled into comfort by the luxuries and freedoms enjoyed in the United States, many Christians come to the conclusion that this country must be the recipient of a special blessing from God. Using his keen insight and extensive experience, Joseph Redman dismantles this common belief. Instead, he argues convincingly that our modern culture is structured to reward greed and selfishness, not true godliness. What effect does this have on the strength of the Church as a whole? Through the use of Scripture and commentary based on many years of study, Joseph shows how excessive greed and the abuse of what he calls ego-power are pulling Christians away from the Church. He then challenges us to examine our own lives, and to find a better way to actively express true, Christ-like love to the least of these in our world. Only when we focus on Christ can we view our nation in proper perspective. Joseph Redman does community service as a hospital clown, but there is nothing funny in the arguments he sets out in this book. With passion and insight, he has identified the fixation on wealth as America's Golden Calf, he has called into question the easy identification of God and country, and he has reminded Christian believers of which 'first things' should come first. This is a serious book that deserves to be read seriously. - Mark Noll, Francis A McAnaney Professor, University of Notre Dame, The Search for Christian America