Rod Dreher, the author of The Benedict Option and one of our most thoughtful and expressive Christian cultural observers, has written a new book, Live Not by Lies, that provides context, meaning and hope for thinking Christians concerned about the state of America’s social, cultural and spiritual decline.

Dreher uses his extensive experience with pre- and post-Soviet bloc Christian dissidents as a warning that an ominous secular authoritarian state is looming in America.  He uses the term “soft totalitarianism” to explain the method by which language, values, traditions and institutions are being reshaped by hardcore left-wing “progressives” to serve the state at the expense of individual freedom and individual agency. Their agenda is eerily similar to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

The book, which is dire in its warnings, is also hopeful in its prescription for restoring traditional moral and ethical values. Dreher explains how Christians and conservatives have lost most of the great culture war battles to date, but he offers hope that the war for America’s soul can still be won by principled Christians forming a grassroots resistance movement.

Live Not By Lies is a must-read for any Christian who is alarmed by the current direction of our society and culture. In any war, identifying the enemy’s weaknesses, then preparing a plan of attack that exploits those weaknesses, is essential to a successful campaign. Dreher’s book accurately and forcefully describes the threats facing America and provides a sensible and realistic strategy for its defeat.

Download Larry Keener’s review notes here. 

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021
7:00 PM EST
via Zoom