A review by Jack Kettler
After reading a review of this book by Lee Duigon in Faith for All of Life by the Chalcedon Foundation, I ordered the book immediately. With this book, Kevin Swanson has become one of the leading thinkers and leaders in the battle to rebuild a distinctively Christian World-view in the West.
From the first page, I was struck with the fact that Swanson had carefully and thoughtfully chosen every word and sentence in his book. This work is a major treatise on the spiritual apostasy and decline of the Christian West. For those Christians engaged in the cultural battle against all forms of paganism and apostasy, this work by Swanson is indispensable. Swanson documents the decline of the West in detail, and because of this, it may be painful to read.
The book is divided into sections dealing with the leading intellectual philosophers such as Rene Descartes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, and Bertrand Russell. The chapters in the book on Charles Darwin's influence on science Karl Marx's influence on government show how the stage was set for the rapid expulsion of Christian influence from these spheres. The chapters on John Dewey and his destructive influence on education and Jean-Paul Sartre's influence on the culture are alone reason enough to get this book.
Swanson surveys the leading humanist literary icons such as Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter), Mark Twain (Huckleberry Finn), Ernest Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea), and John Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men). Swanson's analysis of this literature should be utilized by Christian parents and used in all Christian schools before anyone of the Christian Faith read these books. Swanson's chapter on cultural humanism in the area of the arts and music should give any reader much to consider before supporting what passes for art and literature today.
Most importantly, Swanson provides Biblical references and powerful commentary in every chapter of the book. In addition, he clearly delineates the antithesis between the Christian and humanistic world-views throughout the book. Moreover, he masterfully takes apart humanist philosophy with a penetrating use of presuppositional analysis allowing the reader to see the reductio ad absurdum of the humanist world-view at every point.
One Scripture among many Swanson uses that sums up his analysis of humanism is: “...all they that hate me love death.” Proverbs 8:36b Swanson closes the book with a challenge for non-Christians to embrace Christ as their Savior and provides guidelines for action and what to expect as the humanistic culture and state self-destruct.
Mr. Kettler has previously published articles in the Chalcedon Report and Contra Mundum. He and his wife Marea attend the Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. Mr. Kettler is the author of the book defending the Reformed Faith against attacks, titled: The Religion That Started in a Hat. Available at: www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.comThe Church is indeed indebted to Kevin Swanson for this work. This book surely deserves a wide hearing and distribution. The book can be ordered at: http://apostatebook.com/