BOOK REVIEW: Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family And Freedom Before It’s Too Late

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We are in a world-wide crisis that encompasses every sphere of our lives.  There is an economic, moral, religious and intellectual decline that threatens to bring down our respective countries.  We are deep within a dark tunnel, the train is heading straight at us, and it may be too late to escape to the light.

But we have to try.

Some time ago as I was sending out notes of thanks to readers who had sent me things from my amazon.com wishlist I mentioned a book I received entitled Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family And Freedom Before It’s Too Late by James Robison and Jay W. Richards.  It was originally published by FaithWords.  The authors propose some strategies to help us avert the looming disaster.   I found the authors to be sincere and creative, insightful and faithful in their Christian faith. The book is thus doubly compelling.

To my surprise I received a hardback copy of the same book from the Catholic publisher Ignatius Press.  At the top of the dust cover in a dark stripe I read with surprise: IGNATIUS PRESS EDITION.  There is a forward by Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ.

Fr. Fessio describes the reason for the coordinated publication of this book by Ignatius Press and FaithWords.  He says,

If you agree that we are in a crisis, then you’ll understand why this book is so important.

It is important because in a democratic republic, only an informed and principled citizenry can respond adequately to a crisis.

It is important because committed Christians, with their reason informed and enlightened by faith, with their common motivation (“Love your neighbor as yourself.”) and their firm foundation (I am the Truth….And the truth shall set you free.) need to stand together-and act together-in this time of crisis.

It is important because this book enumerates and explains the fundamental principles which we must understand and accept if we are going to make decisions and undertake actions that will lead to the restoration of cultural and economic sanity in this country.

It is important because it is a concrete example-that needs to be set on a lampstand-of how Catholics and Evangelicals can and must work together at this critical moment in our country’s history.

This is why Ignatius Press is proud to join forces with FaithWords so that together we can reach the widest possible audience of Christians and men and women of good will with a book that we devoutly hope will become a rallying point, a catalyst for a concerned effort to reverse a cultural and economic decline which, if not arrested, can only lead to catastrophic consequences for the land we love.

I prefer to link to the Ignatius Press edition of the book, but they haven’t gotten their act together to put their edition on amazon yet. Paperback and the Kindle Edition.

This is an outstanding book and, taking up Fr. Fessio’s call, I warmly recommend it.

Buy A Kindle Here

There are going to be elements and proposals that may leave us Catholics scratching our heads or with which we may disagree.  There are many ways to approach social problems that are within the parameters of reason and of sound faith and morals.  We can disagree about how to solve the problems economic, social, cultural and even ecclesial crises we face, but the hard fact is we had better start working on them now, before it is too late.

At the beginning of the book’s introduction the authors have this quote:

Now is our chance to choose the right side.  God is holding back to give us that chance.  It won’t last forever. We must take it or leave it. – C.S. Lewis

If I can’t get all of you to order Indivisible and read it, and maybe even give it as gifts to family and friends, hopefully I can get all the men to order it and read it.  Indivisible could also be a good parish reading group selection.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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8 Comments

  1. kiloran says:

    Daer Father,
    I feel compelled to order this book, but I live in Argentina -where perpectives of a law about free abortion and homosexual marriages are knocking on our gates-. Is this book exclusively for americans readers and about american circumstances? Thanks

    [While it is clearly geared for Americans, I think it could be relevant to any modern, Western country with Christian cultural roots.]

  2. HyacinthClare says:

    Just bought it on kindle. Thanks.

    I finished Quo Vadis last night… first time I’d ever read it… Buckets of tears don’t seem to damage kindles.

  3. acardnal says:

    Thank you for this book review and others. They help me decide what to read. I have purchased this book and it is on my pile of “to read” books. This review should be the impetus.

  4. jasoncpetty says:

    Faith, Family and Freedom? That would make an excellent presidential campaign slogan.

  5. AvantiBev says:

    I recently heard the two authors interviewed on Relevant Radio and I am familiar with James Robison from his TV program on which he has interviewed a number of interesting Christians from all different denominations and walks of life.

    I’m literate and have always made an effort to be well read so I am a little confused by your “Men” comment in the last paragraph. Yes, we need good Christian men to take an unwavering stand but women are a part of the rot and must be a part of the solution.

  6. Magnificat13 says:

    I found the book on sale directly at Ignatius’ site where they have it on sale for $18.69 instead of $21. This is where I purchased my copy.

  7. BaedaBenedictus says:

    CS Lewis didn’t mince words about this topic. From his essay “The Poison of Subjectivism”:

    Out of this apparently innocent idea comes the disease that will certainly end our species (and, in my view, damn our souls) if it is not crushed; the fatal superstition that men can create values, that a community can choose its “ideology” as men choose their clothes.

    This was published in 1943!

    Calvin College has the full text on Google Docs:

    The Poison of Subjectivism

  8. HyacinthClare says:

    The first part of the book I found slow going… but the second half, when they start talking about political principles, was rich, excellently documented, and very usable in informing decisions. We can say “All men are created equal” so easily. A couple of months ago, a National Review article made that expression extremely concrete for me. It said that Christians believe that all men are created equal and should be treated equally NOW. Leftists believe that they can CREATE equality by ruling over us with a “semi-permanent elite”; that equality is something that COULD happen if they stay in power and get their way, and most of us shut up. That really helped my understanding a lot. And yes, the language is more often protestant than Catholic, although they quote saints and popes. I WISH I could get my lefty son to read it.

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