Victor Shane, In God We Trust: Understanding the Culture War in a Scientific Age (Summerland, CA: Para-Anchor International, 2008), 212 Pps., $19.95.
What is America’s culture war really about? Who are the warring factions, and what do they want? What set of beliefs drives the ideology of the Christian right? Conversely, what set of beliefs drives the political left? How do these beliefs divide America when it comes to the Judeo-Christian worldview, abortion, human sexuality, and euthanasia? These are just some of the questions that Victor Shane addresses in the book currently under review.
In a vividly written composition of essays, Shane seeks to demonstrate that America is in need of another religious awakening. He attempts to stir the hearts and minds of the silent majority in American society that realizes the United States of America was founded upon a biblically-based moral code, and contends that if America would lead the way back toward higher moral ground, the world would follow in short measure. Several assumptions and presuppositions underlie the book under review. For example, Shane holds that truth is non-contradictory, is consistent with reality, and is the essence of successful prediction. Moreover, he holds that the cosmos (i.e. the sum of physical reality) is a single, finite system with a definite beginning and end. Further, he contends that there is no separation of cause and effect. He asserts consistently that the bible uses language of analogy, accommodation, metaphor, and symbolism.
In chapter one, “God and the World: Dichotomy, not Dualism,” Shane notes that there is a dichotomy between Creator and created thing that is apparent in the polarization of the U.S. Congress and the judicial system. He favors the term dichotomy over dualism to mark the proverbial Manichean struggle between left and right, believer and non-believer, and conservative and liberal. In chapter two, “Creator and Created Thing: The Dichotomy,” Shane seeks to establish the atemporailty of the Judeo-Christian God. He notes that only God is original and that the cosmos – and hence everything in it – is derivative. This labeling of derivative versus original begins a consistent contrast throughout the book that demonstrates how (post)modern society continually chooses derivative living over and above original living. He asserts that all of the cultural wars present in American society today are, in fact, due to the clash of these two competing worldviews, whether it is issue of abortion, same-sex marriage, or death-on-demand. Shane asserts that ethical prescriptions should correspond to physical descriptions of the world in chapter three.
Revealing the obvious influence of Robert Bork’s Slouching Toward Gomorrah (Regan Books, 1966), Shane claims in chapter nine that American Christians must use the American political system to revive the original consensus in the due process of law and to fix the things that are broken in America. Naturalists, humanists, atheists, radical feminists, homosexuals, abortionists, and pornographers all tend to deny the existence of the Creator and give primacy to the created thing, according to Shane. In chapter fifteen, Shane asserts that the challenge before American Christians today is surmountable if they become once more salt and light, swaying society back toward the God of their faith.
In sum, Shane invokes reference to the Ten Commandments in virtually all of the fifteen chapters. One criticism of my own is that Shane is not consistent in his appellation of original to that which is good and derivative to that which he perceives as bad, which makes the consistent employment of these terms problematic, and somewhat belies the usefulness of this typology of classification. Moreover, Shane’s lack of gender neutrality in pronouns perhaps hurts the dissemination of his ideas. I contend that Shane also at times misuses the Scriptures and does not convey its original sense in an appropriate manner. Though I do not agree with his particulars at all times and the language used is often inflammatory, nevertheless, the intent behind this book is well-founded, and its message should be heeded. As such, I deem it a profitable read.
Bradford McCall
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA.