Whether everyone acknowledges it or not, our country was founded upon the morals and principles of the Judeo-Christian faith. This clear conviction is obvious in the attitudes an writings of our founding fathers. Over time however, there has been a foundational shift to the left. In her new book, “Be The People; A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise”, political science professor and conservative Christian Carol Swain paints a vivid, realistic, and at times frightening portrait of the current moral climate in the United States.
Dr. Swain begins her book by showing the reader what the foundations of this country were (truth, justice, value of life, pursuit of freedom). She then systematically shows how our government and modern culture have been eroding the Christian values of the founding fathers through choices that moved us away from God. Swain tackles many of the hotbed issues in politics today (family values, feminism, racism, abortion, and immigration). In doing so, she shows how a loss of our moral compass has influenced public policy.
“Be The People” is a tough read. The writing style is not tough. Swain has written with an engaging and inspirational style. The tough part is the content. This book is well-researched and the author has brilliantly made her case that America needs a redirection. The material that she has included evokes feelings of sadness and anger (at least it did in me). I like many things about this book. The perspective of the author is real. Swain writes from the perspective of an African-American Christian female growing up in poverty, twice divorced, now a college graduate teaching in one of the country’s most prestigious universities. All of this together gives her credibility. This book is not a “list of complaints”. Rather, it is a truthful and accurate at the steps that have been taken leading us away from our founding. At the end of each chapter, there are actions steps for the reader as to how we can get back to where we once were. Swain also provided, as reference and background to the reader, our founding documents (Ten Commandments, The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution (1787). Very educational. “Be The People” is a phenomenal work and is well worth your time.
The Road Less Traveled 
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I have looked closely at this book. If you are a right wing extremist who loves the idea of a theofascist American government run by the self-elected “anointed ones of God,” then this book is for you. If you love the concept of a mean, spiteful, incessantly angry, and straight-razor-toting God, then this book is for you. If you believe that there are no hungry, sick, poor, or downtrodden people in the United States, just lazy people who are sucking up money from your paycheck that you could better use to buy a new Mercedes-Benz, then this book is for you. If you think your first responsibility after being baptized is to live a life of “obedience to Biblical law” rather than a “life of love,” then this book is for you. If you believe that your next door neighbor is a liberal and that he needs to be eliminated because “his kind” are both an enemies of God and an intolerable danger to the United States, then you will love this book. If you believe that United Methodists, Catholics, moderate Southern Baptists, and other similar church people are deluded enemies of Christ, you will like this book. If you believe in a United States where Christian fundamentalists own every political office and civil service position in government and use the power of those offices to persecute those who disagree with them theologically and otherwise, then this book is for you. If you feel really comfortable and grounded in the Old Testament, but the New Testament sayings of Jesus make you a little nervous because He sounds an awful lot like today’s liberals, then you will like this book. If you dislike women because one of them caused Adam to fall, and you think that women should be punished here on Earth for Eve’s failure, then you will love this book. Last, but not least, if you are black and want to learn how to sell yourself out like an Uncle Tom to the Christian fundamentalist religious establishment that was dead set on keeping you enslaved in 1861 and 1961, then this book is for you.
If you hate me, then this book is for you. If you love Jesus and the way he presented himself to mankind in the New Testament, then this book is not for you.
Charles,
It would seem to me that you have fallen victim to some sort of false teaching. You comment shows the lack of a rudimentary understanding of the person of Jesus Christ and the God of the Bible.