I would dare say that little argument can be found over the notion that the United States has lost/is gaining ground as a leader among other nations. Signs pointing to this reality are clear and increasing. It seems every day that another block is removed from the conservative foundation that this great nation was built upon. It has been argued that Rome fell, not because of an outside military threat, but fell because of inward corruption. Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, in his new book, “Awakening; How America Can Turn From Economic and Moral Destruction Back to Greatness”, seems to agree as he writes, “Similarly in America, the most lethal threat to freedom today comes not from a foreign military opponent. It comes from within.” The faces of this internal corrosion include, but are not limited to tax-payer funded abortion, bi-partisan conflict in Congress, weakened foreign policy, economic slowdown bordering on depression, an overstretched and burdened military, exponential growth in the national debt, government sanctioned persecution of the Christian faith as seen in IRS harassment, assaults on the institution of marriage, rises in pornography, gambling, human trafficking, and many other moral issues.

Reed sets the stage for a comeback with a sobering picture of what a prosperous and conservative America looks like. He begins by describing what is a called spiritual cycles. This refers to the course that a country runs from prosperity to want. He uses the nation of Israel as an example. The Bible gives us an up close picture of a nation that went from good to bad to good. Spiritual cycles, as Reed writes, move through a series of six stages, “Faith leading to obedience to God’s laws, obedience creating abundance, abundance leading to pride, pride leading to apostasy, apostasy leading to defeat and judgment, and repentance leading back to faith.” Reed shows how America was on the front side of this cycle as a nation built upon Judeo-Christian values. He also shows how America prospered under the leadership of President Ronal Reagan. This is section entitled “In Motion”, or what America looked like before the wheels starting coming off the cart.

In the second section, entitled “Off Course”, Reed demonstrates how America, now under the leadership of a President Barrack Obama, who is the polar opposite of Ronald Reagan, is languishing in the fourth and fifth part of the spiritual cycle. Reed cites matters such as a disregard for sanctity of the US Constitution, his spoken support of same-sex marriage, failure to act decisively in foreign policy matters, and increasing the dependency of the poor on government services as the signs of a dangerous drifting from conservative roots. In Section Three, “Awakening”, Reed gives the steps that we can take to bring America back to greatness. His steps are: The Reenergizing of Lincoln’s Party, A Bold Pro-Family Plan, and A Call to Christian Citizenship.

Reed has written a great book. I really enjoyed Reed’s background on the forming of America as a conservative nation. This is very helpful. I also liked how Reed set the presidencies of Reagan and Obama alongside each other using the words and press reports from each presidency. The book becomes a summary of the failures of the current administration. I have no problem with this, but I am sure Democrats will take issue here. All in all, Awakening is a well-researched, passionately written clarion call to return to the moorings that made America great.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Worthy Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”