Rating: 
Summary: Recovering Fundamentalists' Required Reading.
Review: As an escaped 'fundamentalist' I found the book as challenging as finding old photographs of myself I would rather not see. I found the author's research accurate and comprehensive and his opinions well expressed and supported. I found myself wishing I had read this years ago - it has energized me into considering and re-affirming a more balanced theology.
Rating: 
Summary: Prepublication reviews
Review: I wish only to point out that the negative Kirkus Review of STEALING JESUS featured on this site is (to my knowledge) the only negative notice of the book to appear so far. Both Publishers Weekly and Booklist gave the book enthusiastic starred reviews; the Advocate, the Windy City Times, and Out Magazine have also commended the book highly. PW named STEALING JESUS one of the best religion books of 1997.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent description of our greatest religious threat
Review: A fascinating book, which shows how the Relgious Right holds religious beliefs which deviate from historical reality, and which were of relatively recently creation.
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading
Review: A Review of Stealing Jesus by Neil WilkinsonIf the government could mandate reading any one book, Bruce Bawer's Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity would be a suitable candidate. It is a must read for any American who takes seriously such basic Constitutional tenets as freedom of speech, expression, and religion. The Right Reverend John Shelby Spong writes: "Bawer emerges as one of this nation's premier religious commentators. One by one he parades the leaders of America's Religious Right--Falwell, Robertson, Reed, Dobson--before our eyes, and without rancor or hostility makes his readers listen to their own words... Bawer's background as a practicing Christian gives this volume a disarming brilliance." What does Bawer mean by "stealing Jesus?" "In recent years, legalistic Christians have organized into a political movement so successful that when many Americans today hear the word Christianity they think only of the legalistic variety. The mainstream media, in covering the so- called culture wars, generally imply that there are only two sides to choose from: the God-of- wrath Christian Right and the godless secular left." It is "a dangerously misguided notion" to take the Christian Right lightly, as simply a holdover from traditional Christianity that will eventually fade away. By distinguishing between nonlegalistic and legalistic Protestantism, that which concerns itself with doctrine, authority, and law, at the expense of love as Christ preached it, Bawer observes, "Born out of anger, modern legalistic Christianity has, over the long arc of the twentieth century, become steadily angrier in reaction to spreading secularism." Tracing fundamentalism from its earliest roots to the present day, Bawer explores the origins of such nonscriptural precepts as "the rapture" that emanated from a book known as the "Scofield Reference Bible," a 1909 document written by Texas preacher C. I. Scofield and ! upon which much of modern fundamentalism relies. An overriding theme in Stealing Jesus is the question of love. It is Bawer's assertion that fundamentalism does all it can to convert the spirit of Christianity into vengeance, a mainstay of legalistic fundamentalist thought. The views of Robertson, Reed, Dobson, and others are devoid of love, but heavy on buzz words and arcane inconsistent rules-bound pseudo-theology, one of the major reasons that devout people become defensive when asked the question, "Are you Christian?" The fundamentalist intrusion into the American political process by wealthy, powerful zealots is of particular concern to Bawer. He pays close attention to the "esoteric theology," of "God's Generalissimo," Pat Robertson, It is through flagrant historical, scriptural, and factual distortions to a constituency upon whom such alterations of reality are lost, that fundamentalists have parlayed themselves into a position of incredible political power. They have infiltrated the Republican Party to such an extent that many traditional Republicans find the party unrecognizable, much the same as Christianity is becoming unrecognizable to many of its followers. Crisply written, succinct, and well-organized, Stealing Jesus is a unique and provocative work that leaves behind partisan or, special interest politics in favor of a clear, concise, and even- handed social commentary. Stealing Jesus, published by Crown Publishers, Inc., is three hundred and twenty-eight pages, with an exhaustive bibliography and index. It is available in hard cover only. Neil Wilkinson lives in Cobb County, GA, in the absolute heart of Gingrich territory (he was here before Newt). He practices law (one day he might get it right) and he is in the Master's of Professional Writing Program Kennesaw State University. He has published poetry, short fiction, essays, book reviews, and features.
Rating: 
Summary: A Vote For Tolerance
Review: Mr. Bawer makes a distinction between those Christians who want to emphasize God's love ("there ain't no Hell" group) and those who want to emphasize God's law ("the hell there ain't" group). I think fundamentalists of all brands are ripe for exposure and that Bawer raises some very valid points. Most fundamentalists that I know are quite nice people. Unfortunately, when idealism gathers in groups, a mob tends to form, regardless of the dogma. A large enough mob can start a war.
If one goes down the block, across the nation, or around the world to each church, synagogue, mosque or holy place, some fundamentalists of each theology may be found. Each sub-group has the irritating habit of thinking that their group alone, once and for all, has solved the great riddles of life. It seems to me, amongst all that varied dogma, there is only one way any one of them or all of them can be right; that being the extent to which a group teaches a theology of tolerance and love.
Rating:
Summary: Titled perfectly
Review: Without question, today's fundamentalist / conservative / evangelical is anything BUT "Christian". What do they seek? Tormenting those society deems illegitimate: gays, the poor, people of other faiths, etc. They are anything but charitable, kind, beneficent, or humble. Instead they are filled with arrogance, greed, and intolerance. If Christ were around today they'd call him out for his lack of patriotism or fiscal opportunism. These savages who desecrate the so-called Christ and his teachings deserve to be sent to live under a brutal, callous, totalitarian society. That's certainly what they're attempting to remodel the United States into. In a way, what better way for the supposed Anti-Christ to infiltrate and corrupt humanity than through the very catalyst which purports to "save" us from it?
Rating: 
Summary: Some good points, but too biased
Review: Bruce Bawer makes some excellent observations about modern day Christian fundamentalism, but unfortunately he allows his own views and prejudices to get in the way of making an objective social commentary. As somebody who grew up attending a fundamentalist Baptist church (or what Bawer would consider "fundamentalist"), I could definitely confirm some of the beliefs he describes, such as taking the Bible literally and not putting it into context, being more concerned with rules than loving your neighbor, and getting people to convert using scare tactics. However, the fundamentalism he describes is the extreme form of it, and most churches today are not that extreme (he does acknowledge this, though very briefly in the beginning). Bawer is very up-front with his beliefs and where he stands in the debate: he tells you right from the beginning that he's a liberal Episcopalian who is gay (and in case you forgot this, he continually reminds you throughout the book). What he doesn't mention are his credentials for writing a book about religion and its effect on our society. Nowhere in the narrative or in his dustcover bio does it mention having a degree of any sort or where his expertise comes from. It merely says he's a "social critic" who has written a few books and does sermons on occasion. So basically, this is not a scholarly work written by somebody with a Ph.D. in Religion or Sociology--it's basically a very long editorial. I guess I was hoping for something more objective and scholarly, something that would examine fundamentalism in America and put it in a social context. Instead, it's just about one man's opinion. With Bawer's opinion infecting every line of this book, it's difficult to get a good perspective on the subject and form your own opinion.
I agree with Bawer that fundamentalism distorts the true message of Christianity and that too many people fall in its trap. However, we do live in a free country where people are allowed to believe and worship as they choose. Who cares if churches utilize contemporary music in their worship services? Who cares if people want to read the Bible literally? That's their choice. But Bawer seems to have a problem with all of this, and for no reason other than he feels it's having a negative impact on society and Christianity. However, I myself just don't see it. I think some of Bawer's beliefs are more radical than some of the fundamentalists', like his apparent belief that Jesus' death was not an atoning one. Isn't that one of the basic beliefs of Christianity, including the Episcopal Church to which he belongs?
With that said, I would encourage both fundamentalists and non-fundamentalists to take a look at this book, because it does make many excellent points. However, do so with a big grain of salt.
Rating:
Summary: Mostly good but a few major deficiencies
Review: Bawr makes some correct assessments about conservative churches - yes, the Southern Baptist Convention has been subverted and, at least on the national level, is no more "Baptist" than the Patriarch of Moscow; even so-called "New Evangelical" churches have a legacy of creation science and internal debate-suppression that have yet to be fully overcome; the independent fundamentalists are far, far worse. But beneath all of these correct observations (and drastically incorrect ones) is an assumption that is highly debatable - that one cannot have a high regard for the Bible and truly follow Jesus' spirit of love. This, of course, means that unless you believe in sanctioning gay marriage and abandoning any notion that the gospel might be truly, historically true, you aren't a genuine follower of Jesus. Incredibly dumb, on par with Bishop Spong's nonsense. One wonders where the Mennonite church, that liberal-beloved "peace church" that's so "progressive" that most of its women members refuse to wear pants, would be if it didn't take the Bible seriously - they probably wouldn't be the eco-friendly peaceniks liberals love so much. The problem with the SBC and fundamentalist churches isn't that they take the Bible too seriously; it's that they only pick out the parts they like. (Despite claims to the contrary, even the most stalwart fundamentalists do acknowledge figures of speech and metaphors in the Bible. Bawr wants everyone to say that the Bible is just plain wrong.) There are plenty of people who loathe the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC and Pat Robertson's deceptive organizations but who nonetheless take the Bible seriously. And there are plenty of theological "liberals" at the Republican National Convention.
Rating:
Summary: Renewed my faith
Review: I first read this book a few years ago and after years of self-alienation from the faith I had been raised in I finally felt able to once again call myself a Christian after reading this book. For me, it was a very healing experience. However, as with ANY book on religion, politics, philosophy or any other topic, one should read this book with an intelligent and critical eye. There were some things I agreed with and others I disagreed with. As an adult, however, I understand that one does not throw out the baby with bathwater. Just because I disagree with parts of a book does not make it a bad book. That's just too simplistic and as Bawer points out, life is too complex for that type of thinking. This book released me from my self-hatred at leaving my faith and showed me that there is a place for me at the table. It released me from that simplistic either/or thinking that is so unhealthy. I highly recommend this book for that reason.
Rating: 
Summary: Disguised Hatred in a book claiming to Promote Love
Review: Bawer's book, Stealing Jesus, is simplistic, self-serving, and self-contradictory. Allegedly lauding Christian love, his book is a hate-tract against the body of New Testament evidence in favor of a creedal emphasis. His starting point is the bogus absolute truth that being gay is good, from there he strings together distortions of both Gospel and Epistle records, and proceeds to selectively and unfairly bash Christian orthodoxy. United Church of Christ minister, Dr. John Gilmore, Cincinnati, OH
|
