Rating: 
Summary: About time
Review: .
This is no bleeding heart author looking for sympathy. Limbaugh's book is extraordinarily well documented and, as any conservative Christian can attest, hits the proverbial nail square on the head. ...Christians, however, should bear in mind that our liberty ultimately will never come from secular government. True liberty can be found in Christ. See Martin Luther's classic, Christian Liberty (available from a website).
Rating: 
Summary: Far Reaching Title, But Still an Interesting Read
Review: Conservative pundit, David Limbaugh - brother of Rush Limbaugh, has written a book about liberal hated for Christianity, at least, conservative or traditional Christianity. First, the title is quite far reaching. While it can be easily argued, and he does, that there is an assault on Christian teachings and people in public schools, including colleges, media, an the work place; one is still lost to say "persecuted" except maybe in the broadest sense of the word. There is a persecuted Christian community where people are imprisoned and often killed. The secular attack on Christians in this country is, I assert, to marginalize it so much by taking it out of the public arena that they hope it fades away.
First, the problems with the book: Often, more than I would want, he tends to align conservative political positions with Christians. But, he does seem to notice this pitfall, and once he does it, tries to get back on track.
The book has a lot of good arguments, mostly anecdotal however. Sure, much of these stories are confirmed, but, one could also tell many anecdotes where places are very friendly towards the Christian community (namely because these places have such an active and strong Christian population).
His chapter on the academy and academic freedom shows where the roots of intolerance takes fold towards Christians, where many students and academics marginalize Christian teachings and students. His stories involving the work place and government go awry programs are also good; His analyses of this countries founding, how public schools came t being, and on the "establishment clause" are accurate and worth the read.
Still, there are other books that deal with the culture war that I assert are much better such as "How Should We Then Live?" by the late Francis Schaeffer, "How Now Should We Live?" by Chuck Colson and Nancy Percy (whom he quotes) and "The New Anti-Catholicism" by Philip Jenkins are more coherently argued and provide a better backdrop on the reason for the culture war.
Rating:
Summary: Scary!
Review: David Limbaugh gives example after example of how secularists are using the government, particularly the courts, to establish the religion of secularism. He covers a wide range of areas, from school to the political field to the homes and churches of ordinary citizens. It is absolutely scary how far their reach extends.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent source of hope
Review: David Limbaugh is an excellent writer and a clear speaker on the cd audio version. The well-researched and carefully supported conclusions in Persecution show how the battle between Christians and atheistic communists has been and is being fought in the United States. The bad news is that there are communists who persist with their failed doctrine of destruction even though Stalin himself regretted his practice of destruction by communism. The good news is that <font color="ff0000">the power of Christ</font color> is active in America since orthodox Christians, wise philosophers and enlightened politicians are winning battle after battle. These courageous men and women are similar to the courageous Americans in the past who continually work to preserve what Ayn Rand called the "greatest country in the history of the world" (1974). Chapter Five of Persecutionis an excellent summary of the religious influences of the the founding fathers and mothers. Limbaugh is smart to include Alex de Toqueville in his book since this Frenchman clearly saw how religion is a necessary ingredient in a successful political system and how Christianity is probably the best religious ingredient in the most successful political system known as the <font color="0000ff"?>Federal Republic of the United States of America</font9 color>
Rating:
Summary: What Elephant in the Living Room?
Review: David Limbaugh's "Persecution" forces us to look squarely up the trunk of the elephant in the liberal living room: the "secret" that the modern-day heirs of a political tradition built on fighting for justice, tolerance, and freedom have become some of the most unjust, intolerant oppressors in recent American history, at least where Christianity is concerned. Limbaugh documents case after case of religious discrimination perpretrated by liberals against Christians, all in the name of tolerance and open mindedness. We might expect a book entitled "Persecution" to be only another mindless rant from a stereotypical uneducated fundamentalist. But this is not the case here. Limbaugh does veer into the territory of diatribe every so often, but the bulk of his book is a series of carefully documented incidents of liberals denying Christians opportunities in employment, education, and even freedom of speech. Opening up "Persecution" to a random page, we find successful college football coach Ron Brown denied a head coaching position because of his religious beliefs. Turn a few more pages and we find a public office in Dade County Florida having Hannukah and Kwanzaa displays set up during the Christmas holiday season, but prohibiting a nativity scene. One more turn and we find a town in California ordering a church to take down a banner advertising summer vacation Bible school, while other organizations had banners on display throught the town. I just grabbed these cases at random from the book. You will also find cases of Christians being fired and sued for things like wearing crosses or keeping a Bible on their work desk. Limbaugh details discriminations that Christians have faced in public schools, universities, government, industry, and in the media and entertainment industries. If you are the least bit unsure that Christians are getting less than a fair shake in many sectors of modern public life, "Persecution" should put an end to all your doubts. The book is not without its problems. First and foremost is the lion on the front cover. That's certainly overkill. Despite Limbaugh's clear chapter headings ("The Battle for the Academy", "Muzzling Public Officials, Employees, and Appointees", etc.), the book could use some better organization. More than once I found myself trying to remember just what the current chapter was supposed to be about. The next to last chapter, where Limbaugh attempts to demonstrate the relationship between the Founders' Christian faith and their politics is, unfortunately, the weakest. I think he makes his point, but he could have made it stronger by supplying us with more quotes from original sources and less from modern commentators. (I couldn't help but notice that he quotes quite a bit here from writers who were published by his own publisher.) And he gets a few things wrong. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, was an out and out Deist, Limbaugh's arguments to the contrary notwithstanding. (Given T.J.'s numerous and egregious moral shortcomings, if someone want to call him a Deist, it's perfectly OK with me.) But these blemishes do not detract from the validity of the work in any important respect. Not many honest options are open to us if we want to disagree with Limbaugh. We can try to refute his documentation point by point. Good luck. (In this regard, my admittedly non-exhaustive perusal of this page's 1-star reviews has turned up none that actually deal with the cases Limbaugh presents.) Or, we can try to show that plenty of groups in America are being similarly disadvantaged -- that things are tough all over. This tack seems to hold little promise either. We might try to say that Limbaugh is just going to bat for his poitical "religious right" cronies. But this won't do either. Not many of the people he defends in this book are "political." Most of them that are "poltical" became so because it was the only way they could see to secure for themselves the rights and privileges those around them enjoy. "Persecution" is not the book to read if you want to know what everyone else is reading. Limbaugh's audience will be mainly conservative Christians, the people least in need of his book. However, if you're wondering what that big pachyderm-looking thing behind the sofa is that only the Christians are pointing at, "Persecution" will draw back the curtains and let you seeit in the full light of day.
Rating: 
Summary: Prelude to Tyranny
Review: David Limbaugh, Rush's lawyer brother, cobbles together a 300+ page mountain of sensationalized anecdotes that allege a systemic and conspiratorial campaign to isolate and ultimately destroy Christianity-the reigning religion that dominates most aspects of American life. By whom? The Limbaughs' political adversaries of course-the liberals, secularists, civil libertarians, to name a few. That's not to say that many of Limbaugh's examples do not underscore the fact that ignorance, bureaucratic short-sightedness, political-correctness, and militancy are to be found across all varieties of political, ideological, and religious persuasion-left and right. But does Limbaugh make the case that sectarians and liberals are out to destroy Christianity?
I feel compelled to remind Limbaugh and his would-be adherents that separation of church and state was designed not only to protect the state from the church, but more importantly in the minds of the framers, to protect the church from the state. The driving agenda behind such charges as those made here by Limbaugh are to, under the pretense of protection, breakdown this distinction and put Christianity at the center of government. This I believe would be hazardous not only to the civil liberties and democratic freedoms of "non-believers" but also ultimately to the future liberties and freedoms of religious citizens as well. If Christianity should become integral to the state, then who's Christianity shall it be? Catholic? Baptist? Anglican? (a review of the repressive and bloody church-state history of England should be enough to give anyone who values religious freedom pause).
And lest we forget, Jesus was not crucified by the liberal sectarians but by the religious conservatives of his time who could not tolerate the challenge to their established beliefs or authority. I see little to suggest that Jesus would fare much better today amidst the likes of modern day pharasees and rabble-rousing zealots like the Limbaughs. As for persecution of the Christian majority at the hands of liberals, secularists, libertarians, anarchists, etc...where have we heard that before? Munich? Belgrade? Phnom Penh? Rwanda? It seems that every low life despot and every craven act of aggression taken against an another begins with the aggressor casting themselves as "persecuted" and "victim" to others' supposed treachery. The question here is who is persecuting who?
I fear there may soon come to pass a time when many so-called Christians, like Limbaugh, may be "persecuted" in the form of a backlash more consistent with self-fulfilling prophecy than anything to do with Jesus. "Persecution" may come not because of their alleged righteousness, clean living, and life of faith, but as a reaction against the sheer meanness and mean-spirited attitude taken against often the most vulnerable of society-society's "niggers:" the homosexuals, the mentally ill, the homeless, the alienated and maladjusted, the artists, those who still dare to think freely and question.
As the popularity of screeds such as Limbaugh's attests, we are entering into a period of spiritual and intellectual darkness where reason and probing moral searching has been eclipsed by mob emotion and a superficial herd morality. As devastating as this period may well prove to be, it will eventually pass and the pendulum will inevitably swing back again toward greater critical reflection and sensibility (as it did post-McCarthy). In the meantime, the question that each of us must be ready to answer is: "where were you when the lights went out and what did you do about it?"
Rating: 
Summary: Religious Warfare in the USA
Review: David Limbaugh, younger brother of Rush Limbaugh, is a conservative columnist and occasional author who has written a few books about conservative thought and practice. In this book, Limbaugh presents some arguments explaining why he feels that the liberal establishment is waging war against Christians and Christianity. Limbaugh composed this book as part history lesson and part modern- day political guide. He talks about the educational system in the United States, pointing out that the Bible was once the center of schooling for all youngsters. Today, teachers are forbidden from leading students in prayer or from promoting Biblical passages in the classroom. Public displays of religious symbols on government property were once the
norm. Today, they have been ruled unconstitutional by the "liberal" judicial system. He talks about speech codes, political correctness, and other changes that he feels have been made for the worst in the past fifty or so years. I can agree with some of the complaints that Limbaugh has with the American system. It is true that, in many cases, political correctness has gone way too far. It is also true that Christians as a group are often singled out for harassment. I don't agree that they are being "persecuted", because there hasn't been any bloodshed or physical pain endured. But it is true that Christians as a whole have been targeted for personal attacks. One problem I have with this book is its explanations regarding America's foundation and constitutional laws. Limbaugh correctly points out that most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and most of the population in general back in the late 1700's was Christian. But he seems to think that merely "being" Christian means that the constitution and the basis of law are also religious in nature. I can agree that these men were, mostly, men who believed in a higher power. But that doesn't mean that they wanted the U.S. government to be founded on religion. If they wanted this, they would have explicitly added it to the constitution. Limbaugh writes this book in a respectful way, and he avoids the tendency for authors like himself to resort to immaturity by calling their opponents names and belittling them at every turn. There is no doubt which side of the road Limbaugh is coming from. But he sticks with his arguments and avoids the temptation to hurl insults at those he disagrees with. This is the type of book that some will love and others will hate. I have many issues with Limbaugh's ideas and his questionable logic. But I can also agree with him on some points, like the silliness of political correctness and the targeting of Christians for harassment. It is true that they are being targeted, but not necessarily because of religion, per se. I think Christians are attacked simply because they are in the majority, making them an easy target. If you like some good, intellectual debate to get yourself thinking, then you might enjoy "Persecution". Like me, you may not agree with everything Limbaugh has to say, but his writing is still pretty good and he does avoid name calling and other acts of immaturity. I recommend taking a look at this book to see what you think.
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Summary: Goth culture is the real problem
Review: Get this: there's a convention for serial killers, and its disguised by calling it a "Cereal" convention. Then a bunch of goths get together and do bad, spooky things. I guess that's a great idea for a lifestyle if you're in early adolescence, but considering that tripe like that is what wins awards for the impressionable set, and that ethics doesn't get any better than that, the over-fifteen crowd can safely ignore this. And the stuff is horrible; pedestrian commercialism taken to an extreme.
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Summary: You Made Me Read It, I Didn't Want to Do It . . .
Review: I can single out two succinct and persuasive reviews of Limbaugh's book that were filed here in the not-too-distant past (not to imply that the caliber of reviews overall is lacking in serious and rational thought and debate, mostly). Itonically, though, I agree with both Wan Kim and jim_nc's reviews, but -- uh oh -- one man totally loves it and the other totally hates it!
First of all--yes, as yet another reviewer mentioned, the grandiose and over-reaching title looks as though the author or his publisher were straining to make of this work more than the advocacy-journalism it is. Reinhold Neibuhr, in the 1950s, got away with a book titled THE NATURE AND DESTINY OF MAN. But it truly was a work of first-rate theology and social criticism, still widely read today. Mr. D. Limbaugh, I've read Reinhold Neibuhr as well as your book, and, all joking aside, I hope you're not trying to become the early 21st Century's answer to Reinhold Neibuhr...).
This is not to imply that PERSECUTION is not useful and relevant. But it must be considered in terms of its genre--it is part and parcel an extended opinion piece. For years the author got away with proclaiming opinion as -- pardon the pun -- "Holy Writ" to audiences. This continues here--PERSECUTION is in no way a work of philosophy or theology. It isn't even a work of serious social criticism because to do so, an author would have to admit more plainly what his biases are and give the reader a more coherent method than High Dudgeon.
Yet, annoyingly, and despite its meat-axe approach to things that bother Limbaugh--PERSECUTION is just a little too good to dismiss as nothing but an extended op-ed piece. It does cohere.
Trouble is, if we approach this book as marketed -- as a serious overview of a culture war at work religiously -- (analogous to the very real German "Kulturkampf" during Otto von Bismarck's rein in the late 19th Century) -- well, a heck of a lot of preliminary issues are being begged. Issues such as: is there a culture war, or the assumption of one, sufficient to make it a "platform" of debate couched almost entirely in Us-Versus-Them terms, regardless of whether or not the actual term "culture war" is actually used?
What is meant by the word "Christianity" here? Is it what used to be called "Christendom" or or is it more like an ecclesial statement and movement, say, the "Christian Church Universal"? Or is PERSECUTION written with some kind of under-the-table understanding that the "Christians" whom Limbaugh references are really conservative social activists who are frequently aligned with fast-growing Protestant evangelical denominations??
Limbaugh apparently fails to mention one Christian virtue so holy it made the Roman Catholic "Top Seven" list: humility. Knowing what the book is about, yet puffing its title beyond philosophical defensibility WHILE AT THE SAME TIME offering opinion as Gospel shows a singular lack of humility, and I have to admit I'm put out at the editor/publisher, too, if only for the connotations bound up with the book's title that the publishing house either created or condoned.
I do not wish Limbaugh any harm but for heaven's sake! Intellectual Triscuits are a good and necessary roughage, but when marketed as Mental Miracle Manna there's a deception going on in some wise. The issues Limbaugh gets near to are indeed very important. His book, however, is trivial if considered a statement of lasting cultural and spiritual import. With no extra trouble, readers would do just as well reading Hofstadter's ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM in America for its take on U.S. Culture, or even (and I am not trying to be facetious) -- THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PEANUTS for a rational and non-silly discussion of how a (Protestant) Evangelical mind works. Both still in print, still selling like hotcakes, not topical but timely.
I've a sneaking suspicion that Limbaugh's work will be about as well remembered in 50 years' time as are Quemoy and Matsu, the fluoridation debates, or sniping at "eggheads" are today.
Is David Limbaugh a conservative? In his haste to make a big name and his apparent lack of grounding in traditional American thought streams that could have been relevant to this work--NO. I'm more conservative if by that I mean it's a good idea to distance oneself occasionally from us-versus-them thinking, or put more simply to look at the world before leaping into the conclusions found in print in PERSECUTION.
Okay, I don't mind playing the ratings game: Five stars for ambition, two for intellectual integrity, one for the grandiose and deceptive title, four for research within its limited field, one for lack of Christian Charity towards one's putative "enemies." Two-and-a-half stars, approximately, rounded down to two stars because this book is already becoming yesterday's mashed potatoes.
Wan Kim and jim_nc: you were so adept at sharing your respective points-of-view that I was really sorry I couldn't make you an Amazon Friend. You could file your e-mail addresses with Amazon in such a way that only people YOU trust have access to them--is that possible, please?
allen smalling
09-20-04
Rating:
Summary: Identifies the Condition, but Neglects the Cure
Review: I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with everything the author presents in this book. There IS a growing persecution of Christianity today, stemming from the popular notion that there is no such thing as absolute truth. The author again and again illustrates dramatically that Christians are under fire along many fronts in our American society. As I moved through the book, I kept thinking, "Yes, I agree, America IS biased against Christianity and HAS departed from her Christian foundations. Now what can I DO to reverse the trend?" Limbaugh offers a few tidbits of insight in his closing pages, but not nearly enough for the believer who wants to make a difference in the world of the 21st century. I would have given this title five stars, but the lack of any direction and course of action diminishes the power of the message. Perhaps Limbaugh could write a follow-up that describes the cures available to concerned American citizens. This book makes it clear there is a problem -- now let's have a sequel that provides a plan.
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