In God We Trust? offers intriguing critique

cover57601-smallYou can read my full review of In God We Trust? at News for Shoppers. I was intrigued by Patrick Nachtigall's In God We Trust? A Challenge to American Evangelicals for a few reasons.

First, Nachtigall is a missions coordinator for the First Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), the denomination I grew up in and left. (In my heart I'm Episcopalian, but I married a United Methodist, so that's where I landed.)

Second, the topics that he discusses are largely why I left the evangelical church.

Third, I majored in Intercultural Studies with a minor in Cross-Cultural Ministry. My whole education was around faith and culture.

So much of what Nachtigall talks about — namely that the evangelical church worships the same three gods that American culture does — are why I left.

But I haven't escaped those problems in mainline churches. They seem equally able to take the words of Jesus and fit them to American culture in ways that defy logic and honesty.

Nachtigall explains why, though he's not writing to or about mainline churches.

We all face the same problem: Few of us examine our own culture (or are even aware of it). This makes us susceptible to the same problems of mixing culture and Christianity that we accuse other cultures of without blinking.

Thank you, Mr. Nachtigall, for this insightful critique.

Please write another edition that will resonate more fully with other Christians, too. Please.

Full disclosure: I read this book for free via Netgalley. I wasn't required to give a positive review. These are my honest opinions.

Book Reviews, WordsTeresaComment