A Book Summary from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
About the Author
Rod Dreher is the senior editor at The American Conservative. He is a best-selling book author and has also written for a variety of magazines and newspapers.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Kolaković the Prophet
2 Our Pre-Totalitarian Culture
3 Progressivism as Religion
4 Capitalism, Woke and Watchful
5 Value Nothing More than Truth
6 Cultivate Cultural Memory
7 Families are Resistant Cells
8 Religion, the Bedrock of Resistance
9 Standing in Solidarity
10 The Gift of Suffering
Conclusion
Summary
Chapter One: Kolaković the Prophet
Father Kolaković was a priest who fled the Nazi regime and took up residence in Czechoslovakia. While there, he warned citizens that when Germany lost the war the communist regime in Russia would take over the country and there would be intense persecution. Kolaković understood that the communist government would try to take control of the churches, and that unless the believers shook off their apathy and dedicated themselves fully to Christ, they would be unable to resist. He stressed that freedom is responsibility, and that they must see what was happening, judge situations accurately, and then act to resist evil. Kolaković’s predictions turned out to be prescient. Today, there are people in America who have lived through communism and have emigrated from countries that were part of the U.S.S.R. Many of them are telling us that they see America moving towards totalitarianism: the signs are there for those with eyes to see. American totalitarianism casts itself as benevolent and caring, with the goal of creating a utopia.
To achieve this totalitarian vision, not only actions but also thoughts, speech, and attitudes need to be controlled and directed by ideology. This totalitarianism is not revealed as naked might and coercion, but rather as something positive that fills the heart and establishes a just social order by helping victims and the oppressed. Classic liberalism is being set aside for therapeutic totalitarianism. This soft totalitarianism will gain consent by providing personal pleasure; people will voluntarily relinquish control in a hedonistic society. Even many Christians identify God as the one who exists to make them happy. Rather than choosing virtue and living by moral principles, people relativize values and prioritize subjective experience and happiness. Most Christians cannot really imagine suffering for their faith or for the truth. Currently, the media and all kinds of other institutions are teaching Orwellian doublethink and newspeak. It is imperative that Christians do not compromise with living under regimes of lies. Christians need to organize into cell groups for worship, prayer, and studying Scripture, and they need to be aware of the cultural trends so that they can stand up and be counted in opposition to evil. . . .
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