A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
Editor’s Note: Rod Dreher is a best-selling author of broad influence in both church and society at large. Because he is an influential contemporary voice, it can be beneficial to be familiar with his work. Dreher maintains strong political and religious opinions, and, as with every author, needs to be read with discernment. Books At a Glance does not necessarily endorse all of Dreher’s views, but because of his popularity we thought our readers would be served well by this “summary” acquaintance with his work.
Table of Contents
1 To See into the Life of Things
2 Exile from the Enchanted Garden
3 Enchanted Mind, Enchanted Matter
4 Why Disenchantment Matters
5 The Dark Enchantment of the Occult
6 Aliens and the Sacred Machine
7 Attention and Prayer
8 Learning How to See
9 Signs and Wonders
10 Three Prophets of the Real
11 The Urgency of the Mystical
Summary
Chapter 1: To See into the Life of Things
The theme of this book is that the world is not what you think it is: we are living in a world filled with mystery. Material reality is not all there is, and interactions take place between spirit and matter. Demonic beings can try to drive people away from Jesus, but their existence proves that materialism is false and that spiritual realities need to be taken seriously. The secular world puts barriers between us and spiritual reality, but we can still experience God’s presence and miraculous encounters. Western religious experience is often dry, and God often seems distant and uninvolved. We desperately need to draw close to God and have our eyes opened to the enchantment and spiritual beauty of the world. Society is designed as an obstacle to experiencing wonder and the power of God. Legalism and therapeutic approaches to religion also drain away spiritual reality. Nevertheless, countless people have had a personal experience of the risen Christ, and some have even been driven to refuge in Jesus through demonic oppression.
Experiences of beauty, as well as experiences of the horrors of unvarnished evil, can show us spiritual truth. The transcendent touches the material world. True enchantment isn’t about mysticism, it is living in confidence that there is real and deep meaning in the world, and that this meaning comes through faith in God through Jesus Christ. Christians need to live in accord with our profession of what is true. God and angels exist, as do evil spirits; spiritual warfare occurs in daily life. Meaning is in the world to be discovered, and the world is both much brighter and much darker than people think. Much of what has led to Western material success has impoverished us spiritually and emotionally. Enchantment—seeing what is really there—will transform your life. . . .
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