Cease Fire: Searching for Sanity in America's Culture Wars

Tom Sine ought to be congratulated on daring to write a book shattering the myths of the Right and Left in America. He cleverly tackles on the paranoia of the Religious Right which has trapped them into blindly following neo-conservatism and the political correctness of the Religious Left. His arguments are pretty good especially the comparism with Christians in other countries especially Britain.My only complaint is that Sine does not seem to indicate a sensible compromise. He seems to be more inclined to support the political Left in regards to the social gospel. I think he spends too much time castigating the Religious Right for their embrace of capitalism and not enough for the Political Left. However, I would recommend it to ideologues on both sides.

Tom has a very simple message- live as the Bible states, not as we want it to state. He presents in general terms what that might mean, and in specific terms what the radical Christian left and revolutionary Christian right would like it to mean. As a liberal, I liked it a lot more when he harshed on conservatives, and found myself agreeing with Tom more at these points, but in truth he is very equimeniable and kind in his treatment of both groups, writing alongside, as a brother. Cease Fire traces the developments of modernism and enlightenment humanism, showing how American Christianity has been co-opted by evangelical dualism and materialism, creating a civil religion that is true idolatry. Of interest in today's world, many in the Religious Right end up pursuing a jihad that puts them much closer to Islamic theology than Christian. Tom has some intriguing tid-bits, like what it means to be truly pro-life- and the conservatives definitely don't have the fix on that. He shows how the development of dispensationalism and pre-millenialism is something rather new in American and Church history, and the dangers talk radio has to Christian theology and our way of life. There are humorous asides throughout the book, like the interplay of 666 and Reagan and Limbaugh. You'll have to read the book however to find how he builds on these and other ideas. Of what I would have liked to see differently, there are only some minor changes. In his futurism looking at what could happen in the future, there is nothing on the radical left succeeding, and it would be interesting to take a look at an America where this happens. In looking at combating materialism and wealth, Tom doesn't address the possibility of Acts-style community as a solvent response, but in conversations with the author during a class he expressed much support for the idea. And of course, this book was written seven years ago, an a lot has changed now- including the Clinton scandals and the Tragedy. There is so much that is helpful in this book for understanding how American Christianity has interplayed, it would be wonderful to have a revised edition with more recent current events addressed.