Customer Reviews

The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us

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In his new book, The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us, Rabbi James Rudin declares that the prospect of an ascendant religious right is the most urgent threat confronting us. Rudin, whose understanding of Christian trends comes from decades of interreligious relations work for the American Jewish Committee, sees fundamentalist Christians increasingly imposing their religious values through government power and intimidation.

Rudin warns that the security Jews have drawn from the constitutional separation of church and state is about to end. Also imperiled, writes Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak of JewsOnFirst in his review, is the sense of safety Jews acquired after the world absorbed the lessons of World War II. "For many Americans, especially American Jews and many of their liberal rabbis, still moored in that sense of safety, The Baptizing of America will come as a shock." Go to read the review on www.JewsOnFirst.org. <http://www.jewsonfirst.org/05a/sep046.html>

I grew up in an evangelical Christian home. In fact, I often tell people that I cut my teeth on a Scofield Reference Bible. My father was (and still is) an artist-evangelist who combined preaching with his awesome art ability into a unique ministry. One of the advantages of his work was that we got to travel a lot, and I became very well acquainted with the culture Rabbi Rudin describes in this book.

I found the Rabbi's description of the Christian evangelical culture to be quite accurate. In fact, I would respectfully disagree with those who say that Rabbi Rubin has written an anti-Christian book. He is very careful, in fact, to show that not all evangelical Christians are involved in the militant right-wing activity of the Religious Right. His chapter "Who Are the Evangelical Christians?" shows an accurate view of it as well as how things have changed. And Rabi Rubin has worked towards peaceful ends with Christian groups. And I agree with most (not all) of Rabbi Rubin's observations.

Also interesting is the complex relationship between Christians and Jews at the present time. Any thinking Christian is going to need to treat the Jewish people well - given the fact that Jesus Himself was a Jew. This includes people who don't accept Christ as the Messiah, too. There is no New Testament mandate to persecute Jews who don't embrace the Christian message. And much of the evangelical culture does, indeed, support Israel's right to exist as a nation. But as Rabbi Rubin correctly points out, sometimes the relationship seems inconsistent.

He covers many areas - including the religious right's attempts to enforce Biblical laws on the bedroom, schoolroom, hospital room, courtroom, newsroom, library room, public room and the work room - he has a chapter on each. And it makes us think. As I was reading it, I wondered why a group of Christians would try to legislate Christian standards into our laws when even a surface reading of the New Testament book of Romans and Galatians plainly says that righteousness does not come from obeying laws - it must come from deeper within and a total dependence on Christ Himself

I do want to list the following things that concern me:

1. We have to be careful not to paint evangelical Christians as being more anti-science than they actually are. Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, has a vigorous science department as do most Christian liberal arts colleges. Loma Linda University, under the auspices of the Seventh Day Adventists, do some cutting-edge medical experiments. There is a plethora of Christian doctors and nurses in this country, and a lot of science-minded people who embrace Christianity.

2. Closely related: evolution. Questioning evolution is not necessarily a sign of being anti-science. I have two good friends who don't claim to be born-again Christians who, themselves, question evolution the way it is being taught. And while neither of them is in a science-related field, they both are highly intelligent people and are interested in the world around them.

3. Israel. As a Christian I am in favor of Israel's right to exist as a nation and am highly appalled at the World War II Holocaust and systematic persecution of Jews. However, this doesn't mean that I am always going to agree with every political decision that Israel makes in the international community.

4. Witnessing. By this, I mean Christians sharing their faith. When Christians tell others about Jesus Christ, they are most likely not trying to make a politically conservative statement. Most of the time, it is because they believe Christianity and are enthusiastic about sharing it. If it's not pushy, it's OK - the person being witnessed to is under no obligation to agree.

And I have only begun to touch on the surface of the things that this book brings out. Read it for yourselves. You'll be glad you did.

This book is incredible, in all the proper ways. It is a well written book full of examples of the way the overboard Christian Right is trying to take over everything, and molding it in their views, by claiming that THEY are the ones being held down. Kind of like the whole Fox News "War on Christmas". It does not slam religion, as the author is a rabbi. It tastefully points out how the extreme religous right is trying to change the United States, and the danger it is.
A must read book for those who are not a religous nut case.

First of all Beth in CA, Mel Gibson is NOT a very nice person; a "fanatic" is more like it. Second, Allan in IA, "Christ" is hardly at issue here; the group of bullying, fanatical zealots that want to basically form their OWN dictatorship of this country and impose only THEIR 'morals' and 'beliefs' on everyone else is true frightening to contemplate. Rabbi Rudin has done a meticulous job showing the lying, scheming and other evil deeds this group does to reach their "ends"; which are the LAST thing a supposed "democracy" should ever have to tolerate. He clearly defines what is coming for very "at-risk" groups such as Jews, Gays and Lesbians, and basically anyone ELSE who dares disagree with them and their "edicts". The Evangelicals are apparently the MOST dangerous; they want nothing LESS than "extermination" for the mentioned groups; a truly frightening "future" for this country to be sure when it comes about; and they apparently are already on their way to achieving it; the Religious Right is THE largest threat and danger to America, bar NONE.

Saw the author on televison while flipping channels and was intrigued by the title and agreeable with the underlining concerns. Now there are a few elements I disagree with, like the authors negative statements regarding Mel Gibson. In fact I almost put the book down in disgust, but didn't.

Overall the book is excellent when it comes to decrying how some (notice I said some) Christians seem bent at pushing their religious beliefs on others. For me personally, its sad as well as embarrassing and terribly insensitive, the way a certain segment of the Christian community choose to ignore how they viewed by non-Christians.

The majority of Christians do not fall into the fanatical extreme right category, but many, unfortunately, don't see through the rhetoric and pretend to be holy acts, to see the extreme hate and intollerance that they actually represent. Everyone should read this book and wake up and take back our democracy and real religious values before they are swept away and we find ourselves living in a state not unlike that of the Taliban. This book, undoubtably takes an alarmist position that may not be totally justified at this time, but better to understand the real goals and beliefs of this extremist fringe of Christianity before they amass more power than they already have in our government.

Considering the belligerence of fundamentalists, this is just about guaranteed to bring death threats from Mullah Pat Robertson.

Someone needs to point out that fundamentalist Christians are the American Taliban. I applaud the rabbi's courage. It's a book everyone should read.

It's about time someone named the elephant in the living room. While some of Rudin's conclusions are speculative (and he admits this), he boldly criticizes the Christocracy (i.e. Christian religious right) for their unrelenting agenda to make America a Christian society. Some critique the book as inflammatory and extreme. This seems paradoxical since the same criticism can be leveled against the very people and groups Rudin exposes. I also appreciate Rudin's explanation of fundamentalism and evangelicalism and that not all fundamentalists and evangelicals are encamped in the religious right.

America needs to face the internal threat that is religious extremism. This extremism does not come from Islam but a radical, extremist Christianity that interprets the Bible and the Constitution to fit their agenda. Rudin's book and Kevin Phillips' book, American Theocracy, should be required reading!

Whether you see this author as a Prophet to be heeded or as a silly Chicken Little over reacting, it makes you open your eyes and look more carefully at what is going on. There is much more truth in what he says than I was aware of and it greatly concerns me - especially as a faithful Christian who finds much of the Religious Right's views repulsive and very much opposite of my views on Christianity and what God's Love encompasses.

I really wanted to like this book when I first saw it and dismissed other reviews about it that were not stellar. However, after reading it I am extremely disappointed; not because I don't sympathize with the rabbi but because his tirades against Christianity become extremely offensive, even to someone who despises the fundamentalists.

The author almost lost me within the first four(4) pages when he attempted to categorize and compartmentalize Christians in the "Terminology" chapter. What a crock! For someone who supposedly has been around the conservative movement as long as he claims, Rudin certainly didn't pay a lot of attention to them. His definitions are inaccurate, applied to the wrong groups and are laughable.

This whole "book" came across as a paranoid rant about Christianity having a larger majority then Judaism. He did raise some good points but they become bogged down in the constant Christians vs. the Jews argument. The biggest seller for this book is the title; there's not much substance between the cover. I am one of those "liberal" Christian types who firmly believe in the inherent evilness of the "fundamentalists," not in the conservatives, James and was severely disappointed with this. Don't buy it! Check it out at the library so you don't waste your money.