Customer Reviews

Can God Bless America?

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"Can God Bless America?" by John MacArthur, is a non-fiction work that addresses theological and ethical issues. The book is a challenge to the evangelical Christians of the United States in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

MacArthur expresses skepticism about the "widespread revival" of the slogan "God bless America" after the terrorist attacks. He asks the fundamental question: Should God bless America? The essence of the author's challenge to his fellow Christians is given in chapter 3: "We must confess our guilt, revive our consciences, turn from our sin, and turn to God."

Yes, at times MacArthur goes after some obvious targets (Ozzy Osbourne, environmentalists, homosexuality, etc.). But the best part of the book is a spirited and cutting critique of the "Religious Right," its moralistic crusades and its political alliances. He offers a devastating 16-point critique of the Religious Right's brand of moralism.

I'm not an evangelical fundamentalist Christian myself, so I very much approached this book as an outsider. And I found it to be stimulating, daring and well-written.

This is a short, quick read where Dr. MacArthur attempts to answer the question, "Can God Bless America?". The simple answer is, "Of Course, God can do what He wants." The question should really be WILL God continue to bless America? MacArthur believes God will only continue His blessings upon America if the people of America turn back toward Him and repent of their sins, learn His Word and obey it.

God has clearly stated His conditions for blessings throughout the Bible. MacArthur uses James 4:7-10 to give a list of 10 commands that show God's conditions for divine blessing. The problem is, according to MacArthur, many of the Churches and "Religious Right" are focused on fixing problems in America by changing laws, rather than proclaiming the Word and enabling God to change hearts.

Overall, this was an OK book. It is only about 100 pages and doesn't have a nice "flow" to it at times. This could probably have been a better article than a book. This is probably not a book I would recommend buying, but it is worth a read if you happen to come across a copy of it or get a good price on it.

The concluding paragraph really sums up the answer to the question (page 96-97)

"Moralism isn't the answer to what ails America. The gospel is. Higher moral standards alone won't earn God's blessing on this country. Our only hope for that lies in the transforming power of the gospel. And our calling is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, regardless of what unbelievers in our nation do."

Great book! The author rightly points out that America just "uses" God as a lucky rabbit's foot, or perhaps a magic genie in a bottle, in order to "make a wish" for material blessings and security, instead of actually responding to the Gospel message as found in the Bible, turning from sin and toward God, and acknowledging him as Who He is...Lord over all. Truly, God cannot bless America until its immoral population bows its stiff neck before the one Who deserves obedience & worship. Until then, God can't bless America. The author uses far more eloquence to make the point, and backs up his assertions quite well. Good read!