Customer Reviews

Uncivil Society: Government's War Against God and the Plight of the Christian Citizen

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Remember the old adage, "Never discuss religion and politics"? Well this book tackles both and poignantly reveals how the two are intertwined, yet separate. This is not a book that will rile you and leave you with a "Hell in a handbasket" mindset. Quite the opposite, in fact. It rises above the constant insanity and decay of our culture and makes the big picture, the important picture, clear to all who seek it. Not what I expected. I kept waiting for the "Bash Pelosi/Obama" chapter, as is common in many conservative oriented political books I have read. About half-way through the book I realized that is not what this book is about. It's much deeper. Very few books can challenge/change my thinking. This is one of those books. Mr. Mersereau has created a very thought-provoking piece of work. His biblical knowledge is obviously thorough and penetrating. I have read the Bible from cover to cover but failed to understand it the way he does. I especially liked the chapter "New Definitions for Life and Marriage". Absolutely outstanding. (Especially the comparison of abortion to slavery). By far the best analyses I have encountered on these topics. Definitely not the kind of tired rhetoric you will get from the media (left or right). My second favorite part was the part that talked about how God never promised us a Christian government. Absolutely brilliant. I never thought about the subject in that manner, but after reflecting on it I realized that I have allowed my own disgust with society and government to embitter my soul with angst and hatred. Reading this book gave me a means to find peace amongst the madness. The most memorable quote from the book is "Love your neighbor, not your neighborhood". That portion of the book made a light go on in my head and awakened something that I have known deep down for a long time. Reading it confirmed my gut feeling and freed me to openly embrace the concept. I can't help but believe that God wanted me to read this book. Thanks, Adam, for putting in the effort to write this gem.

I just finished "Uncivil Society" and was impressed with the clarity and conciseness that the author used to express his points. As a Christian, I have been very disturbed by the turn of events in this world for the past 30 years (especially the 2008 elections), however the author points out that the Lord never became involved with politics or policies while on this earth, He was only involved with directing our minds, hearts, and spirit to Him.

The move by the government to push God out of everything here on earth , in our educational system, in our government, is just the way things are going to go until Jesus returns and there is a new world for those who believe in Him.

With satan the "prince of darkness" and the "ruler of this world," we can't expect this world to get better or more responsible. I especially liked the section where he says that we are to love our neighbor, not our neighborhood. The author was demonstrating how faith in the Lord is a personal, individual calling and not a calling to improve our towns or country. The great commission is given to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, but to take it to the individual for his conversion.

I would highly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to come to grip with things that are happening in our Country, our world, education, and government. The author makes clear what we are seeing today is no accident.

I am probably no different from many Christians who struggle with living out one's principals in this post-modern age. Politics is just one arena where it can be challenging to maintain one's convictions and still "engage". I was hopeful that this book would be more than just a survey of God and government, but would actually give me some practical tools to put to use.

I found most useful the author's deep dive into two controversial subjects, abortion and gay marriage. After reading, I felt much more equipped and prepared to engage in the political debate on both topics. In fact, our church participates in a right to life support parade, and my convictions about participating were emboldened after reading the section on abortion. I was even moved to share the chapter with some of the church leadership, as I was aware of some of our fellow members discomfort with trying to explain and defend their own conviction about the subject.

I also really benefitted from the authors reminders of several fundamental truths about government. That it was established by God to restrain evil after the Fall. That authority was delegated to humans, but being a believer isn't a pre-requisite for leadership. That as Christians, we are not just to be compliant citizens, but are expected to submit to authority (the sign of a mature Christian). Given where our current administration is taking us, it was also reassuring to be reminded that government is not a substitute for the church. Jesus, not our government, will ultimately save us. All of these serve as great reminders of the bigger picture, especially in light of the 24 hour news treadmill that can sometimes lead to a state of despondency.

There were a few sections of the book that had me lost and skipping ahead, particularly some of the more complex legal cases like that of Lemon & Edwards. However, I was glad that I stayed with it, as the book finished quite strong.

In the end, my expectations were more than met as my compass is now pointed in the direction I should walk. I also am more aware of pitfalls to avoid and mirages that aren't real. I also appreciated the reminder that picking up our cross has consequences, and we should be prepared to deal with them. Fortunately, we are reassured that while Western culture may change, our responsibilities as Christians do not, and with this final charge, I was encouraged to up my own political involvement as this year's election season starts picking up steam. I highly recommend this read for anyone else who is looking for similar equipping and encouragement.

I'm not much of a reviewer - don't do this very often at all. But this book I had to write about. If you're a Christian living in the US today, you have to read this book. It is concise & to the point, and incredibly relevant for any discussions with believers and non-believers alike. My copy is underlined & highlighted all over the place, and I plan on using several of Mr. Mersereau's points to help in my personal debates. Understanding that many people today want government to be their god - to recreate heaven here on earth - is a fundamental concept to understand when engaging people in a conversation about today's political environment. We have forsaken truth, and once we can understand that, we'll be able to see more clearly what's going on around us.

Many Christians struggle with the question of what should be the role of government in our society. Does the Bible support big government with complex social programs or small government that empowers the individual? The author presents an articulate and logical analysis of these issues from a conservative biblical worldview that provides the reader with a deeper understanding of today's culture.

Adam Merserereau is a lawyer by trade with expertise in clarifying controversial topics. He has written several articles on a variety of public concerns that have appeared in major newspapers as well as conservative and religious magazines..

He reviews the the purpose for government as established by God in the Garden of Eden.
All men are created equal and in the image of God is the foundation for civil rights. The power of government must be distinct from Biblical doctrine due to the Fall of man and separation of Church and State is God's design with Moses as public leader and Aaron as .priest. When government challenges God's authority in defining what truth, there is conflicting opinions on gay marriage, abortion and collectivism. He debunks the idea of neutrality in law. No law is morally neutral because all laws encourage or discourage a specific behavior. Roe v Wade allows citizens to chose life or death of fetuses in a manner equivalent to killing nonendangered animals.

The author provides useful definitions of conservatives and liberals as a function of their respective worldviews. Convervatives tend to believe that government can mitigate the effects of the Fall, but realize that government is a temporary and necessary evil. Liberals view government as the instrument to reverse the effects of the Fall (if it happened at all), and therefore is willing to sacrifice personal freedoms to achieve perfection.

This is an encouraging book that reminds Christians of God's sovereignty and the importance of integrating God's truth in daily living. In place of confusion and dissatisfaction with public affairs, the reader will gain insight and confidence in being obedient to God.
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