Review
Truth has an unhealthy habit of confronting lies. In my case, it came in the writings of Laurence Vance. His writings used the wisest military tactics, on the one hand, scrambling my communications with military doctrine, and on the other, attacking my religious beliefs with a brilliant flanking maneuver. My concurrent discovery of lewrockwell.com worked together with Vance's writings to challenge my rather weak public education and strong military indoctrination. I found both my Christian faith and my understanding of the state confused and uncertain. My first reaction was anger and disbelief. Vance is nothing if not a persistent Christian. Indeed, he is running the race to win, and has refused the world s attempts to silence him. Each essay unsettled my military view, my theology, and my understanding of the history of the Christian Church. I found myself running to history books, historical Christian writers, and the Bible to disprove him. Most describe it as a loss of innocence that moment of enlightenment when we discover a painful truth of life. My loss of innocence is still ongoing. Vance has caused me to open my eyes. The result has been a discovery of the wonderful truths and economics of libertarianism, and a correction and deepening of my faith in and understanding of Christianity, and most importantly, the orthodox, historical, and biblical views of war. Growth does not come without price, nor does following the teachings of Christ. Inspired by Vance, I have set about trying to reach my Christian brethren who support war and the military due to their confusion over key passages in the Bible. To some degree I have found myself ostracized; yet, rather than discouraging me, it tells me that I am on the right course, for Christ himself predicted such for those who followed him in obedience. In this most commendable work, Vance greatly expands upon his previous edition. It will be my goal to get a copy into the hands of every military comrade and fellow Christian that I know well enough to reach with my concerns. Let me not suggest that the reader must be military or Christian. Indeed, this book is a perfect antidote for the poison being slowly fed through the media, our public schools and universities, conservative and fundamental Christian churches, and the military. Within its pages, the reader will surely be challenged in his prior understanding of history and the biblical view of warfare. Vance pulls no punches; I cringed the first time I found myself being called a Christian warmonger. As I have said, growth can be painful. I will be forever indebted to Vance for his clear understanding of history, Christianity, and libertarian thought. I challenge the reader to not simply accept what he writes, but to test what he writes by holding it against the pale of orthodox Christianity, the Bible, and history itself. This book is a clarion call that challenges the modern American church, the military member, and all citizens as to their beliefs concerning the historical and moral aspects of warfare. For me, it was literally life changing. --From the Foreword by Mike Reith (USAF, Major, Ret.)
From the Publisher
These seventy-nine essays have one thing in common--they were all published on the premier anti-state, anti-war, pro-market website, LewRockwell.com, during the period from October 29, 2003, to November 19, 2007. The vast majority of them were written exclusively for that website and have never appeared in print until now.LewRockwell.com is the brainchild of Lew Rockwell, the founder and president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Ala., and a leading opponent of the central state, its wars, and its socialism.Each essay is reprinted verbatim, with the exception of the correction of a few minor errors. It should be noted, however, that the original spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are followed in all quotations. Because they were published on the Internet, most of the essays originally contained numerous links to documentation and further information on the Web that the reader could click on if he desired. Because this feature is not possible in a printed format, the reader is encouraged to consult the online versions of each essay at LewRockwell.com, where, thanks to the wonders of technology, they are archived. Many of the essays also originally included pictures, which, for space considerations, are not included here.The essays in each chapter are listed in their order of publication. With the exception of the essays on the U.S. Global Empire in chapter 7, which are better read chronologically, the essays can be read in any order.
From the Author
It is a disgrace that so many conservative Christians are apologists for George Bush and the Republican Party. But not only are Christians who make excuses for Bush and the Republicans a disgrace, they are hypocrites as well, for they are the ones who would scream the loudest if a Democratic president and the Democratic Party did the same things that Bush and the Republicans have done.
Conservatives who decry the welfare state while supporting the warfare state are terribly inconsistent. The two are inseparable. Libertarians who are opposed to war on principle, but support the state's bogus "war on terrorism," even as they remain silent about the U.S. Global Empire, are likewise contradictory. Christians who condone the warfare state and its nebulous crusades against "evil" have been duped. There is nothing "Christian" about the state's aggressive militarism, its senseless wars, its interventions into the affairs of other countries, and its expanding empire.
The problem with pro-war, Bush-worshipping Christians is that they refuse to believe that Bush lied the country into war, loving one's country has nothing to do with loving the government, being patriotic does not mean blindly following whatever the government says, and some of the greatest critics of the military have been in the military.
It is my desire in all of these essays to show, as Randolph Bourne said many years ago, that "war is the health of the state."
From the Back Cover
From the Foreword: "This book is a clarion call that challenges the modern American church, the military member, and all citizens as to their beliefs concerning the historical and moral aspects of warfare. For me, it was literally life changing." ~ Mike Reith (Major, USAF, Ret.)
Praise for the First Edition: "All conservatives and libertarians wondering what stance defenders of individual liberty, limited government, and traditional morality should take toward war can benefit from reading this book and pondering Mr. Vance's arguments." ~ Congressman Ron Paul(R-TX)
About the Author
Laurence M. Vance is an author, a publisher, a lecturer, a freelance writer, and the editor of the Classic Reprints series. He holds degrees in history, theology, accounting, and economics. The author of thirty-two books, he has contributed over 1,000 articles and book reviews to both secular and religious periodicals. Vance's writings have appeared in a diverse group of publications including the Ancient Baptist Journal, the Bible Review Journal, LewRockwell.com, the Independent Review, the Free Market, the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Future of Freedom, and the New American. His writing interests include economics, taxation, politics, government spending and corruption, theology, English Bible history, Greek grammar, and the folly of war. He is a regular columnist, blogger, and book reviewer for LewRockwell.com, and writes a column for the Future of Freedom Foundation. Vance is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Grace Evangelical Society, and the International Society of Bible Collectors, and is a policy adviser of the Future of Freedom Foundation and an associated scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute.
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