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The Boniface Option: A Strategy For Christian Counteroffensive in a Post-Christian Nation
The nationally bestselling team from the widely popular book Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide For Taking Dominion And Discipling Nations brings you The Boniface Option: A Strategy For Christian Counteroffensive in a Post-Christian Nation.
You live in a dystopia. Every part of historical human existence in our world has been turned on its head. The world we live in is an inversion of what God created you to live in. All that is good is treated as though it were repugnant. All that is beautiful is treated as though it were repulsive. And the truth is forbidden while the most outrageous lies are exalted. This world did not become like this by accident or by inexorable forces of history. This world was engineered to be this way. It was designed to take the life your ancestors had and tear it apart to prevent you from attaining a normal, human way of life.
We are already in the midst of decades of social engineering. The society we have is already an anti-human one. It is already one designed to remove from you all that made life meaningful and fulfilling. It has torn you from people and place. It is designed to make you isolated, lonely, and, above all else, totally docile. Throughout the pages of this book, I use the term Trashworld to describe this dystopian society. And the point of The Boniface Option is to make you see it for what it is and to begin the hard work of escaping and overcoming it.
"Young man, you've come of age in an Age when God is handing the Western World over to its wickedness. That's the essence of judgment, to give a person, a community, a nation, or a civilization over to the nothingness of its illusions. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor, once said, 'It is crazy to want what is impossible. And it is impossible for the wicked not to do so. Andrew Isker has done you a favor. He's written a book for you that cuts through the miasma pouring out of every institution that now squats on the cultural landscape. You've been lied to you about everything of importance your entire life. As a result, a healthy cynicism probably colors your thinking. But if that's the only color you see, you will die from despair. This is where Andrew is so helpful. He speaks your language, but he also has something hopeful to say that might be new to you. Even though you're surrounded by fools, there is still a path that the wise may follow. It is well worn furrow made by many feet. That's actually the historical meaning of the word "lore"--a word once used as a synonym for wisdom, but to imply a path to follow rather than just an ivory tower to look down at the world from. Take and read." - C. R. Wiley, author of The Household and the War for the Cosmos
"Prepare to embark on an exciting journey through the dense forest of modernity with The Boniface Option. Fearlessly confronting the challenges of our time, Andrew Isker vividly portrays the harsh realities of 'trashworld,' leaving no issue unaddressed. His unapologetic approach exposes the real struggles faced by Christians in the modern era while empowering readers to confront these problems head-on. Brace yourself for an unforgettable and engaging experience that challenges, inspires, and empowers. Join my friend and colleague Andrew Isker on this extraordinary adventure to reclaim our faith and embrace 'The Boniface Option' to dismantle the idols of our modern world." - Andrew Torba, CEO, Gab[dot]com
You live in a dystopia. Every part of historical human existence in our world has been turned on its head. The world we live in is an inversion of what God created you to live in. All that is good is treated as though it were repugnant. All that is beautiful is treated as though it were repulsive. And the truth is forbidden while the most outrageous lies are exalted. This world did not become like this by accident or by inexorable forces of history. This world was engineered to be this way. It was designed to take the life your ancestors had and tear it apart to prevent you from attaining a normal, human way of life.
We are already in the midst of decades of social engineering. The society we have is already an anti-human one. It is already one designed to remove from you all that made life meaningful and fulfilling. It has torn you from people and place. It is designed to make you isolated, lonely, and, above all else, totally docile. Throughout the pages of this book, I use the term Trashworld to describe this dystopian society. And the point of The Boniface Option is to make you see it for what it is and to begin the hard work of escaping and overcoming it.
"Young man, you've come of age in an Age when God is handing the Western World over to its wickedness. That's the essence of judgment, to give a person, a community, a nation, or a civilization over to the nothingness of its illusions. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor, once said, 'It is crazy to want what is impossible. And it is impossible for the wicked not to do so. Andrew Isker has done you a favor. He's written a book for you that cuts through the miasma pouring out of every institution that now squats on the cultural landscape. You've been lied to you about everything of importance your entire life. As a result, a healthy cynicism probably colors your thinking. But if that's the only color you see, you will die from despair. This is where Andrew is so helpful. He speaks your language, but he also has something hopeful to say that might be new to you. Even though you're surrounded by fools, there is still a path that the wise may follow. It is well worn furrow made by many feet. That's actually the historical meaning of the word "lore"--a word once used as a synonym for wisdom, but to imply a path to follow rather than just an ivory tower to look down at the world from. Take and read." - C. R. Wiley, author of The Household and the War for the Cosmos
"Prepare to embark on an exciting journey through the dense forest of modernity with The Boniface Option. Fearlessly confronting the challenges of our time, Andrew Isker vividly portrays the harsh realities of 'trashworld,' leaving no issue unaddressed. His unapologetic approach exposes the real struggles faced by Christians in the modern era while empowering readers to confront these problems head-on. Brace yourself for an unforgettable and engaging experience that challenges, inspires, and empowers. Join my friend and colleague Andrew Isker on this extraordinary adventure to reclaim our faith and embrace 'The Boniface Option' to dismantle the idols of our modern world." - Andrew Torba, CEO, Gab[dot]com
182 pages, Paperback
Published August 19, 2023
164 people are currently reading
575 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
August 31, 2023
Andrew Isker understands that the globalist regime is totalitarian in nature and will not allow Christians to create autonomous Christian retreats from "globohomo" culture. So while he admires Dreher's "The Benedict Option" he asserts that we must fight back, in the vein of St. Boniface, who chopped down Donar's Oak, and thereby destroying the credibility and authority of the false god that dominated Germanic culture.
Isker argues this is the path--and the way we do this today, is to openly scorn the idols of our age. He argues we must despise, reject, and hate the false gods. This is one of the central arguments he makes in the book--namely that we need to recover a proper, biblical understanding of what it means to truly, and righteously hate something. We must hate the "globohomo" ethos and order.
He then offers his own views on how we can build something Christian, and better. Most of what he offers is pretty standard fare, and honestly, that isn't a bad thing. The Bible is not complicated in what Christians are to do and to be. We must be faithful in all our conduct, steadfast in opposing the worldly idolatries and ways, and courageous in reclaiming every sphere for Christ.
The one thing that Isker helped me to see with this book, is that hating the idolatries of our culture is the way to defeat them. We must laugh them to scorn. If, and when Christians do this in unison, we will defeat our enemies by the power of the Spirit.
Isker argues this is the path--and the way we do this today, is to openly scorn the idols of our age. He argues we must despise, reject, and hate the false gods. This is one of the central arguments he makes in the book--namely that we need to recover a proper, biblical understanding of what it means to truly, and righteously hate something. We must hate the "globohomo" ethos and order.
He then offers his own views on how we can build something Christian, and better. Most of what he offers is pretty standard fare, and honestly, that isn't a bad thing. The Bible is not complicated in what Christians are to do and to be. We must be faithful in all our conduct, steadfast in opposing the worldly idolatries and ways, and courageous in reclaiming every sphere for Christ.
The one thing that Isker helped me to see with this book, is that hating the idolatries of our culture is the way to defeat them. We must laugh them to scorn. If, and when Christians do this in unison, we will defeat our enemies by the power of the Spirit.
August 22, 2023
If Russell Moore hates this book, than you’re going to love it.
August 24, 2023
Among many many other critiques, I would point out that the author clearly has an approach to “facts” more in line with fan fiction than reality.
To call this “bad history” is to really missing the point. The author constantly relates modern times to historical periods, and in so doing makes hundreds or even thousands of verifiable claims about the past. Unfortunately for the credibility of the book, these claims are almost entirely false.
Did pre-bronze age Europeans live in long houses with hundreds of strangers? No. They just didn’t. Those of them who lived in long houses mostly lived with close and extended family members in groups of 20-30.
Were those same people wiped out by invaders from the steppes? No, they weren’t. Overwhelming DNA and anthropological evidence shows this.
Were the steppe invaders Christian, Jewish, or any other Abraihimic religion? No. Objectively they were not. The steppe migrations happened thousands of years before Abraham was born.
Does any portion of the Christian New Testament teach that hatred is good? No.
Etc etc etc etc.
Open this book to nearly any page and you will find enough verifiable falsehoods on that page to write ten pages of factual criticism, and that’s without going into any of the actual political or theological ideas.
To call this “bad history” is to really missing the point. The author constantly relates modern times to historical periods, and in so doing makes hundreds or even thousands of verifiable claims about the past. Unfortunately for the credibility of the book, these claims are almost entirely false.
Did pre-bronze age Europeans live in long houses with hundreds of strangers? No. They just didn’t. Those of them who lived in long houses mostly lived with close and extended family members in groups of 20-30.
Were those same people wiped out by invaders from the steppes? No, they weren’t. Overwhelming DNA and anthropological evidence shows this.
Were the steppe invaders Christian, Jewish, or any other Abraihimic religion? No. Objectively they were not. The steppe migrations happened thousands of years before Abraham was born.
Does any portion of the Christian New Testament teach that hatred is good? No.
Etc etc etc etc.
Open this book to nearly any page and you will find enough verifiable falsehoods on that page to write ten pages of factual criticism, and that’s without going into any of the actual political or theological ideas.
Want to read
September 4, 2023Mentioned positively here.
July 31, 2024
Better than I expected it to be. I like Isker, he is very winsome in personality and seems like the kind of guy I'd want to hangout with. Because of podcast interviews I was familiar with the project before reading. The question I come away with is "how do we get people to see?" I've become sympathetic to all of this narrative over the last four years and am trying to be wise and thoughtful in how I guide my family towards the right kind of loves and hatreds, but I don't think handing this book to my brother (who is influenced by feminism and soft evangelicalism) is gonna work.
I want Christians to see these things and walk in this direction, but I'm not sure how to help and challenge them to do so.
Helpful points was the need for strength and the worldview change of being able to exert your force on the world. Love necessitates hate. For you to rightly love good things you must hate the opposite.
This would be a great book for a small group of men or church leaders to go through.
I want Christians to see these things and walk in this direction, but I'm not sure how to help and challenge them to do so.
Helpful points was the need for strength and the worldview change of being able to exert your force on the world. Love necessitates hate. For you to rightly love good things you must hate the opposite.
This would be a great book for a small group of men or church leaders to go through.
November 14, 2023
This jumped right into my top 5 books of 2023, certainly one of the most personally impactful books of the year. It was a convicting wake up call in several areas, not the least of which is his central call for Christians (focused on Christian men but not entirely so) to recognize rampant evil and wickedness and to actively hate it. To shun indifference and apathy and instead recognize the purity of what God intends for His creation---and to hate the opposite. Isker builds his worldview on the foundation of history and the principles found in God's Word, unapologetic in his direct and hard-hitting wording.
September 16, 2023
Wonderful and Encouraging.
Very much appreciate how down to earth this book is. Extremely practical. Lots of much needed counsel as well. It provides a legitimate first step into not only building a godly culture, but also actively fighting against the globalist agenda being forced down our throats.
Key Areas we must take advantage of:
1. Worship
2. Household
3. Education
Greatest Book I’ve read in 2023
Very much appreciate how down to earth this book is. Extremely practical. Lots of much needed counsel as well. It provides a legitimate first step into not only building a godly culture, but also actively fighting against the globalist agenda being forced down our throats.
Key Areas we must take advantage of:
1. Worship
2. Household
3. Education
Greatest Book I’ve read in 2023
May 17, 2024
Andrew Isker's "The Boniface Option" sheds revealing light on the current state of affairs, not only within our nation but, dare I say, the world at large. Isker emerges as a prophetic voice, not in the distasteful "thus saith the Lord" sense, but rather as someone who candidly and accurately delineates our cultural, political, and economic landscape, unraveling how we arrived here and issuing clear warnings to the church on how to navigate these troubling times. Isker accomplishes this without the taint of Christian Nationalism, instead advocating for men to lead their households well and to "act like men" (1 Cor. 16:13), urging them to train up their families in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. With each chapter, Isker wields an axe of costly truths, offering both warning and hope in Christ with each swing.
September 10, 2023
Undoubtedly controversial and confrontational, this is possibly the most important and best book I've read this year so far.
This is essentially a reaction and alternative to "The Benedict Option" by Rod Dreher. I'd never heard of Saint Boniface (a Benedictine monk and missionary to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century; the Germanic people were known to be particularly fierce), and I found his story fascinating and similar to Elijah and the prophets of Baal in the Bible. The idea of boldly chopping down the tree of pagan idolatry resonates with Christians today as we face the overwhelming depravity and despair surrounding us in our modern culture, especially as it's directed towards our children and young ones. With a little daughter myself I have been increasingly dismayed by what I see around me, and how the world wants to tear families apart and indoctrinate our children, especially in the educational systems. Nothing infuriates me more than seeing the blatant disregard and outright hatred directed towards children and babies, all in the name of postmodern rhetoric and ideological zealotry.
Andrew Isker addresses everything from the return of the household, the liberal consumerist order, learning to truly hate what Jesus hates, grounded and Biblical worship, programmed loneliness, the poison of feminism, and the way forward to recover what we have lost. I loved everything about this!
"The greatest practical need of the present is to restore an ethos of Christendom from a grassroots way. We cannot expect the orange billionaire to appear and to descend on his escalator to restore Christian civilization. His tumultuous term as president showed just how entrenched the regime is and how even the most modest attempt at reform, setting the clock back to merely mid-'90s-era liberalism, was resisted with ferocious religious zeal. Electing the right president is not going to fix things. Appointing the right Supreme Court justices is not going to fix things. Electing the right Congressmen and Senators is not going to fix things. The only thing that will transform the United States of America and pull it out of its death spiral is continual reformation of the church and revival of the Christian religion in our country and the West as a whole. And this starts with you, in your home, with your family, and extends upward from there."
This is essentially a reaction and alternative to "The Benedict Option" by Rod Dreher. I'd never heard of Saint Boniface (a Benedictine monk and missionary to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century; the Germanic people were known to be particularly fierce), and I found his story fascinating and similar to Elijah and the prophets of Baal in the Bible. The idea of boldly chopping down the tree of pagan idolatry resonates with Christians today as we face the overwhelming depravity and despair surrounding us in our modern culture, especially as it's directed towards our children and young ones. With a little daughter myself I have been increasingly dismayed by what I see around me, and how the world wants to tear families apart and indoctrinate our children, especially in the educational systems. Nothing infuriates me more than seeing the blatant disregard and outright hatred directed towards children and babies, all in the name of postmodern rhetoric and ideological zealotry.
Andrew Isker addresses everything from the return of the household, the liberal consumerist order, learning to truly hate what Jesus hates, grounded and Biblical worship, programmed loneliness, the poison of feminism, and the way forward to recover what we have lost. I loved everything about this!
"The greatest practical need of the present is to restore an ethos of Christendom from a grassroots way. We cannot expect the orange billionaire to appear and to descend on his escalator to restore Christian civilization. His tumultuous term as president showed just how entrenched the regime is and how even the most modest attempt at reform, setting the clock back to merely mid-'90s-era liberalism, was resisted with ferocious religious zeal. Electing the right president is not going to fix things. Appointing the right Supreme Court justices is not going to fix things. Electing the right Congressmen and Senators is not going to fix things. The only thing that will transform the United States of America and pull it out of its death spiral is continual reformation of the church and revival of the Christian religion in our country and the West as a whole. And this starts with you, in your home, with your family, and extends upward from there."
March 29, 2024
“Contemporary American Christianity loves the sweetness and gentleness of Jesus, but has rejected His fierceness and ferocity, almost redacting it from the Bible.”
Matt read the book first and then gave it to me to read as “assigned reading.” We would both agree that every Christian should read it, especially men! This book is fantastic and very eye-opening to the realities of things going on around us today.
Andrew Isker goes through several idols of our world today. He makes the point that our world didn’t become like it is today on accident. It’s been purposeful.
Isker knows that a lot of Christian’s want to “retreat” and hideaway from the secular world, but he explains how that is not possible nor is it conquering the world as Jesus commands us to do. Instead, Isker offers the Boniface option. Christians need to be out there chopping down the trees of our world’s idols instead of hiding under a rock. We need to be on the offensive, not the defensive!
He admits that it will take a lot of work, courage, and sacrifice. He knows this won’t happen overnight and will probably take generations to accomplish. But it can be done! It was eye-opening, encouraging, challenging, and pointed. Lots of hard truths that needed to be said!
Men, go read it then give it to your wives! (It is written more to men than women. However there are a couple of chapters about Christian women.)
And then start working to live it out in the little ways you can and we will slowly, through the help of the Spirit, advance His Kingdom in our land.
Matt read the book first and then gave it to me to read as “assigned reading.” We would both agree that every Christian should read it, especially men! This book is fantastic and very eye-opening to the realities of things going on around us today.
Andrew Isker goes through several idols of our world today. He makes the point that our world didn’t become like it is today on accident. It’s been purposeful.
Isker knows that a lot of Christian’s want to “retreat” and hideaway from the secular world, but he explains how that is not possible nor is it conquering the world as Jesus commands us to do. Instead, Isker offers the Boniface option. Christians need to be out there chopping down the trees of our world’s idols instead of hiding under a rock. We need to be on the offensive, not the defensive!
He admits that it will take a lot of work, courage, and sacrifice. He knows this won’t happen overnight and will probably take generations to accomplish. But it can be done! It was eye-opening, encouraging, challenging, and pointed. Lots of hard truths that needed to be said!
Men, go read it then give it to your wives! (It is written more to men than women. However there are a couple of chapters about Christian women.)
And then start working to live it out in the little ways you can and we will slowly, through the help of the Spirit, advance His Kingdom in our land.
January 12, 2024
Finally! A winsome book you pass out to all your progressive friends to win them over to you your way of thinking! Its disarming tone will win over even the most sensitive snowflake in your family or friends' group! OK--I'll come clean--that first bit was satire. This book is a bracing read filled with entertaining wordplay almost certain to poke our complacency. Meant to inspire action rather than suggest specific action, this book was a quick read that covered many of the hot-button cultural crises of our moment. The current events references will be less meaningful in 10 or 15 years, but that is what is like reading GK Chesterton today--we don't know the many of the people he poked at 100 years ago. And I have to mention--I loved the cover art.
September 23, 2023
This is one of the most important books I've read all year. Not only does Isker do a great job describing and explaining the temptations and threats posed by Trashworld, he also does a great job giving practical instructions on how we can fight back the Kingdom of darkness and build up and strengthen our small corner of Christendom.
November 16, 2023
This book strikes a blow at our current culture with strong language and intentional shock. It might be a hard pill to swallow for many but I can understand the need for a strong and shocking opposition. The book follows the method it espouses.
June 24, 2024
Great book! One that really makes me think and makes me want to stand for what’s right. His view of Trashworld is spot on.
September 21, 2024
Probably the most compelling book I’ve read this year
December 21, 2025
Great, easy to read book that everyone should read
May our grandchildren live in a radically different world than we do..
May our grandchildren live in a radically different world than we do..
October 17, 2023
Book of the Year
June 26, 2025
This book read like a collection of tweets, and there’s nothing wrong with tweets, but a smattering of them doesn’t make for a serious book. “Fake and gay” “trash world” inhabited by “bug men” sounds like something from the mind of a middle school political junkie. That being said, there aren’t any substantive solutions, and that would be fine, except the author goes out of his way to attack Trueman and Dreher for theirs, and I’m starting to wonder how closely he read those, because the Benedictine Option isn’t really different from what I think Isker wants, which is to build your own institutions…rather than engaging in domestic terrorism against movie theaters and fast food…which would seem to be more in line with what the name suggests. It was amusing, so I guess that’s something.
August 30, 2024
This book gives a very good look into the world we now live in. The author gives some good insights for how to fight during this time in history. The book has some strong language which may not be to everyone's liking, but it will challenge. He pulls no punches and leaves no stone unturned.
September 8, 2023
A must read for the Christian man.
A great explanation of, not only the current state of our society, but, what we as Christians must do to retake and remake the world we live in and raise our families in...
A great explanation of, not only the current state of our society, but, what we as Christians must do to retake and remake the world we live in and raise our families in...
September 2, 2023
Timely, based, and bussin
Pastor Isker pulls no punches in vocalizing the anxieties of many Christians towards this generation. This book is succinct and trains the affections rightly against the modernism which seeks the lives of our children.
Pastor Isker pulls no punches in vocalizing the anxieties of many Christians towards this generation. This book is succinct and trains the affections rightly against the modernism which seeks the lives of our children.
October 26, 2023
Bad theology makes for wrong strategy. The underlying thrust of this book is that we should be aggressive in restoring Christendom. By Christendom, the author means the era of saints and scholars who lived in the post Roman period when the catholic church was ascendant all across Europe.
By aggressive, he apparently means we should be iconoclasts who tear up what we don't agree with and publicly berate what we can't tear down.
This author would scorn advice like "be ready for every good work . . . speak evil of no one . . . avoid quarreling . . . be gentle, and . . . show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
This may not have been the advice of Boniface, but it was the advice of the Holy Spirit through the pen of the Apostle Paul in Titus 3.
Jesus said He would build His church and He will. And He will use us, but in-your-face belligerence is not the way He told us to do it. Jesus was bold in calling out religious hypocrites, but described Himself to sinners as “gentle and humble”.
You have to sort through much American cultural frustration masquerading as Christianity in order to find the few good things in this book. Not recommended.
By aggressive, he apparently means we should be iconoclasts who tear up what we don't agree with and publicly berate what we can't tear down.
This author would scorn advice like "be ready for every good work . . . speak evil of no one . . . avoid quarreling . . . be gentle, and . . . show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
This may not have been the advice of Boniface, but it was the advice of the Holy Spirit through the pen of the Apostle Paul in Titus 3.
Jesus said He would build His church and He will. And He will use us, but in-your-face belligerence is not the way He told us to do it. Jesus was bold in calling out religious hypocrites, but described Himself to sinners as “gentle and humble”.
You have to sort through much American cultural frustration masquerading as Christianity in order to find the few good things in this book. Not recommended.
July 7, 2024
The answer to defeating “trash world” is not to run and hide away as the Benedict option suggests- there is no longer anywhere to hide. The answer to confronting this current culture is a Christianity that is equally (if not more) aggressive and expansionary as the garbage/idols in our current day.
Some ways we can be a Boniface today:
- Educate your children in Christian history and the Bible. Keep them out of public schools.
- Prioritize Christian community, don’t isolate yourself. Be social with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
- Hate what God hates and teach your children to do the same. Genuine Christianity should and will be confrontational to this “trash world”. Compliance and tolerance is not loving as they want you to believe.
- Prioritize family and creating a household that honors the Lord and the specific roles of the husband, wife, children…
- Don’t eat industrialized sludge, eat what God made and work to be healthy and strong. 💪🏻
- Go to church (preferably one that prioritizes proper liturgy and worship, not one geared mainly for your entertainment)
Some ways we can be a Boniface today:
- Educate your children in Christian history and the Bible. Keep them out of public schools.
- Prioritize Christian community, don’t isolate yourself. Be social with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
- Hate what God hates and teach your children to do the same. Genuine Christianity should and will be confrontational to this “trash world”. Compliance and tolerance is not loving as they want you to believe.
- Prioritize family and creating a household that honors the Lord and the specific roles of the husband, wife, children…
- Don’t eat industrialized sludge, eat what God made and work to be healthy and strong. 💪🏻
- Go to church (preferably one that prioritizes proper liturgy and worship, not one geared mainly for your entertainment)
December 31, 2023
Rod Dreher's review was just about how I felt after reading this book.
From Dreher's review:
"Isker is a sharp writer, but an undisciplined one. The choleric contempt suffusing The Boniface Option — henceforth, the Bon Op — is ultimately alienating. For most of the book, I found myself nodding along, saying, “Yeah, he’s right about that.” But over and over, Isker — a young Minnesota pastor who was trained by the ever-combative Douglas Wilson — undermines his case by responding with febrile intensity. Here’s a typical line: "Men with the spirit of holy war within them will be what brings down the idols of this fetid, corpulent, repulsive world..This is a book written by an angry young man, for angry young men."
I don't think I could have said it better than Dreher.
Maybe I'll give my own thoughts soon. I still have the "filth" of this book all over me, lol.
From Dreher's review:
"Isker is a sharp writer, but an undisciplined one. The choleric contempt suffusing The Boniface Option — henceforth, the Bon Op — is ultimately alienating. For most of the book, I found myself nodding along, saying, “Yeah, he’s right about that.” But over and over, Isker — a young Minnesota pastor who was trained by the ever-combative Douglas Wilson — undermines his case by responding with febrile intensity. Here’s a typical line: "Men with the spirit of holy war within them will be what brings down the idols of this fetid, corpulent, repulsive world..This is a book written by an angry young man, for angry young men."
I don't think I could have said it better than Dreher.
Maybe I'll give my own thoughts soon. I still have the "filth" of this book all over me, lol.
September 4, 2023
This is an important book filled with a lot of good. But, I fear, also with many half-truths and near-truths that it leads itself and others to wrong conclusions. Christianity was never about world conquering, and focusing on "winning" territory (physical, cultural, philosophical, et al) misses the critical point: personal and soul changing salvation. Christian "paidea" (as seen in this book) was not achieved by seizing victory but by reformed men and women living by and for Christ, no matter the personal costs.
This would be wonderful book in a group that wants to really delve into some the footnotes and explore biblical teachings on some deep, timely, cultural topics. Critical thinking and inward reflection opportunities would abound.
This would be wonderful book in a group that wants to really delve into some the footnotes and explore biblical teachings on some deep, timely, cultural topics. Critical thinking and inward reflection opportunities would abound.
February 14, 2024
Isker's bombastic tone ruffles feathers and at times is uniquely insightful, but overuse of the metaphors leads to them feeling tired and played out by the end of the book. Although he identifies many problems with our culture, his solutions (build Christian institutions and community, recover a biblical understanding of masculinity and femininity, etc.) offer little new to those of us already familiar with the classical Christian education movement, and seem underwhelming given the "in your face" nature of his tone and of Boniface's historical action.
September 26, 2023
Christ's victory is inevitable. Watch out, world. Chop chop.
January 10, 2024
Where to begin here? There are so many thoughts.
He begins with the story of Saint Boniface, which he uses as an example of his recommended strategy for Christians moving forward (much like the book The Benedict Option did with, well, Benedict, which Isker appreciates). Long story short, Boniface boldly chopped down a shrine tree, Thor's Oak, in front of onlooking pagans to prove to them the superiority of Christ. Isker does not think the Benedict retreat-and-shelter model is good enough. He makes the case that Christians should be on the offense in the culture war.
This is done by: worshipping the way God has instructed us to worship Him in His Word, homeschooling/starting Christian schools to stop the indoctrination of our children, stopping our consumption of the entertainment products our culture produces, developing close meaningful relationships starting with mending our own family ties, building strong households, etc. All good advice and fairly basic for this kind of book.
A warning for the unaware: If somehow you could not tell from the cover, Isker is not winsome and even seems to take inordinate delight in not being winsome. He uses ugly, often childish words (e.g., "globohomo," "fake and gay," "Trashworld," "bugman," etc.) to describe an ugly, childish reality, and this alone will turn many off from his message. Trust me, this won't bother him. He is speaking primarily to those who agree with him (or are beginning to agree) about the state of the world, and his message is to help them think through what to do about it.
I myself wish that Isker would lay off the Gab-style language a bit and be less intentionally crass and abrasive. Don't get me wrong, winsomeness has never been a top priority of mine either, but there is a delight in offending here that is offputting. This desire for less childishness is simply because I see talent here beyond such limiting silliness. There are lines and paragraphs in this book that are downright beautiful. The last paragraph in his chapter on raising daughters, for instance, is both so impactful and irresistibly hopeful that I wish it was in a book I could actually recommend to people who weren't already self-selected by the ever-present and jarring subversive language to agree with it.
He begins with the story of Saint Boniface, which he uses as an example of his recommended strategy for Christians moving forward (much like the book The Benedict Option did with, well, Benedict, which Isker appreciates). Long story short, Boniface boldly chopped down a shrine tree, Thor's Oak, in front of onlooking pagans to prove to them the superiority of Christ. Isker does not think the Benedict retreat-and-shelter model is good enough. He makes the case that Christians should be on the offense in the culture war.
This is done by: worshipping the way God has instructed us to worship Him in His Word, homeschooling/starting Christian schools to stop the indoctrination of our children, stopping our consumption of the entertainment products our culture produces, developing close meaningful relationships starting with mending our own family ties, building strong households, etc. All good advice and fairly basic for this kind of book.
A warning for the unaware: If somehow you could not tell from the cover, Isker is not winsome and even seems to take inordinate delight in not being winsome. He uses ugly, often childish words (e.g., "globohomo," "fake and gay," "Trashworld," "bugman," etc.) to describe an ugly, childish reality, and this alone will turn many off from his message. Trust me, this won't bother him. He is speaking primarily to those who agree with him (or are beginning to agree) about the state of the world, and his message is to help them think through what to do about it.
I myself wish that Isker would lay off the Gab-style language a bit and be less intentionally crass and abrasive. Don't get me wrong, winsomeness has never been a top priority of mine either, but there is a delight in offending here that is offputting. This desire for less childishness is simply because I see talent here beyond such limiting silliness. There are lines and paragraphs in this book that are downright beautiful. The last paragraph in his chapter on raising daughters, for instance, is both so impactful and irresistibly hopeful that I wish it was in a book I could actually recommend to people who weren't already self-selected by the ever-present and jarring subversive language to agree with it.
November 6, 2023
This is an interesting book, because I want to love it, I do agree with essentially all of the content communicated, I want to give it full marks for content, yet I can’t seem to get over how cumbersome it felt to read, what I mean by that is that in my opinion the form of this book seriously gets in the way of the content of the book, which is important.
It felt like a 10th graders first attempt at writing a whole book in the style of “No Quarter November” without Wilson’s 40+ years of experience writing in the satiric, no holds barred, no qualification, shotgun style.
This is where the book lost me, it wasn’t the ideas communicated, it was the way these ideas were communicated Which detracted from the good and proper message being communicated. And I’m not merely complaining about the mean words, those honestly didn’t bother me all that much, although I will say that 1) I found some of the mean words particularly dull or uninspired, for example trashword to refer to a reality that has already been better titled clown world and other limp mean phrases that seem to be chosen simply to be shocking or agressive and 2) I found the use of such agressive terms to somewhat resemble a high schooler learning to swear for the first and sorta peppering it all over the place when it just doesn’t really work a whole lot, essentially it seems purposeful for sure, but not particularly skillful or effective. If you’ve ever heard a 8th grader learning to swear you know exactly what I mean, the words are just dropped into every sentence pele mêle assuming that the mere fact that the word is there adds a cool “badass” factor to your communication and make it seem more edgy than it is.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Isker shouldn’t have used that language at all, I not saying he tainted his language by being a “meanie,” I don’t mind hard language, I don’t even neccessarily mind swearing per se, I love Doug Wilson’s blog and Mablog, but I think there is a clear difference in rhetoric ability and maturity when you read Wilson’s blog and examine his satiric bite and then read Isker’s attempt at the same here, the former is almost consistently effective and impactful and the latter quickly devolves into repetitiveness and a somewhat childish feel by the end of the book; I really felt like the book gave off edgy teenager vibes, which in my opinion took away from the effectiveness of the book, a whole star actually. To be blunt, my complaint is not that Isker used strong language or was mean in his rhetoric against trashworld, I understand what we’re up against and the need to actually speak accurately and strongly about a reality that most Christian’s have tried to passively sweep under the rug and act like it isn’t there, that’s not the problem, I am not docking a point because Isker was a “big fat meanie” who used words like fake and gay, globohomo and bugman, I’m docking a point because despite Isker understanding the fact that we do need to use such words, he did not use them well, I’m not upset that he was agressive and mean, I’m complaining that he wasn’t particularly effective or good at being agressive and mean properly.
Isker also tends to be somewhat repetitive, which is surprising in such a short book, this again led to the book feeling somewhat cumbersome to get through to get to all the ideas.
All in all, I really really appreciated the introduction and the over-arching drive of the book, the idea of the Boniface story and the necessary for a Boniface mindset contrary to a Benedictine type of mindset, I agree with the primary message of the book, and I am indebted for Isker’s formulation of the path forward for Christians in terms of the “Boniface option” but I just don’t feel like the the rest of the book did real justice to fleshing out what the Boniface options looks like in real practice, particularly when there are a lot of other books that would specifically cover those topics in better and greater detail.
And on that note, I had a few quibbles with Isker on his blanket approach to some of the issues that lacked a little nuance and fuller understanding of the situation, for example his chapter on food, I agree with a lot of it, but Isker’s ignorance of certain things like seed oils as the devil incarnate was apperant therein, and so he took potshots at things I didn’t think need to be potshotted.
Altogether, I Think the book is valuable, it should be read by most Christian’s particularly those who want a way forward and maybe have read Dreher’s Benedict option and need an alternative, this will get you started, and then you can read books like “gashmu Saith it” and “rules for reformers” for a much more thorough, practical, and truly helpful working out of how to actually put a lot of this into practice and start fighting back. That way you’ll be properly equipped for the real world war against the globohomo regime.
It felt like a 10th graders first attempt at writing a whole book in the style of “No Quarter November” without Wilson’s 40+ years of experience writing in the satiric, no holds barred, no qualification, shotgun style.
This is where the book lost me, it wasn’t the ideas communicated, it was the way these ideas were communicated Which detracted from the good and proper message being communicated. And I’m not merely complaining about the mean words, those honestly didn’t bother me all that much, although I will say that 1) I found some of the mean words particularly dull or uninspired, for example trashword to refer to a reality that has already been better titled clown world and other limp mean phrases that seem to be chosen simply to be shocking or agressive and 2) I found the use of such agressive terms to somewhat resemble a high schooler learning to swear for the first and sorta peppering it all over the place when it just doesn’t really work a whole lot, essentially it seems purposeful for sure, but not particularly skillful or effective. If you’ve ever heard a 8th grader learning to swear you know exactly what I mean, the words are just dropped into every sentence pele mêle assuming that the mere fact that the word is there adds a cool “badass” factor to your communication and make it seem more edgy than it is.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Isker shouldn’t have used that language at all, I not saying he tainted his language by being a “meanie,” I don’t mind hard language, I don’t even neccessarily mind swearing per se, I love Doug Wilson’s blog and Mablog, but I think there is a clear difference in rhetoric ability and maturity when you read Wilson’s blog and examine his satiric bite and then read Isker’s attempt at the same here, the former is almost consistently effective and impactful and the latter quickly devolves into repetitiveness and a somewhat childish feel by the end of the book; I really felt like the book gave off edgy teenager vibes, which in my opinion took away from the effectiveness of the book, a whole star actually. To be blunt, my complaint is not that Isker used strong language or was mean in his rhetoric against trashworld, I understand what we’re up against and the need to actually speak accurately and strongly about a reality that most Christian’s have tried to passively sweep under the rug and act like it isn’t there, that’s not the problem, I am not docking a point because Isker was a “big fat meanie” who used words like fake and gay, globohomo and bugman, I’m docking a point because despite Isker understanding the fact that we do need to use such words, he did not use them well, I’m not upset that he was agressive and mean, I’m complaining that he wasn’t particularly effective or good at being agressive and mean properly.
Isker also tends to be somewhat repetitive, which is surprising in such a short book, this again led to the book feeling somewhat cumbersome to get through to get to all the ideas.
All in all, I really really appreciated the introduction and the over-arching drive of the book, the idea of the Boniface story and the necessary for a Boniface mindset contrary to a Benedictine type of mindset, I agree with the primary message of the book, and I am indebted for Isker’s formulation of the path forward for Christians in terms of the “Boniface option” but I just don’t feel like the the rest of the book did real justice to fleshing out what the Boniface options looks like in real practice, particularly when there are a lot of other books that would specifically cover those topics in better and greater detail.
And on that note, I had a few quibbles with Isker on his blanket approach to some of the issues that lacked a little nuance and fuller understanding of the situation, for example his chapter on food, I agree with a lot of it, but Isker’s ignorance of certain things like seed oils as the devil incarnate was apperant therein, and so he took potshots at things I didn’t think need to be potshotted.
Altogether, I Think the book is valuable, it should be read by most Christian’s particularly those who want a way forward and maybe have read Dreher’s Benedict option and need an alternative, this will get you started, and then you can read books like “gashmu Saith it” and “rules for reformers” for a much more thorough, practical, and truly helpful working out of how to actually put a lot of this into practice and start fighting back. That way you’ll be properly equipped for the real world war against the globohomo regime.
December 29, 2023
Read this book.
“You live in a dystopia.” Any Christian who has observed the increasing destruction of the West’s Biblically-informed moral foundation in recent decades knows this to be true, at least to some degree. Whether by design or coincidence (but probably the former), you live in a world that has turned God’s Created Order on its head. And the Church, who know best the Immutable Truths God has woven into the fabric of Creation, is often unaware of this assault on the Created Order, unwilling to offer any meaningful resistance to it, or unequipped to arm its men and women with the practical teaching needed to cast off the fake, anti-human status quo for the sake true dominion.
This is why it is refreshing to see a pastor writing with such clarity. The first half of the book is a gut-punch, but in the second half, Pastor Isker, rightly, points out that there is hope for our future and offers practical steps to recover the manner of life God designed for us. Together, we can build a new, parallel Christendom for the glory of God that will stand when the fake and regressive anti-Creation order inevitably collapses.
This will not be easy. We can only do the best to be faithful with what we have in the times He placed us in. But your faithfulness carries on the legacy of St. Boniface - it is an axe to the idols propping up the current dystopia. Christ, and His people, will win.
“You live in a dystopia.” Any Christian who has observed the increasing destruction of the West’s Biblically-informed moral foundation in recent decades knows this to be true, at least to some degree. Whether by design or coincidence (but probably the former), you live in a world that has turned God’s Created Order on its head. And the Church, who know best the Immutable Truths God has woven into the fabric of Creation, is often unaware of this assault on the Created Order, unwilling to offer any meaningful resistance to it, or unequipped to arm its men and women with the practical teaching needed to cast off the fake, anti-human status quo for the sake true dominion.
This is why it is refreshing to see a pastor writing with such clarity. The first half of the book is a gut-punch, but in the second half, Pastor Isker, rightly, points out that there is hope for our future and offers practical steps to recover the manner of life God designed for us. Together, we can build a new, parallel Christendom for the glory of God that will stand when the fake and regressive anti-Creation order inevitably collapses.
This will not be easy. We can only do the best to be faithful with what we have in the times He placed us in. But your faithfulness carries on the legacy of St. Boniface - it is an axe to the idols propping up the current dystopia. Christ, and His people, will win.
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