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You Will Be Made to Care: The War on Faith, Family, and Your Freedom to Believe
Religious liberty is under attack in America. Your freedom to believe may not last much longer.To all those who say they don’t care about the culture war, Erick Erickson has only one "The Left will not let you stay on the sidelines. You will be made to care."Now the former Editor-in-Chief of RedState.com joins with Christian author Bill Blankschaen to expose the war in America on Christians and all people of faith who refuse to bow to the worst kind of religion-secularism-one intent on systematically imposing its agenda and frightening doubters into silence.The book features first-hand accounts from Christians who've been punished for their beliefs and the perspectives of concerned thought leaders to make the case that Americans of faith can't afford to ignore what's happening-not anymore.You Will Be Made to Care offers hope for preserving freedom of conscience with practical steps that believers, families, pastors, church leaders, and citizens can take to resist tyranny and experience a resurgence of faith in America.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2016
19 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 22, 2016
"You Will Be Made To Care". This is the underlining premise of Erickson and Blankschaen's book on the timely and urgent need for religious freedom. Given the continued attacked on traditional orthodox Christians' beliefs, coming from secular activists all the way to the Supreme Court Justices, the authors present a way forward for believers to defend their faith, their families, their marriages, and their freedom to believe. I look quite a few notes in the margins and found myself agreeing with much of their case. They provide a map for believers how to win the war, which is centered around RESURGENCE in personal faith, communities, marriages, families, the Church and as a citizen in the public square. And its key to remember that believers remember that we are not alone, when we have a savior in the Lord Jesus Christ. Persecution is going to get worse in our country, and this book is a handy primer and a tool to read, reflect on, and to put into action.
January 22, 2020
14 pages in, we are told that “pelvic issues” fascinate the “Left”.
26 pages in, the authors make their first association of gay marriage with Hitler.
43 pages in, the authors appear to defend public displays of the Confederate battle flag.
59 pages in, I have read three different versions of the same “joke” that there are only two genders.
60 pages in, I realised my review would need to have a tighter focus than this book.
“Progressive thinking doesn’t work in the real world. Its beliefs are inconsistent with all of nature.”
The Real Target
Erick Erickson is obsessed with homosexuality. Creepily so. Just Google “Pete Buttigieg Erick Erickson”. Erickson fears the “gay mafia” and the “jihadists of the cultural ghetto,” who’s superpowers include getting married, and (almost) making people bake them cakes. Presumably his greatest enemies are men wearing floral shirts in midwinter.
“But no one can point to any real incident in which a person has been denied service because of his or her sexual orientation. Refusing to help celebrate a gay wedding or to provide a bed in one’s home for lesbian sex is simply not the same thing as discrimination against persons. It’s simply a refusal to be drafted onto the opposing side. An objection to being made to care.”
This book is an attack on homosexuality (and gender-fluidity) barely dressed up as a freedom of speech/expression/conscience issue. I could debate the application of the freedom of expression ad nauseum but, considering that the authors virulently oppose the freedom to express oneself by marrying someone of the same sex, I don’t feel obliged to engage with those who write so patently in bad faith. To single out a "gay wedding" or "lesbian sex" and claim the above are not examples of discrimination is just mind-blowingly insane. Further, in making that claim, I infer that the authors are tacitly acknowledging that if they were acts of discrimination, then he could not claim it was a free speech issue.
“People with kids know about gender better. When they buy their girl a Tonka truck, she sleeps with it like a baby doll at night.”
"Science"
In setting out the non-religious arguments against homosexuality, the authors refer to a widely criticised study about heterosexual versus homosexual parenting. Unable to tear his eyes away from these “pelvic issues,” that study’s author also once stated that "normalization of gay men's sexual behavior" in society will contribute to a surge in the "practice of heterosexual anal sex.” I am going venture that he is not totally on the level with his claims on parenting.
The actual understanding of science by this book's authors extends to the uncited, wrong, and moronic, statement that “It is very hard to find homosexuality outside of human beings, although leftist scientists certainly have tried. It is even harder to find non-gender normative animals out there.”
There is also a chapter (and yet more “jokes”) on gender fluidity where, frankly they make idiots of themselves. The also refer to transgender people being mentally ill. On a completely unrelated note, Erickson often speaks publicly about the need for a civil discourse in politics.
At best (and I am really stretching the definition of “best” here), the non-religious argument extends to “any union that is not "made possible by the sexual-reproductive complementarity of man and woman" is not marriage.”
For completeness, the authors do refer to tradition, but when one of the planks of your argument is that dead people should have a vote, I am not going to take you seriously.
"Religion"
“And the truth is that though the government may recognize marriage between same-sex couples, God does not.”
Realistically, the only actual influence on the authors’ views is their understanding of their religion. As I understand this book, it is a religious obligation to discriminate against (or not be "made to care" about) homosexuals. A secular society should not discriminate against a religious (read in this case: Christian) person exercising their freedom of conscience.
In the interests of civility and respect, I shall respond as delicately as possible:
This is a bullshit argument.
Are you so devoid of agency? Is the word of the Bible is to stunningly clear in the face of there being literally hundreds, if not thousands of different denominations of Christianity? The Bible says a lot of things, and homosexuality is hardly front and centre. In Chapter 7 of First Corinthians, Paul would actually prefer if we all stayed celibate, but we presently choose not to emphasise that.
To be clear, this is no objection to having faith. But faith isn’t an exoneration from having shitty views. Every Christian interprets the Bible in some way, and the diversity of interpretations is arguably a strength. That diversity is also a witness to the weakness of the claim that opposing gay marriage is a matter of faith.
It is therefore your choice to see homosexuality as a sin and it is your choice to consider that sin so important, and of such an overwhelming weight on your conscience, that serving someone who might be gay would be promoting sin and worthy of punishment.
Is St Peter really going to be waiting at the pearly gates with a half-eaten rainbow cake as silent witness to your “sin”? Would you refuse to serve someone who works on the Sabbath, or who failed to mark their forehead on Ash Wednesday if you believed those things were sin? God forbid, would you refuse to serve a Unitarian? As we keep reading cases about homosexuals being denied service, it seems like the answer is no to the other examples. Why are the private sexual behaviours of others such an issue?
If you still really truly feel that homosexuality is a sin worthy of action in this world, that you can’t offer two people a bed for fear of the “lesbian sex” that might go on there, then you must also be outraged that Erickson has the audacity to write in this book that progressives are the ones focussed on “pelvic issues”.
This is not me saying I have the same answer to every time a case comes up. Freedom of expression and religion is complicated and will depend on the circumstances. What I am saying is that book dresses up weak rationale ("these gays are wanting *gasp* equal treatment") in the trappings of faith and First Amendment.
“The worst thing a church can do is to let a sinner believe he or she is not a sinner, let someone believe a sin is not a sin, or that you don’t have to repent. You're not being honest with that person, and that in itself is a sin.”
Each and every time you treat someone as unequal because of their sexuality, you are a sinner.
26 pages in, the authors make their first association of gay marriage with Hitler.
43 pages in, the authors appear to defend public displays of the Confederate battle flag.
59 pages in, I have read three different versions of the same “joke” that there are only two genders.
60 pages in, I realised my review would need to have a tighter focus than this book.
“Progressive thinking doesn’t work in the real world. Its beliefs are inconsistent with all of nature.”
The Real Target
Erick Erickson is obsessed with homosexuality. Creepily so. Just Google “Pete Buttigieg Erick Erickson”. Erickson fears the “gay mafia” and the “jihadists of the cultural ghetto,” who’s superpowers include getting married, and (almost) making people bake them cakes. Presumably his greatest enemies are men wearing floral shirts in midwinter.
“But no one can point to any real incident in which a person has been denied service because of his or her sexual orientation. Refusing to help celebrate a gay wedding or to provide a bed in one’s home for lesbian sex is simply not the same thing as discrimination against persons. It’s simply a refusal to be drafted onto the opposing side. An objection to being made to care.”
This book is an attack on homosexuality (and gender-fluidity) barely dressed up as a freedom of speech/expression/conscience issue. I could debate the application of the freedom of expression ad nauseum but, considering that the authors virulently oppose the freedom to express oneself by marrying someone of the same sex, I don’t feel obliged to engage with those who write so patently in bad faith. To single out a "gay wedding" or "lesbian sex" and claim the above are not examples of discrimination is just mind-blowingly insane. Further, in making that claim, I infer that the authors are tacitly acknowledging that if they were acts of discrimination, then he could not claim it was a free speech issue.
“People with kids know about gender better. When they buy their girl a Tonka truck, she sleeps with it like a baby doll at night.”
"Science"
In setting out the non-religious arguments against homosexuality, the authors refer to a widely criticised study about heterosexual versus homosexual parenting. Unable to tear his eyes away from these “pelvic issues,” that study’s author also once stated that "normalization of gay men's sexual behavior" in society will contribute to a surge in the "practice of heterosexual anal sex.” I am going venture that he is not totally on the level with his claims on parenting.
The actual understanding of science by this book's authors extends to the uncited, wrong, and moronic, statement that “It is very hard to find homosexuality outside of human beings, although leftist scientists certainly have tried. It is even harder to find non-gender normative animals out there.”
There is also a chapter (and yet more “jokes”) on gender fluidity where, frankly they make idiots of themselves. The also refer to transgender people being mentally ill. On a completely unrelated note, Erickson often speaks publicly about the need for a civil discourse in politics.
At best (and I am really stretching the definition of “best” here), the non-religious argument extends to “any union that is not "made possible by the sexual-reproductive complementarity of man and woman" is not marriage.”
For completeness, the authors do refer to tradition, but when one of the planks of your argument is that dead people should have a vote, I am not going to take you seriously.
"Religion"
“And the truth is that though the government may recognize marriage between same-sex couples, God does not.”
Realistically, the only actual influence on the authors’ views is their understanding of their religion. As I understand this book, it is a religious obligation to discriminate against (or not be "made to care" about) homosexuals. A secular society should not discriminate against a religious (read in this case: Christian) person exercising their freedom of conscience.
In the interests of civility and respect, I shall respond as delicately as possible:
This is a bullshit argument.
Are you so devoid of agency? Is the word of the Bible is to stunningly clear in the face of there being literally hundreds, if not thousands of different denominations of Christianity? The Bible says a lot of things, and homosexuality is hardly front and centre. In Chapter 7 of First Corinthians, Paul would actually prefer if we all stayed celibate, but we presently choose not to emphasise that.
To be clear, this is no objection to having faith. But faith isn’t an exoneration from having shitty views. Every Christian interprets the Bible in some way, and the diversity of interpretations is arguably a strength. That diversity is also a witness to the weakness of the claim that opposing gay marriage is a matter of faith.
It is therefore your choice to see homosexuality as a sin and it is your choice to consider that sin so important, and of such an overwhelming weight on your conscience, that serving someone who might be gay would be promoting sin and worthy of punishment.
Is St Peter really going to be waiting at the pearly gates with a half-eaten rainbow cake as silent witness to your “sin”? Would you refuse to serve someone who works on the Sabbath, or who failed to mark their forehead on Ash Wednesday if you believed those things were sin? God forbid, would you refuse to serve a Unitarian? As we keep reading cases about homosexuals being denied service, it seems like the answer is no to the other examples. Why are the private sexual behaviours of others such an issue?
If you still really truly feel that homosexuality is a sin worthy of action in this world, that you can’t offer two people a bed for fear of the “lesbian sex” that might go on there, then you must also be outraged that Erickson has the audacity to write in this book that progressives are the ones focussed on “pelvic issues”.
This is not me saying I have the same answer to every time a case comes up. Freedom of expression and religion is complicated and will depend on the circumstances. What I am saying is that book dresses up weak rationale ("these gays are wanting *gasp* equal treatment") in the trappings of faith and First Amendment.
“The worst thing a church can do is to let a sinner believe he or she is not a sinner, let someone believe a sin is not a sin, or that you don’t have to repent. You're not being honest with that person, and that in itself is a sin.”
Each and every time you treat someone as unequal because of their sexuality, you are a sinner.
April 24, 2016
This was a wonderful and encouraging read! Our culture has abandon it's heritage , but the church can't hide. We need to continue the mission of advancing the gospel, and speaking Gods truth in love. I highly recommend this to concerned believers, it's gonna be okay.
July 14, 2018
There were several things I really appreciated about this book. The authors spoke strongly against the Seeker Friendly church movement, which I am deeply thankful for. While the demise of this system has been well documented (see the book Reveal by Greg L. Hawkins And Cally Parkinson) I have seen small to mid-size churches that continue to use the model. Additionally, it has been repackaged as Belong, Believe, Become. Christians need to continue to speak out against this so that we can both purge it from our churches and prevent future recurrences and I applaud it being done here.
I appreciated the look taken at the intolerance of tolerance. Zero Tolerance policies and statements like "I am intolerant of the intolerant" show that we all have a lot to learn about tolerating the differences within our communities and the actual definition of words. If you are intolerant of anything, you are by definition intolerant. Zero Tolerance means literally no tolerance whatsoever or in other words, intolerance. As a country we need to be examining just how much give and take is needed on any issue and how we can be better at forgiving each other, helping each other learn the rules that will make our society the best it can be for everyone and what things should be left well enough alone.
The authors also valiantly address the myth of the Christian nation which so dominates American culture. I actually gave them one extra full star on my rating simply for standing against this fallacy. This myth is both damaging to our witness and demeaning to our God. I know many Christian leaders are tackling this heresy but it needs to be continuously addressed in a country where many cling to this dangerous blasphemy.
All that said, I had some minor and a couple of major quibbles with the book. The minor quibbles dealt with some factual inconsistencies. To give two quick examples, the authors try to insist the Crusades were not fought for money or power. I grew up Catholic and believe me, if any group would like that to be true its them. They have to take full credit for this act of greed - and they do. As a Catholic school student I was taught the ins and outs of why the war was fought and it all dealt with money, land, power and trade routes. You can read about it in almost any legitimate history book. Another quibble was with the divorce rate. People who identify as evangelical Christian have a high divorce rate. http://www.pewforum.org/religious-lan... Doing fancy footwork to change the outlook of it as they do in a chapter of this book doesn't help. What would help is churches addressing why this shouldn't be and what we can do to prevent it.
My major quibbles with the book though were about the biblical aspects. God left a plan for dealing with cultural issues. It is covered in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, Psalm 37: 1-9, Romans 12:14-21, Matthew 5: 38-42 and many, many others. Feeding our enemies is a direct command, so I am not sure how denying them cake can be seen as a Christian act. The authors said, "Each of us is going to have to choose - believe in Christ's teachings or the world's teachings but either way you will be made to care. Jesus himself said it, "No man can serve two masters". Let's take a look at what Christ actually said. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." That passage is specifically in regards to money and sits smack in the middle of Christ's teachings on wealth. Given that this book conflates Christianity and conservatism, it would probably be well to look at love of money in that party. On that issue Christ is very clear: Wealth is not a Christian value. (Matthew 19:24)
There are other issues but this review is already far too long. The author's had some good points but their work for me was ultimately deeply flawed because it advocated for social solutions over biblical ones and a view on loving and accepting your neighbor that essentially requires rewriting the gospel.
I appreciated the look taken at the intolerance of tolerance. Zero Tolerance policies and statements like "I am intolerant of the intolerant" show that we all have a lot to learn about tolerating the differences within our communities and the actual definition of words. If you are intolerant of anything, you are by definition intolerant. Zero Tolerance means literally no tolerance whatsoever or in other words, intolerance. As a country we need to be examining just how much give and take is needed on any issue and how we can be better at forgiving each other, helping each other learn the rules that will make our society the best it can be for everyone and what things should be left well enough alone.
The authors also valiantly address the myth of the Christian nation which so dominates American culture. I actually gave them one extra full star on my rating simply for standing against this fallacy. This myth is both damaging to our witness and demeaning to our God. I know many Christian leaders are tackling this heresy but it needs to be continuously addressed in a country where many cling to this dangerous blasphemy.
All that said, I had some minor and a couple of major quibbles with the book. The minor quibbles dealt with some factual inconsistencies. To give two quick examples, the authors try to insist the Crusades were not fought for money or power. I grew up Catholic and believe me, if any group would like that to be true its them. They have to take full credit for this act of greed - and they do. As a Catholic school student I was taught the ins and outs of why the war was fought and it all dealt with money, land, power and trade routes. You can read about it in almost any legitimate history book. Another quibble was with the divorce rate. People who identify as evangelical Christian have a high divorce rate. http://www.pewforum.org/religious-lan... Doing fancy footwork to change the outlook of it as they do in a chapter of this book doesn't help. What would help is churches addressing why this shouldn't be and what we can do to prevent it.
My major quibbles with the book though were about the biblical aspects. God left a plan for dealing with cultural issues. It is covered in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, Psalm 37: 1-9, Romans 12:14-21, Matthew 5: 38-42 and many, many others. Feeding our enemies is a direct command, so I am not sure how denying them cake can be seen as a Christian act. The authors said, "Each of us is going to have to choose - believe in Christ's teachings or the world's teachings but either way you will be made to care. Jesus himself said it, "No man can serve two masters". Let's take a look at what Christ actually said. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." That passage is specifically in regards to money and sits smack in the middle of Christ's teachings on wealth. Given that this book conflates Christianity and conservatism, it would probably be well to look at love of money in that party. On that issue Christ is very clear: Wealth is not a Christian value. (Matthew 19:24)
There are other issues but this review is already far too long. The author's had some good points but their work for me was ultimately deeply flawed because it advocated for social solutions over biblical ones and a view on loving and accepting your neighbor that essentially requires rewriting the gospel.
February 8, 2016
Josh Craddock, writing in the Witherspoon’s Public Discourse blog, says, “Postmodern people think of humanity and the material world as infinitely malleable, subject to individuals who fashion reality according to the objects of their will. Christians and other pre-moderns believe that every thing—including mankind—possesses an essential nature by virtue of what the thing is. In other words, reality isn’t optional, it’s objective. The result of this chasm is that American citizens not only fail to reach the same conclusions from what they observe, they do not even see the same things to begin with because of their presuppositions about the nature of reality.”
Erick Erickson’s book You Will Be Made To Care says exactly the same thing in 19 chapters anchored to 392 citations where you can dig deep if you really want to understand contemporary culture. These shocking truths are reshaping our culture, our government and our legal philosophy.
If you are a Christian who is reeling daily at such shocking developments on the moral, social and political front in the USA, you are not alone. You Will Be Made To Care is comforting if there is comfort in shared misery. If you have suspected that Christians are in the crosshairs of the media, the culture and maybe even the government, you will find confirmation of your worst fears in this book.
If you have struggled to make cogent, coherent arguments to support your view when you are accused of being a bigoted, homophobic Neanderthal who is on the wrong side of history, this book will give you helpful material to use in self-defense. 392 endnotes will point you to many other resources in your search for help to survive the onslaught against moral principles and social standards you thought were absolute.
Perhaps more importantly, Erick’s book will feel like a dinner-table conversation with a good friend. While the book is a tremendous resource, it is also powerfully inspiring. In 2012, during the campaigns and on election day, many good, moral, hurting people sat out the whole process, because they could not see any hope in any of the options available to them. This book will surely inspire many of those people to believe it is worth the effort to enter the fray. Readers will meet people who are deep in the struggle, suffering yet standing strong for the principles of their faith, living their faith when it is costly. The people you meet in this book will prod you to believe that it is worthwhile to go ahead and live by your principles, because the potential to influence the nation for good is worth the price you will pay in personal pain. These people’s statements resonate with faith and confidence in God, not themselves, and if Christian people are to begin to speak, to act and to vote with confidence, they must put their confidence in God. This is a key principle of the book. Erick is not rousing the rabble; he is calling out the faithful.
Many who see standards they once regarded as bulwarks of civilization falling before a Satanic onslaught in the name of progress feel bullied and defeated before they take a step or speak a word. Readers of Erick’s book will be pointed to the heavenly food that energizes Christ’s followers, the Bible, Christ’s weapon against Satan when he pointed out that our most important food is “every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”
No matter what progressives say about Christians, accusing them of hearing voices that don’t exist or of praying to imaginary friends, Christians need to stop politely stepping back when “progress” intrudes into marriage and family and national priorities. Christians are called to face Satan’s armies, and in the Bible, they are blessed by God with the armor and assault weapons to break down the gates of hell. Erick Erickson’s book is a call to arms. You cannot sit this battle out and wait for the dust to settle before you stand up. This battle is coming for you. Erick documents the truth that every person, the ones who stand up and fight, and the ones who hope not to be noticed, every Christian will be made to care about the progressive social and political agenda. If you don’t care about Christ’s kingdom, then you will be made to care about Satan’s.
From now till the release date, February 22, a significant bonus package is available at http://youwillbemadetocare.com/ if you pre-order at any site.
I received this book with the single request that I write an honest review. This review is my own opinion. I received no compensation or benefit in expectation of a favorable review.
Erick Erickson’s book You Will Be Made To Care says exactly the same thing in 19 chapters anchored to 392 citations where you can dig deep if you really want to understand contemporary culture. These shocking truths are reshaping our culture, our government and our legal philosophy.
If you are a Christian who is reeling daily at such shocking developments on the moral, social and political front in the USA, you are not alone. You Will Be Made To Care is comforting if there is comfort in shared misery. If you have suspected that Christians are in the crosshairs of the media, the culture and maybe even the government, you will find confirmation of your worst fears in this book.
If you have struggled to make cogent, coherent arguments to support your view when you are accused of being a bigoted, homophobic Neanderthal who is on the wrong side of history, this book will give you helpful material to use in self-defense. 392 endnotes will point you to many other resources in your search for help to survive the onslaught against moral principles and social standards you thought were absolute.
Perhaps more importantly, Erick’s book will feel like a dinner-table conversation with a good friend. While the book is a tremendous resource, it is also powerfully inspiring. In 2012, during the campaigns and on election day, many good, moral, hurting people sat out the whole process, because they could not see any hope in any of the options available to them. This book will surely inspire many of those people to believe it is worth the effort to enter the fray. Readers will meet people who are deep in the struggle, suffering yet standing strong for the principles of their faith, living their faith when it is costly. The people you meet in this book will prod you to believe that it is worthwhile to go ahead and live by your principles, because the potential to influence the nation for good is worth the price you will pay in personal pain. These people’s statements resonate with faith and confidence in God, not themselves, and if Christian people are to begin to speak, to act and to vote with confidence, they must put their confidence in God. This is a key principle of the book. Erick is not rousing the rabble; he is calling out the faithful.
Many who see standards they once regarded as bulwarks of civilization falling before a Satanic onslaught in the name of progress feel bullied and defeated before they take a step or speak a word. Readers of Erick’s book will be pointed to the heavenly food that energizes Christ’s followers, the Bible, Christ’s weapon against Satan when he pointed out that our most important food is “every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”
No matter what progressives say about Christians, accusing them of hearing voices that don’t exist or of praying to imaginary friends, Christians need to stop politely stepping back when “progress” intrudes into marriage and family and national priorities. Christians are called to face Satan’s armies, and in the Bible, they are blessed by God with the armor and assault weapons to break down the gates of hell. Erick Erickson’s book is a call to arms. You cannot sit this battle out and wait for the dust to settle before you stand up. This battle is coming for you. Erick documents the truth that every person, the ones who stand up and fight, and the ones who hope not to be noticed, every Christian will be made to care about the progressive social and political agenda. If you don’t care about Christ’s kingdom, then you will be made to care about Satan’s.
From now till the release date, February 22, a significant bonus package is available at http://youwillbemadetocare.com/ if you pre-order at any site.
I received this book with the single request that I write an honest review. This review is my own opinion. I received no compensation or benefit in expectation of a favorable review.
January 30, 2017
Eh. Too "liberals are devils; win the culture war" for me. Most of the book felt like a political pamphlet for the religious right, which isn't necessarily bad, but wasn't the kind of book I was looking for. At a couple points, Erickson made it sound like he was trying to actually understand the liberal position and why liberals are currently using the government to push their agenda, but I found his answer that "they need to use force because people wouldn't accept it via free choice" rather uncompelling. Like, yeah, I get how those of us in the conservative camp might believe that, but certainly liberals wouldn't frame it in the same way. I think if Erickson had tried harder to understand where liberals are coming from, this book would have been much better.
So the first 2/3 of the book I didn't care much for since it felt too much like a political rallying speech of "look how many bad things they're doing to us," but the last 1/3 was surprisingly good. When it got to the applicational part, I thought Erickson made a number of good points on how to live in this kind of world and I was pleasantly surprised. So there is good parts to this book.
Overall, this book felt a bit repetitious (probably would have been a much better book if it was halved in length) and overly-partisan, but did have a good closing application. This book certainly has an audience and other readers will appreciate Erickson's take-down of the Left's attacks on faith more than I did. For myself, however, I appreciate societal commentary that runs deeper and is more nuanced than this book tended to present.
Rating: 2.5 Stars (Okay).
So the first 2/3 of the book I didn't care much for since it felt too much like a political rallying speech of "look how many bad things they're doing to us," but the last 1/3 was surprisingly good. When it got to the applicational part, I thought Erickson made a number of good points on how to live in this kind of world and I was pleasantly surprised. So there is good parts to this book.
Overall, this book felt a bit repetitious (probably would have been a much better book if it was halved in length) and overly-partisan, but did have a good closing application. This book certainly has an audience and other readers will appreciate Erickson's take-down of the Left's attacks on faith more than I did. For myself, however, I appreciate societal commentary that runs deeper and is more nuanced than this book tended to present.
Rating: 2.5 Stars (Okay).
June 9, 2025
This book about the battle of secular faith or dogma versus the religious belief that’s based on truth. Secularism it’s nothing more than a religion of anti-religion. This battle has been ongoing for thousands of years with winners and losers and will continue to do so however, the war rages on forever. This book brings us up to speed on where we have been, where we are going and the inevitable end result of progressive humanism. Many topics in this book deal with the fallout caused by manufactured ideology and virtue signaling that has destroyed people’s livelihoods and businesses along with disrupting admittance and continuance in higher education in universities and college campuses all because these individuals disagree with the propaganda being contrived and peddled. The topics of gender, sex, marriage also are discussed and how these have become twisted into former definitions that used to be accepted as being normal foundations and precepts of life all throughout history, but are nothing a shell of what they represented. Why? Because the progressive woke left have taken the truth and devolved it into a lie. This book provides solutions in the final chapters to fight this falsehood propaganda and trivialization of veritas.
October 10, 2018
I wish I could give this book a 3.5 star rating. There is much truth in this book. However, this sounds like a book written by the right for the right (I am politically and theologically conservative, by the way). There was too much "the left" this and "progressives" that. It's almost as if there are no believers who may not be politically conservative. The phrase "gay mafia" and some curse words took away from what was a very valuable message. Lastly, he said America is the "best nation ever to exist in the history of the world." We are too young of a nation to make such a bold statement. In fact, from the perspective of a black person, America is a pretty wretched nation that has only granted freedom to ALL of its people in for the past 80 years or so. I think America is a great nation in many respects. But in others, not so much. This doesn't negate the importance of caring for suffering Christians and fighting for religious freedom. But it does feel like a swift slap in the face. Nonetheless, read the book and benefit from it. Just know, there are some things that may rub you the wrong way, even if you are a genuine, conservative Christian.
March 22, 2024
A must read for the serious engaged Christian called to engage in today’s culture. Erickson shows how the person of faith is called to engage, challenged by the culture to care about the frontal assault on all things Christian. You cannot serve God and mammon, or as Bob Dylan once said, “You gotta serve somebody- it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody.” Erickson challenges the Christian to care- and engage. Bravo!
November 28, 2017
Found this to be echoes of what I see going on in our country today. Some of the information was new to me.
November 11, 2018
I highlighted nothing, because the whole book is a highlight. There's just too much in there that's important.
June 14, 2019
Glad to have this book banned from my workplace.
October 15, 2019
Some good points amid an overly long and padded book.
July 26, 2021
Eric Ericson nailed it. The threats by the Left to the America we love must be defeated. You cannot think you will escape your responsibility to defend America.
February 5, 2016
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review.]
In order to understand this book, and its author, a bit of context is important. Erickson is a well-known blogger and political commentator and radio host, among other interests, and as a longtime follower of the website he used to edit, RedState, as well as his current Resurgent Morning Agenda, he would have a regular discussion of the way that leftists in our society (and in other Western nations) have an abiding interest not only to oppose godly ways among the general body of citizens, and to punish people for speaking or acting according to biblical truth in the public, but also to oppose even those who silently and quietly oppose such matters. His statement about the following issues, which he has used frequently in the years I have read his material, is “you will be made to care.” Either one will succumb to the incubus of the progressive left and adopt their misbegotten worldview, or one will be motivated to direct and open opposition to that worldview. And it is in light of that reality of our culture wars that Erickson writes this work of current events political journalism.
In terms of its contents, the author aims for a thematic organization. Various chapters examine the history of progressivism, the abuse of governmental power that shows a marked similarity to Hitler’s Germany, and various social and cultural issues ranging from education to business to the leftist obsession with “pelvic issues” like abortion, homosexuality, and gender identity [1], as well as the simultaneous demonstration of hostility to Confederate history, which the author views to be related [2]. The author writes passionately and in a detailed fashion about all kinds of disastrous Supreme Court decisions, selective enforcement of laws, hostility to Christianity on college campuses and the official abuse of power against those who think and behave, even quietly, according to that which is right in any public fashion, yet the call is not a call to arms as much as it is a call to repentance and also a call to unity in a broad coalition that seeks to defend religious freedom and preserve culture, and also to recognize that however Progressives may be deluded about the inevitably of success, they will eventually fail because they act contrary to nature and truth and because God is sovereign over all. The book has a sort of postmillennial Calvinistic optimism about it, showing the author’s own religious beliefs even as it points out the obvious evils of the spirit of our age.
In looking at what is aimed at here, we see a consistent approach to nonviolent but persistent resistance to progressive oppression—refusal to apologize for believing and behaving rightly, refusing to accept second-class status, and refusing to be silent and self-censor, thus conceding the town square to contemporary leftist idiocy, while retaining love and concern for those who oppose, and seeking their repentance to God and to His ways. In order to oppose the evils of the left, the author promotes a vision of community of like-minded people, an individual commitment to honest and genuine faith, a revival of family concern and faithfulness in marriage, a revival of the Church, and then a revival of Christian citizenship, an appealing and worthwhile vision even for those of us who, like myself, tend to be easily isolated. In the author’s mind, those who speak the truth are likely to face persecution, including the loss of jobs, fines, and the threat of jail. In other words, it will be just as safe to be a Christian blogger speaking the truth to corrupt power here as it is in Thailand, but that we should speak bravely anyway, even knowing the risks, knowing that one is looking towards a heavenly and eternal reward. This book is a powerful blueprint for a Christian counterculture, both grimly realistic about the evils of the present age as well as ultimately hopeful in eventual and ultimate victory.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
In order to understand this book, and its author, a bit of context is important. Erickson is a well-known blogger and political commentator and radio host, among other interests, and as a longtime follower of the website he used to edit, RedState, as well as his current Resurgent Morning Agenda, he would have a regular discussion of the way that leftists in our society (and in other Western nations) have an abiding interest not only to oppose godly ways among the general body of citizens, and to punish people for speaking or acting according to biblical truth in the public, but also to oppose even those who silently and quietly oppose such matters. His statement about the following issues, which he has used frequently in the years I have read his material, is “you will be made to care.” Either one will succumb to the incubus of the progressive left and adopt their misbegotten worldview, or one will be motivated to direct and open opposition to that worldview. And it is in light of that reality of our culture wars that Erickson writes this work of current events political journalism.
In terms of its contents, the author aims for a thematic organization. Various chapters examine the history of progressivism, the abuse of governmental power that shows a marked similarity to Hitler’s Germany, and various social and cultural issues ranging from education to business to the leftist obsession with “pelvic issues” like abortion, homosexuality, and gender identity [1], as well as the simultaneous demonstration of hostility to Confederate history, which the author views to be related [2]. The author writes passionately and in a detailed fashion about all kinds of disastrous Supreme Court decisions, selective enforcement of laws, hostility to Christianity on college campuses and the official abuse of power against those who think and behave, even quietly, according to that which is right in any public fashion, yet the call is not a call to arms as much as it is a call to repentance and also a call to unity in a broad coalition that seeks to defend religious freedom and preserve culture, and also to recognize that however Progressives may be deluded about the inevitably of success, they will eventually fail because they act contrary to nature and truth and because God is sovereign over all. The book has a sort of postmillennial Calvinistic optimism about it, showing the author’s own religious beliefs even as it points out the obvious evils of the spirit of our age.
In looking at what is aimed at here, we see a consistent approach to nonviolent but persistent resistance to progressive oppression—refusal to apologize for believing and behaving rightly, refusing to accept second-class status, and refusing to be silent and self-censor, thus conceding the town square to contemporary leftist idiocy, while retaining love and concern for those who oppose, and seeking their repentance to God and to His ways. In order to oppose the evils of the left, the author promotes a vision of community of like-minded people, an individual commitment to honest and genuine faith, a revival of family concern and faithfulness in marriage, a revival of the Church, and then a revival of Christian citizenship, an appealing and worthwhile vision even for those of us who, like myself, tend to be easily isolated. In the author’s mind, those who speak the truth are likely to face persecution, including the loss of jobs, fines, and the threat of jail. In other words, it will be just as safe to be a Christian blogger speaking the truth to corrupt power here as it is in Thailand, but that we should speak bravely anyway, even knowing the risks, knowing that one is looking towards a heavenly and eternal reward. This book is a powerful blueprint for a Christian counterculture, both grimly realistic about the evils of the present age as well as ultimately hopeful in eventual and ultimate victory.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...
January 8, 2017
Eye-opening analysis of the left's radical agenda
The authors' analysis of the radical left's determination to force everyone to not merely accept their lifestyle choices but to fully embrace it or suffer the consequences is chilling to say the least. They lay out a compelling case for clear eyed resistance by standing on our Christian faith. Highly recommended reading.
The authors' analysis of the radical left's determination to force everyone to not merely accept their lifestyle choices but to fully embrace it or suffer the consequences is chilling to say the least. They lay out a compelling case for clear eyed resistance by standing on our Christian faith. Highly recommended reading.
July 3, 2016
What do former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, Oregon bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein, Washington State florist Barronelle Stutzman, Iowa art gallery owners Betty and Dick Odgaard, Augusta State University counseling student Jennifer Keeton, Gallaudet University chief diversity officer Angela McCaskill, New Mexico photographers Jonathan and Elaine Hugenin, and many others have in common? They have all been “made to care” in the culture wars to force everyone in our society to affirm homosexuality as “normal.” To all those who say they don’t care about the culture war, Erick Erickson, former Editor-in-Chief of RedState.com, and Christian author Bill Blankschaen have only one response: “The Left will not let you stay on the sidelines. You will be made to care.” The nineteen chapters of this book are divided into three parts.
Part 1, “First They Come for Your Faith,” features first-hand accounts from Christians who’ve been punished for their beliefs. Part 2, “Then They Make You Care,” shares perspectives of concerned leaders to make the case that Americans of faith can’t afford to ignore what’s happening. Part 3, “How to Win the War,” offers hope for preserving freedom of conscience with practical steps that believers, families, ministers, church leaders, and citizens can take to resist tyranny and experience a resurgence of faith in America. Not all members of the “LGBT” community are like the vocal, activist minority who demand that everyone kowtow to their every whim and desire or else be charged with discrimination, but the Left generally and the “LGBT” community especially will not like this book. One critic dismissed it with the wave of the hand, saying, “Sob stories of people who were not allowed to discriminate against others because of their…sexual orientation.”
Yes, the book is about discrimination, but the examples cited are not of people who discriminated by refusing to serve “gays,” but of people who were discriminated against by being forced by law to participate in activities which violate their religious beliefs and rights of conscience. For example, Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado had for years served both “gay” and straight customers equally, but a homosexual couple demanded that he give his seal of approval to their ceremony by using his baking artistry to decorate a customized cake to celebrate their relationship. And the government agreed. As the authors point out, the Left is all for “tolerance,” but their tolerance flows only one way, forcing people to comply with their beliefs in the name of tolerance but offering no such tolerance to those who disagree. Rather, it seeks not only to silence those who disagree but also to compel them to approve. Every freedom-loving, Bible-believing person needs to read this book.
Part 1, “First They Come for Your Faith,” features first-hand accounts from Christians who’ve been punished for their beliefs. Part 2, “Then They Make You Care,” shares perspectives of concerned leaders to make the case that Americans of faith can’t afford to ignore what’s happening. Part 3, “How to Win the War,” offers hope for preserving freedom of conscience with practical steps that believers, families, ministers, church leaders, and citizens can take to resist tyranny and experience a resurgence of faith in America. Not all members of the “LGBT” community are like the vocal, activist minority who demand that everyone kowtow to their every whim and desire or else be charged with discrimination, but the Left generally and the “LGBT” community especially will not like this book. One critic dismissed it with the wave of the hand, saying, “Sob stories of people who were not allowed to discriminate against others because of their…sexual orientation.”
Yes, the book is about discrimination, but the examples cited are not of people who discriminated by refusing to serve “gays,” but of people who were discriminated against by being forced by law to participate in activities which violate their religious beliefs and rights of conscience. For example, Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado had for years served both “gay” and straight customers equally, but a homosexual couple demanded that he give his seal of approval to their ceremony by using his baking artistry to decorate a customized cake to celebrate their relationship. And the government agreed. As the authors point out, the Left is all for “tolerance,” but their tolerance flows only one way, forcing people to comply with their beliefs in the name of tolerance but offering no such tolerance to those who disagree. Rather, it seeks not only to silence those who disagree but also to compel them to approve. Every freedom-loving, Bible-believing person needs to read this book.
June 3, 2016
Good advice
It took me some time to get through this book because the first part is so depressing. It tells stories of everyday folks in the USA who have lost their jobs, or were sued, or had their reputations publicly attacked because they believe in the biblical view on marriage.
The second half of the book was much more interesting. It starts out with some obvious things, but sometimes we need reminders of the obvious. The first is to research your faith and KNOW what you believe. How can you respond to or know you want to respond to a challenge if you don't understand your own faith? The second is, if you disagree, respond with love, shrill hated filled diatribes are not useful to anyone. There is more, you could always read the book if you are interested.
It took me some time to get through this book because the first part is so depressing. It tells stories of everyday folks in the USA who have lost their jobs, or were sued, or had their reputations publicly attacked because they believe in the biblical view on marriage.
The second half of the book was much more interesting. It starts out with some obvious things, but sometimes we need reminders of the obvious. The first is to research your faith and KNOW what you believe. How can you respond to or know you want to respond to a challenge if you don't understand your own faith? The second is, if you disagree, respond with love, shrill hated filled diatribes are not useful to anyone. There is more, you could always read the book if you are interested.
December 27, 2016
While some of his points are repeated several times, becoming a bit redundant, the stories supporting his thesis bare multiple reads and further exploration. It's well-written and well argued (for the most part). Erickson calls out Democrats because it's their ideology to a large degree that's pushing this agenda, but he doesn't fully call out Republicans who are similarly complicit in other areas (which is the only reason I give him a pass here).
I found it helpful and informative, though I doubt it'll change many minds. If anything, those who are uninformed or just on the fence may find this book especially beneficial.
I found it helpful and informative, though I doubt it'll change many minds. If anything, those who are uninformed or just on the fence may find this book especially beneficial.
April 20, 2016
It's a good summary of the current status of the debate, but not much else. The conclusions and application seem simplistic. It's a good read if you've never considered it before, but that's about it.
January 13, 2017
Very good reminder of the intolerance that prevails by those who claim to be tolerant...and specific, real examples of those who have faced persecution by the tolerant class. And how Christians should act, lead, and respond.
March 13, 2016
Best book I've read in awhile. Christians better wake up before it's too late.
March 28, 2016
Great book showing how the homosexual agenda intends to force compliance
June 20, 2016
Very informative about what is going on in America.
October 12, 2016
Sigh. :-/
April 20, 2017
You Will Be Made to Care is an important read for anyone of any faith as culture wars continue to burn. The authors make very clear what is at stake, and give positive encouragement to courageous action. Please read and share this book with those who matter to you most.
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