America's Real War: An Orthodox Rabbi Insists that Judeo-Christian Values Are Vital for Our Nation’s Survival

by Daniel Lapin

Using his thorough knowledge of Christianity, history, political theory, and business, Rabbi Lapin provides a sound defense for Christianity as the backbone of our society, maintains that our best days lie ahead of us, and offers a road map for getting there.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, American, Cultural, Judaism, Christianity

540 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Early life and education
Daniel Lapin was born into a prestigious Torah family. He was a student of his father, Rabbi A.H. Lapin, who served the Jewish communities in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, eventually immigrating to America with his wife where they established the Am Echad synagogue in San Jose, CA. Like his father before him, Rabbi Lapin was privileged to learn with his great-uncle, the esteemed Rav Elya Lopian. In addition, he learned in yeshivas (Torah schools) in England and Israel as well as studying physics, engineering and mathematics in S. Africa. After establishing a boat-building business in Johannesburg, Rabbi Daniel immigrated to the U.S. where, along with Michael Medved, he founded the Pacific Jewish Center in California, a groundbreaking initiative that introduced thousands of Jews to their religious heritage. In 1992, he and his family relocated to Washington State where he began his work strengthening the Judeo-Christian roots of this country by writing, speaking and standing shoulder to shoulder with prominent Christian leaders, leading to the establishment of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians.
Current
In 2002, Rabbi Lapin wrote his bestselling book Thou Shall Prosper: The Ten Commandments for Making Money (John Wiley ). This book continues selling well in America (as does its sequel Business Secrets from the Bible) and has also been translated into Chinese and Korean, among other languages. In 2007, Rabbi Lapin, along with his wife, Susan, founded Lifecodex Publishing. They began producing audio CDs and writing books to make ancient Jewish wisdom accessible to people of all faiths. Lifecodex Publishing now has DVDs as well as publishing works by other authors that promote traditional learning and values.
Some personal tidbits
Rabbi Daniel Lapin is an avid boater and sailed his family from Los Angeles to Honolulu in the summer on their own 44 foot sailing cutter. As the family grew, the Lapins switched to calmer waters, boating in the San Juan and Gulf Islands in Washington State and British Columbia. Rabbi Lapin is an incredibly proud father and rejoices every year that his children arrange their work schedules to be able to spend time with their parents on the water.
Professional Career
Rabbi Lapin is a frequent speaker for hundreds of groups, institutions, organizations, and companies including Family Research Council, Legatus, Crystal Cathedral, Harvard Law School, Heritage Foundation, the United States Army, the Mont Pelerin Society of Economists, Prudential Insurance Company, the 1996 Republican National Convention, Voices United for Israel, Yeshiva University, and Young President’s Organization. Rabbi Lapin was the keynote speaker at the Congressional Bi-Partisan opening of the 106th Congress in Washington, DC. He speaks regularly at universities, businesses and synagogues and churches throughout the country. He regularly appears on both national and local radio and television shows.
Rabbi Lapin is a noted writer. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Commentary, The Jewish Press, The American Enterprise, The Washington Times, Crisis, and other publications. His first book, America’s Real War was a national bestseller and his second book, Buried Treasure: Secrets for Living from the Lord’s Language is highly popular for personal use and as a gift item. His third and fourth books, Thou Shall Prosper: The Ten Commandments for Making Money and Business Secrets from the Bible, published by John Wiley continue selling well around the world, including in Chinese and Korean translations. He also produces audio CDs that present thousands of years of Jewish wisdom emanating from the Bible, in ways that impact and improve modern day life.

Reviews

[The other John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not one that would be likely to make my reading list, but it was recommended by a friend. Rabbi Lapin is an Orthodox rabbi and, among other pursuits, a spokesman for the conservative side of American politics. In America's Real War, he gives his take on the political landscape. The central concept of the book, is that the real conflict in American politics is between those who want America to be a secular society and those who don't. He quickly recasts that into a conflict between those who believe in God and those who don't. The book covers why he believes that America is a Christian nation, how it has drifted from its roots in the last forty years or so and why it needs to retrace its steps if its going to remain a strong nation. (Intertwined with this is his justification for siding with conservative Christians and his condemnation of the actions of many liberal Jews.) In the beginning of the book, I was mildly surprised to find myself agreeing with him. Even though I'm theologically conservative, I don't necessarily apply theology to my politics. So while I'll disagree with a candidate's position on, say, abortion, I'll never try and evaluate the religious base of their position, nor if their beliefs would lead them to make other decisions with which I disagree. Whether I need to start doing so is something I'll have to mull over. But that was the extent of my agreement with Rabbi Lapin. As he moved from the initial definition of the problem, I realized that our definition of the two sides of the tug of war differed. About halfway through the book, he started using the word "Democrats" instead of "secular liberals", and "Republicans" instead of "religious conservatives". Had I read this book when it was published, in 1999, I might have accepted that switch better. But given some of the actions of the second Bush administration, I was not willing to accept such an equation. It also brought to light another failing in the book: Rabbi Lapin does not address any failings on the side of the religious conservatives. Perhaps that is due to his religion. Mine would demand admission that we're all sinners and so I would have to confess the failings of the "good guys". Anyway, the book left me wondering what Rabbi Lapin might have to say on some other issues, such as the Iraq War and the rampant government spending it incurred. I suppose I should, then, recommend that folks check this one out. It is an interesting and well written read, though it failed to move me to enlist on either side of the conflict.

[Mishqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the rabbi's point of view fascinating, and his call to his own people to support Christianity as encouraging. I had kind of always thought it was Christianity against secularism, and hadn't really thought about where Judaism and other religions fit into the opinion polls. Rabbi Lapin discusses the reasons that the country should be run with Judeo-Christian values instead of secular ideas, and how our happiness and freedom will be lost if we don't win this "war."

The book was very thought-provoking, and I highly recommend it to anyone who feels that they are politically conservative in nature. Actually, I recommend it to secularists, too, to help them see the damage to themselves that will happen if they continue to eliminate Christian values from the US community.

[ReadingMama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intellectual yet biased book by Lapin, points out many biblical viewpoints that I agree with; yet other political perspectives completely disagree. He presents his viewpoints as a far right conservative while he blames all contemporary issues to the far left liberals (whom he assumes no godly values). He is speaking from an orthodox Jews perspective; without apology, he is firm in his belief. So many fundamental biblical perspectives, I am with him, but he once again states strongly that the Jewish belief is different from the Christianity. He acknowledges many American Jewish have not educated their people and blames ignorance of their own people. He strongly believes the religion (in this case Judeo-Christian values from a political policy perspective) should be the root of our country’s foundation. He uses a very interesting analogy of data vs matter. Data is the core indestructible blueprint and principle while matter is the product from the data which is changeable and destructible. He believes that America has altered its core value since the past 30-40 years,and admonishes him to repent and return to God. It certainly is an interesting and well articulated reading, but I like his other book “Thou Shall Prosper” so much better!

[Brian Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting perspective of the modern political wars from an Orthodox Rabbi. He covered much of what is ripping America apart, the divisiveness of the left and its drift to Marxism. What was interesting is that he couched each of the issues in the context of Judaea-Christian values and the Bible. So I was reminded of a good bit of what I had previously forgotten.

The most valuable chapter was Why Are Jews So Liberal ? Which he answers with a stunning allegation: Jews inherently do not wish to live their lives practicing Jewish law as handed down by God to Moses because it is difficult. They would rather live the pagan lifestyle of the Egyptians. So there is an eternal search to be liberated from God’s restrictive rules. God either does not exist or He is irrelevant, so He and His ways are out of date, out of touch and unnecessarily repressive compared to the enlightened wisdom of humankind.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the Rabí. I love how he breaks things down in simple and easy to understand terms. The facts are we are a Christian nation with Judie-Christian values at our foundation. We are struggling mightily as a nation because we have turned our backs on God and the values that are Nation was founded upon. Either we return to God and His teachings or we suffer the consequences of our choices. We have become to apathetic as a people and we have become to immersed in comfort and east street and are unwilling to do the hard things.
This is a must read if you want to strengthen your resolve to fight for America and a must share with friends and family to build a revival to the eternal
Values that allow freedom to ring from sea to shiny sea.

[Anita Renaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting read on the past and future of our country and how it is tied to Christian values.

[Jim Sandman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and easy to digest; a must read for all who yearn for a truly civil society.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. You can get the gist of it about 1/4 of the way through but his reasoning and examples are worth the read.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to understand the currents which have underpinned and driven political action in this country over the past 30-40 years. He explains that there are essentially two camps fighting for control over America's future. All issues and conflicts can be traced back to this one point: do you believe that the America which our Founding Fathers established, using the Bible as a blueprint for our nation, has provided the best environment for our current prosperity and freedoms and that this vision can continue to provide such? Or do you believe that the Judeo-Christian ethic is outmoded, irrelevant, or even dangerous and should be expunged from public life and ostracized when expressed personally? Rabbi Lapin's premise is that any political and social issue found in our society today hinges on how this question is answered.These two categories aren't as cut and dry as you might think. Proponents of the Judeo-Christian ethic might not be theists at all, but might still be able to recognize the benefits from a civilization based in this worldview. Likewise, allies of secular American civilization might be "religious" voices.

This book, written 10 years ago but remarkably prescient, is a clarion call to conservative Americans who believe in the strength of our Judeo-Christian roots here in America. The assault against these roots began in the 60s and is accelerating at an every increasing pace today. The bad news is that this attack will not slacken without opposition. The good news is that we have men like Rabbi Daniel Lapin to delve into these issues and to serve as the watchmen on the walls.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the title, this book does not focus primarily on the so-called "culture wars." It consists of a number of arguments aimed at persuading secular and religious Jews that they have nothing to fear--and much to gain--from living in a "Christian nation." Rabbi Lapin attempts to overcome the misconceptions and prejudices many Jews--particularly liberal secular Jews--have about the "religious right." He discusses the dangers of too lightly hurling the epithet of anti-Semite, and he maintains that it is America's underlying Christian values and free market economy that has enabled the Jewish people to prosper in the land. He tries to explain the Jewish tendency toward liberalism and socialism and argues why such a trend is harmful rather than helpful for Jews. He also spends some time making religious arguments as well, explaining why he thinks Judeo-Christian values are necessary for the prosperity and endurance of our nation. Finally, he takes a moment to address Christians and explains why Jews find it offensive when Christians claim that Jews who have not accepted Christ are "incomplete Jews."

There is some degree of repetitiveness to be found in America's Real War, as is true with most political nonfiction books. Rabbi Lapin has some very interesting insights, especially with regard to his religious perspective, but the book can at times be dull. The book will be of most interest to the open-minded Jewish reader or the Christian who is seeking some reassurance that his good intentions are understood.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the title, this book does not focus primarily on the so-called "culture wars." It consists of a number of arguments aimed at persuading secular and religious Jews that they have nothing to fear--and much to gain--from living in a "Christian nation." Rabbi Lapin attempts to overcome the misconceptions and prejudices many Jews--particularly liberal secular Jews--have about the "religious right." He discusses the dangers of too lightly hurling the epithet of anti-Semite, and he maintains that it is America's underlying Christian values and free market economy that has enabled the Jewish people to prosper in the land. He tries to explain the Jewish tendency toward liberalism and socialism and argues why such a trend is harmful rather than helpful for Jews. He also spends some time making religious arguments as well, explaining why he thinks Judeo-Christian values are necessary for the prosperity and endurance of our nation. Finally, he takes a moment to address Christians and explains why Jews find it offensive when Christians claim that Jews who have not accepted Christ are "incomplete Jews."

There is some degree of repetitiveness to be found in America's Real War, as is true with most political nonfiction books. Rabbi Lapin has some very interesting insights, especially with regard to his religious perspective, but the book can at times be dull. The book will be of most interest to the open-minded Jewish reader or the Christian who is seeking some reassurance that his good intentions are understood.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I learned a lot from this book. It is filled with political and spiritual wisdom from such a unique perspective being that the author is a Rabbi. The book left me feeling more aware of what is going on in today's political climate, and a little uneasy about the possibilities of what could happen if America continues on this path. As another free download from familyaudiolibrary.com, I'm very grateful the Lord put this in my way.

[Stephanie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought rather highly of the way this writer uses social history to make his arguments, but then I saw him years later at a Glenn Beck rally, so I'm not sure what to think. It's an interesting commentary regardless.