Setting the Captives Free: Victims of the Church Tell Their Stories

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: As a follow-up to "Don't Call Me Brother," this book falls far short of its predecessor. While the first was a very well written, thought-provoking read, "Setting the Captives Free" does nothing to add to his case therein. It is largely a series of responses Austin Miles received since the publishing of "Brother." At the end of that one, he reports that he is on "R&R" from God after what he went through in the Pentecostal AOG church. But STCF crosses the line of irreverence and disrespect, and displays a more antagonistic attitude not only toward AOG's but also Christians in general, and he even uses examples of Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses to show how manipulative a church could be. Some of the letters makes sense, but others at times border on ridiculous, and there are plenty of grammatical errors in the book, which especially with the occasional "[sic]" in the letters themselves look silly.

The first sentence of the back flap is a quote saying "he... began to squeeze my breasts and crotch." This alone is a tip off that the sequel would be more of a tabloidal nature. He blames Christians for introducing sexual sin into his circus community. How can one blame the Christian faith when those who claim to be followers do something they are told specifically by God in His word not to do? The last few pages, and the quote "the Christian church has no defense against this book," is at once sad and laughable. He pulls out all the stops including abortion and Catholicism in a desperate attempt to discredit the church. Early in the book he tells of one Pentecostal preacher who asked his congregation to write their concerns and prayer requests on a card, as, he claimed, he would be able to know through spiritual means what was written. Miles asks why, if he "knew" this information already, did it need to be written down? "The truth should stand on its own." Granted there is a point here, but begs me to ask, why did this series of mostly positive letters he'd received need to be published in a book? The first one stood on its own.

The first book seems to plead with the reader, "look to God, not to people." After reading this sequel, I find myself wanting to ask the same of the author.