Anxious About Empire: Theological Essays on the New Global Realities

Rating:
Summary: Great Essays on a Crucial Topic
Review: This is a superb collection of theological perspectives on the current political situation in America. There is a wide range of theological and political perspectives in this book which makes it a good, informative and balanced read for those wishing to hear different takes on the current global situation.

For the most part, the authors take a dissenting posture against the current tide of American imperialism and hegemony. However, there are authors in the volume that argue heartily in support of the current administration and it's forigen policies.

I found the chapters by Michael Budde, Eugene McCarraher and Stephen Chapman to be the most helpful, articulate and persuasive. The contributions by Robert Bellah and Wendell Berry were also quite good. The only real failure in the book is the horrible essay by Stephen Webb. His arguments are crude, simplisitic and clumsy. While some of his other wrtings have been very interesting (such as "The Divine Voice"), his ridiculous arguments for American exceptionalism and caricatures of others' views make this the low point of the book.

On the whole, though the contributions of this book mare for fascinating, informative and challenging reading. There is also the text of the "National Security Strategy of the United States of America" attached in an appedix to the book. THis is very helpful as many of the essays in the volume revolve around responding to this statement in some way or other.

I highly recommend this book to Christians who are concerned about the current global realities and are seeking to figure out how to think and act in light of those realities.