Reason rather than faith

“Worth a read?” is not your ordinary book review; it is a meta-review. In other words, it provides an overview of the opinions contained in a variety of book reviews published in the media at large. This week’s meta-review is of “God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World”, written by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge. The book was released in South Africa in April 2010.

What is it all about?

Since the Enlightenment, great minds have predicted the demise of religion. In a world marked by scientific discovery and rationality, it was almost certain that ordinary people – and specifically the intelligent – would find comfort in reason rather than faith. However, a simple look through an international newspaper will reveal that from Texas to Beijing, and from São Paulo to Abuja, religion – and specifically Christianity – is on the rise.

In “God is Back”, authors Micklethwait and Wooldridge argue that Christianity’s increasing popularity has much to do with the American approach to religion. In a country where – at least in legal terms – the church is separate from the state and there is an overwhelming focus on capitalism, the church has morphed into a more modern institution.

American Christianity is personal and consumer-driven. It is aggressively marketed on television, radios, DVDs and in the publishing world. Churches operate as multinationals headed by "pastorpreneurs" who treat their flock as customers and aim toward franchising their business across the world – the same competition and choice that drive market capitalism.

At these megachurches, the middle class meet friends, get dates and lose weight. They gain comfort, community and meaning – the perfect antidote to the impersonality of modern-day living. And America’s capacity to combine modernity and development with religion has increased the uptake of this specific view of Christianity in the rest of the world.

The authors conclude that the American version of religion can strengthen economies, provide meaningful work and reduce poverty. More than that, it can be applied around the globe to channel the rising tide of faith from volatility and violence to prosperity and individual freedom.

Who are the authors?

John Micklethwait is the editor-in-chief of “The Economist”, while Adrian Wooldridge is the Washington bureau chief of the same publication. They have authored four other books together. One of the authors is an atheist and the other a Roman Catholic, but they do not state which is which.

What do others say?

Micklethwait and Wooldridge have been praised for their capacity to write intelligently and sympathetically about Christians in a world with the likes of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. They are said to be astute social observers who watch from a distance – a style characteristic of “The Economist”, but regarded as impersonal by some.

However, although their insights into religion abroad are original, their analysis of American evangelical culture is familiar, and they are not as sure-footed in the Islamic world or Western Europe.

There also has been criticism against one of their central arguments, which is that the separation of the church and religion increases the spread of the latter. This did not occur in France and, in fact, history has shown that in some cases, state intervention increases the uptake of religion.

In order to understand the modern world, one needs to understand religion – whether one is a believer or not. However, with an overly American focus, this is perhaps not the best book through which first to venture into this terrain.

“The New York Times”: "[T]he authors ultimately conclude that 'God is back, for better'. By this they mean that religion is now a matter of choice for most people, and not a forced or inherited identity. But if that choice can lead you to either buy a sweatshirt or blow up a building, the conclusion itself seems a little forced. The reality is that God is back, for better or worse."

"The Sunday Times” (United Kingdom): "[T]heir book has all the virtues and vices of 'The Economist': it is global in outlook from a viewpoint bobbing around somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; prodigiously informative, and yet at times infuriatingly glib; above all, it never takes a moral view."

How do I get hold of it?

“God is Back” is published in South Africa by Penguin Books. It is available at Exclusive Books at a price of approximately R170.00.