Product Description

2000 Gold Medallion Award winner!
Christianity is more than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also a worldview that not only answers life's basic questions--Where did we come from, and who are we? What has gone wrong with the

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #636878 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-15
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From Amazon.com
How Now Shall We Live was the heart cry of a people who lived during the Jewish exile from the Promised Land, yet it is no less the unspoken prayer of the faithful today. As author Chuck Colson puts it, "We live in a culture that is at best morally indifferent ... in which Judeo-Christian values are mocked ... in which violence, banality, meanness, and disintegrating personal behavior are destroying civility and endangering the very life of our communities." It is no small wonder that Colson--the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries and author of several renowned Christian works--considers this book the most important work of his life.

America, Colson states, is now in a post-Judeo-Christian era. Technically, this is what "postmodernism" means. In a generation in which the most respected brands of thought about reality declare that "God is dead," it is clear that a faith-based worldview does not prevail. So how do we teach our children that belief in God is respectable and intelligent? How do we fulfill our mandate to make "disciples of all nations" when friends and coworkers find the Christian perspective foolhardy and--in terms of rational thought--almost insane? Most important, how do we renew our entire culture, especially as it infects the global community, with the "common grace" of reinstating a prevailing belief in God and in His moral order?

These questions' implications are far-reaching, and Colson's thorough inquiry is a ready match for the challenge. In effect, this book delivers a logical, more than just "because the Bible says so" framework for interpreting the Gospel to the postmodern world, while also illustrating the vision for a culture based entirely on Biblical principles--powerful tools, indeed.

Christians are taught to love God with all their hearts, all their strength, and all their minds. How Now Shall We Live emphasizes that not to use one's mind in this idea-saturated culture is to abandon dying neighbors to bleed by the side of the road while going about one's religious way. As Colson puts it, "turning our backs on the culture ... denies God's sovereignty over all of life." It's this compassionate severity and prodding intelligence that make this book not only a good read, but a life-changing one as well. --Courtenay Gebhardt

From Publishers Weekly
International prison ministry leader Colson, most famous for his role in the Watergate scandal and his subsequent conversion to Christianity, has co-written with Pearcey what he believes to be the most important book of his career. Picking up where the late American theologian Francis Schaeffer's book and film series How Then Shall We Live? left off, Colson attempts to explain why American culture has become "post-Christian" and what must be done to "rebuild it with a biblical worldview." He believes that Christian salvation is not just personal but "cosmological," redeeming all of creation. Colson's work is a mixed bag. When he outlines his theology, shares personal stories or explains the various Supreme Court cases that touch upon religion's role in American life, he is thoughtful and articulate, yet the work suffers from a narrow perspective and an overdependence on the opinions of a few others, especially Schaeffer. As the author of a book that ostensibly engages recent developments in science, art and philosophy from a Christian point of view, Colson too easily dismisses opposing views without expressing a full understanding of them (Stephen Hawking's time theories amount to "little more than fantasy," for example). Such an approach to humanist ideas makes this a sermon strictly for the evangelical choir, although Colson intends the book to inspire debate in the wider culture and Tyndale is launching a $250,000 marketing campaign to sell it. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Outline of Conservative Christianity
Chuck Colson has written a masterful text on one Biblical worldview. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the worldview from which he writes is one of dogmatic judgmentalism and not the worldview that I believe Jesus lived out.

Colson states clearly that the Christian religion is one that is "devoted to an all-powerful, sovereign, omniscient God who demands righteousness and obedience... who dispenses severe judgment."

Colson's world is one which is black and white with few shades of gray. God has laid down the law (as revealed in Scripture) and everyone should be fully obedient to it, and if not should be prepared to suffer the consequential punishment. This is similar to the worldview of fundamentalist Islam in the sense that the God that is revealed through the Sacred Scripture of tradition must be obeyed at all costs. The God revealed in the Sacred Scripture is the only real God, all others are false and harmful and will be eliminated in the end.

I believe Chuck Colson to be a very sincere and devout Christian who wants, with everything in him, to do the right thing. It seems that he believes that his version of Christianity is absolutely the only correct version of any faith, and therefore he is willing to die to defend it. But it may be interesting to note that other fundamentalist leaders of different faiths have the same level of conviction, believing with equal intensity that their understanding of God is the only correct view. I have no doubt that if Mr. Colson was born to devout Buddhist parents that he would more than likely now be a Buddhist. He is a Christian only because of his life context and circumstances.

There are many Biblical texts that seem to contradict Colson's worldview. Such as Mt. 5.44-47: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

This text, a statement of Jesus about God, seems to indicate that God does not meet out judgmental punishment to the evil and unrighteous. This statement appears to be saying that God showers his unconditional love and blessings on all people, regardless of perceived rightness or wrongness.

My recommendation is for everyone to read this excellent book by Colson with the understanding that it is one man's and one group's interpretation of Scripture and of life and that there are many other ways to understand and interpret Scripture and life. It is my opinion that Mr. Colson has not yet come to the spiritual awareness and worldview contained in the statement by Paul that "Christ is the end of the law," and from Jesus that the "Kingdom of God is within." It is my prayer that one day he will. I believe that the greatest revelations for Mr. Colson, the tangible awareness that the abundant life is here now, may come soon.

Modern Worldview at its best
Colson does a good job in this work of breaking down complex worldview and theological issues to the common man. While many texts on these subjects leave readers scratching their heads, this book breaks it down for the average reader. While one could maybe do without the long winded stories in the beginning of each chapter and skip to the meat, this is still none the less a good book. Nancy Pearcy adds her expertise and that helps shore up some of the more complex issues. One caveat to this book, it is done from the perspective of a very modern thinker who can put just about anything into a formula. If that is your style, you will love this book. B

Joseph Dworak

One of the Best Books Ever!!
If you have any questions about various worldviews, this is the book for you. Don't be intimidated by its length--it is so full of interesting anecdotes that you won't be able to put it down.