….. What most Americans worry about most deeply are not political or economic but social issues, cultural issues, in fact moral issues. There are the issues that most directly affect the lives of ordinary people and families: drugs, terrorism, divorce, homelessness, rape, alcoholism, violence, child abuse, abortion, the destruction of families, teen pregnancies, AIDS, suicide. We’re more worried about our wrongs than our rights.
…. I am not a sociologist. (Sometimes I think I would rather be a salamander than a sociologist.) I am not an “expert” in anything. What qualifies me to write this book, then? Precisely that: that I am not an “expert.” It’s the “experts” who are the problem. And it’s the rest of us, those who still rely on common sense, who can solve them. “Common sense” means the practical sense that is common to everybody except the “experts.” It is high time for us non-experts, us amateurs, to take over. It’s high time for our democracy to become democratic. To do that, …. we need to ignore the experts and listen to common sense instead…..
This book will offend many people, for the same reason it will delight many others: because it is not only about a war – a “culture war,” a spiritual war, a jihad – but it is itself an act of war. it will thus offend two kinds of people. First, it will offend the “experts.” Second, it will offend people who hate to be told there is a war. These are terribly nice people – Canadians, for instance. This book will probably be censored in Canada as “hate speech,” like Dr. Laura, and be confiscated at the border.
It is loud and crude, and I’m not sorry. For it is written on a battlefield, in the heat of battle. it is written for soldiers or potential soldiers, enlistees. It is therefore not a carefully researched, beautifully nuanced, politely academic argument. it is not a sweet violin; it is an ugly, blaring trumpet. On a battlefield, a trumpet works better than a violin. Here is a preview and summary of the book:
- You are at war – a wake-up call: If you are surprised to be told that our entire civilization is in crisis, I welcome you back to earth and hope you had a nice vacation on the moon. A cover article in Time a few years ago was about the question “Why is everything getting better?” … it turned out, upon reading the article, that every single aspect of life they mentioned, every reason why everything was getting better and better, was economic. People have more money. Period. End of discussion. …….. I have a theory about Time article: that it is simply Playboy with clothes on. For one kind of playboy, the world is simply one big whorehouse; for another kind, it is one big piggy bank. For both kinds of playboy, things are getting better and better. That is why Americans gave a 75 percent approval rating to Bill Clinton, the perfect combination of the two kinds of playboy. He kept himself happy with some big whores, and he kept us happy with some big piggy banks. We loved him for the same reason the Germans loved Hitler when they elected him: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Hitler gave them autobahns and Volkswagens, jobs and housing. in fact, Hitler wrought the greatest economic miracle of the 20th century: from economic and military ruin to full employment and national pride in a few short years. What else matters as long as the emperor gives you bread and circuses? people are pigs, not saints; they love slops, not holiness.
Sexual pigginess and economic pigginess are natural twins. For lust and greed are almost interchangeable words. In fact, America does not know the difference between sex and money, it treats sex like money because it treats sex as a medium of exchange, and it treats money like sex because it expects its money to get pregnant and reproduce. There is one little problem with the pig philosophy, however, and it is intensely practical: death. Both sex and money are often fatal. Two words show that : AIDS and suicide.
Summary for How to Win the Culture War: A Christian Battle Plan for a Society in Crisis: The battle lines have been drawn. Many Christians have fallen into the trap of proclaiming “Peace! Peace!” when there is no peace. Hiding their eyes from the pressing issues of the day, they believe that resistance to the prevailing culture is useless. At the same time, other Christians have been too quick to declare war, mistaking battlefield casualties as enemies rather than victims. In How to Win the Culture War Peter Kreeft issues a rousing call to arms. Christians must understand the true nature of the culture war–a war between the culture of life and the culture of death. Once truth and morality are relativized, however, it is illogical to impose any standard whatsoever.
Kreeft lays out the enemy’s battle plan ala C.S. Lewis/The Screwtape Letters, speaking as Satan addressing his team of demons. While the concept of a literal Satan may be quaint to some, Kreeft builds a pretty convincing case for his existence, through Biblical citations but more through some persuasive logical argument. Kreeft maintains that once we understand the enemy, his goal and his plan, we can formulate a response. The enemy, of course, is Satan; the goal is the total corruption of souls; the plan is to wreak personal and social chaos by infusing the philosphy of relativism into all our thoughts and actions. But despite the damage that’s been done, Kreeft is anything but pessimistic: he is certain that it is never too late to wake up to the dangers and take effective action.
The essence of this book is a call ideally to all Americans to a state of higher moral and spiritual purity. Above all, Kreeft assures us that the war can be won–in fact, it will be won. For those who hope in Christ, victory is assured, because good triumphs over evil and life conquers death. Love never gives up. Neither must we.