The author is a theologian and this is the fourth and final book of a series in which he investigates the general spirit of the western world. The book mainly centers upon life in the USA but is important for all Christian leaders in that the styles, values and mores of the American way of life are spreading all over the world and influencing cultures everywhere. Can the church withstand the pressures insidiously being made upon it in this post-modern age? This is the main discussion of the book. Is the church forsaking the power of the Christian gospel and allowing a diluted substitute to take its place. There is an in depth exploration of these themes in the chapters and along with them examination of where the America is going and whether the church is following suit. The author clearly argues that much taking place in Evangelical and Charismatic churches of America does not represent either the authentic Christ and His gospel nor what a church is called to be. The result of much serious study is in these pages, insights gained from many disciplines, sociological and intellectual assessment and all is brought to the bar of what the true role of the church is and where her power lies. This is a thorough going critique of American Culture and of the west in general and inasmuch as the churches are following the mindset and trends of the world in which it lives the book critiques much of what is going on in the religious scene. Charismatically inclined readers tend to view the prophetic in a rather limited way but here is a book written by a godly intellectual that has a profound prophetic component that needs to be heard. The church of the twenty first century is being seduced. The servicing of the consumer mentality instead of putting God first in all things, the willingness to yield to the temptation of temporizing with the truth in the interests of a so called relevance that leads to successful churches is present in many quarters. There is a powerful call here that the church should examine herself seriously in the light of the non-negotiable gospel of Jesus Christ, the ancient landmarks which should not be removed. Perhaps for many there will have to be a discovery of what those things are before much change will take place. One thing is certain, a reading of this book will cause the thoughtful person to be profoundly concerned as to where the western church of the present will be in twenty years, and if the wholesale importation of American church values continues to be the normal way of doing business in the churches in the developing world the church appears to be unable to survive and be faithful to her mission. So, here is a book with a call to the church which requires serious attention.
