The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience

Subtitled "Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?" this book makes a strong case for why faith should make a difference in areas such as racism, materialism, hedonism, egotism, and more. Are we truly dedicated to the Lord or simply questing after money, sex, or personal self-fulfillment? 144 pages, softcover. Baker.

This stinging jeremiad by Sider (Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger) demands that American Christians start practicing what they preach. Evangelical Christians, says Sider, are very much like their non-Christian neighbors in rates of divorce, premarital sex, domestic violence and use of pornography, and are actually more likely to hold racist views than other people. Why the discrepancy between American Christians' practices and what the Bible teaches? Sider decries the materialism of most churches, marshaling evidence to demonstrate that American Christians' charitable giving has decreased even while their income has risen. Although they are collectively the wealthiest Christians in the history of the world, they don't take care of the poor, he says. Sider reviews the New Testament to argue that Christians can't accept Jesus as their Savior without also honoring him as their Lord and obeying his teachings. In the final chapters, he insists that Christians must strengthen their accountability to the church and "dethrone mammon" (money) as the real object of worship. Sider's issues are of course selective; despite careful attention to the subject of racial inequality, there is no mention of gender inequality, and Sider quotes no women alongside such heavyweights as Wesley and Bonhoeffer. Still, his criticisms are incisive and prophetic. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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Reviewed by Steven Rindahl (Ft Gordon, GA), July 30, 2008

Sider does a good job of identifying how Christians have gone off course. Leaving behind the commands Jesus gave many among us wander like sheep gone astray into a variety of “ministries” which are actually conforming to the world. Worse yet many “Christians” live lives that are indistinguishable from those who do not claim Christian faith. A well-written quick read that hits the nail on the head.

Reviewed by David D. Flowers (Mabank, TX), June 06, 2006

Sider is one more voice calling out to the church in America saying, "come out" from the culture! Sider states his case clearly: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. I personally find statistics boring. The worldly kingdoms and its culture are dead. Yet, I understand it helps in establishing the major problem evangelicals are facing. I believe every Christian should read this book. However, I do want to take Sider's message a bit further. Christians should spend little to no time involving themselves in politics. The great temptation that Jesus resisted, we too often embrace. The Christian should acknowledge the doctrine of the two kingdoms and withdraw from the idea that making laws and restraining sinners is the work of the Kingdom of God. Sider is right that "the world is passing away." We would do well to notice its full implications on our lives, as we usher in a kingdom "not of this world." I strongly agree that churches today would strengthen if they made it harder to join. I disagree that denominations are advantageous to the cause of Christ. However, I too acknowledge the need for supervision, guidance, accountability, and unity among the church today. The church in America needs something more authentic to early Christianity. I believe overall Sider is pointing us in the right direction.

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