Review: UNDER GOD

I have really enjoyed this book: Under God, by Toby Mac and Michael Tait of dcTalk (copyright 2004, Bethany House Publishers). For me, at a time when I could get too deep into the deconstruction of theology and the way-out-there thoughts of the emerging church, there's an appreciation for the history, the real-life stories of Christians throughout the timeline.

I enjoyed Jesus Freaks, taking the stories of church martyrs and updating them with today's prose and adding current stories of persecution and sacrifice. With Under God, the stories told are of Christians just trying to do the right thing in the name of Freedom. I have gone through a history-reading Revolutionary-War-period this summer, and I've done a fair share of research into what happened when the Founding Fathers did what they did and a country was born. I was excited to continue on in that Revolutionary Era vein, thinking I was going to read a book about Christians in the 18th century standing up against colonial Britain. But this book drives through those perilous times and straight into the slavery issues of the Civil War and Reconstruction Era in the mid-19th century, right through to Rosa Parks and the stories of the Civil Rights movement in the 20th century - again, all in the name of freedom. It's amazing to me that when it's all stripped down, we're people who can work together and do the right things for the right reasons when we want to serve Christ and bring about positive change - and freedom.

The individual pieces are well-written, giving a "we were there" kind of feel to the stories, connecting the reader with the time, the place, the struggle, the decision and the victory in doing the right thing. The emphasis on Jesus is tangible, as people know what to do and do it. And it's challenging and encouraging to me in our time now: to do what needs to be done with joy in the kingdom.