Book Review Assignment Instructions
Assignment Instructions
One of the goals of this course is to teach students how to interact with material and write a scholarly book review. In this course, The Benedict Option becomes a read that tends to elicit strong opinions (both for and against.) But what about evaluating the author’s position from a biblical point of view. The goal here is to get students not only review Dreher, but to cross-review the work with Carson.
Instructions for the book review assignment
Items to include are outlined as follows:
- Length of assignment: 4-6 pages exluding any title page or bibliography.
- Current APA format
- Elements to include are outlined below, but an added nuance to this review will be an evaluation of Dreher’s position in light of Carson’s Christ and Culture Revisited.
The review must include the following as sections/headings:
- Introduction
- Main Idea: An overview of the main idea of the book as well as the themes, issues, and solutions the author presents.
- Main Thrust of the Book: Identification of the main thrust of the book and differentiation between the central and peripheral ideas.
- Critical Analysis: A critical analysis of the book which interacts with the author’s main idea.
- Author’s points: A recognition of what the author’s points are and what theological issues are prevalent within the book.
- Critique: A critique of the author’s ability to effective argue the thesis of the book.
- Evaluation in Light of Carson: An evaluation of the author’s argument in light of the Carson’s point of view from Christ and Culture Revisited.
- Conclusion
Sample Student Answer
Book Review
In his book titled “The Benedict Option,” Rod Dreher presents thought-provoking views on the “falling of Christianity in the West.” The book presents evidence as to how the secularist culture in the West has pervaded into Christianity to the extent that it has covertly eaten into the fundamental beliefs that hold what should be the true essence of Christianity. Amidst this standpoint, Carson (2008), in his book “Christ and Culture Revisited,” shares a different perspective or rather describes a set of five options modeled earlier by H. Richard Niebuhr on the relationship between Christ and culture.
This book review will provide an analysis of Dreher’s Benedict Option in light of Carson’s understanding of the relationship between Christ and culture. By the end of the review, various thematic elements will be presented based on the author’s standpoint in relation to the contemporary society we live in.
Main Idea
Dreher presents a set of issues that continue to destroy the fabric of true Christianity. Most of the presented aspects define what is considered ordinary and harmless in the current societal context. Dreher notes different components that have significant implications on our culture, more so, aligning towards secularism. One of the noted elements is the modern political dispensation, where he mentions the abandonment of value votes.
Instead, we are in a political dispensation where we have adjusted to a system of compromise at the expense of fundamental Christian beliefs, where he quotes journalist Thomas B. Edsall politicians now “pit voters who believe in a fixed and universal morality against those who see moral issues, especially sexual ones, as elastic and subject to personal choice (pg. 78).” The same sentiments are shared by Carson where he takes note that the existing tensions between democracy and religion are unavoidable, which will also culminate in tensions between Christ and culture (Carson, 2008 pg. 128)
. The second element is education, where Dreher faults the existing education dispensation for not providing the required content nor environment in which nurturing and upbringing of a Christian child can be accomplished, and this includes some of the Christian schools. He gives the reason that most of the schools are not rightly ordered nor religiously informed. Dreher also faults the neglect of parental responsibility in educating and nurturing our children, reducing it to a secondary task of “building the child’s transcript” (pg. 155). This theme aligns with what Carson describes as increased secularization, which has become de facto with its own beliefs and values (Carson, 2008 pg. 117).
The third element that has led to increased secularization is technology. According to Dreher, the idea that technology is morally neutral, as most would argue, is naïve at best. The introduction of the internet, for example;e, led to hastened fragmentation of social, political, and cultural identities and has significantly impaired our ability to pay attention to what is happening around us and ultimately preventing us from seeing the true image of Christ from our surroundings (Dreher, 2017 pg. 223). This can strongly be aligned with Carson’s view on increased secularization and worship of freedom.
Then what are we expected to do amidst all these changes? Dreher proposes a raft of solutions throughout the book. Starting with education, Dreher calls for a complete withdrawal from public and private schools that do not offer the right curriculum for the proper Christian upbringing. Such a curriculum should be rightly ordered, teach the scripture and the history of western civilization. Similarly, Christian education should be a collective effort of the Christian community.
Dreher notes that “building schools that can educate properly will require churches, parents, peer groups, and fellow traveler Christians to work together. It will be costly, but what choice is there?” (Dreher 2017 pg 145). He also proposes a raft of principles in which a Christian should abide to remain firm in the “turbulent flood” of secularism, some of which include a lifestyle of asceticism, prayer, order, work, to list a few.
Main Thrust
The Benedict Option presents an outlook of the “great flood,” which is characterized by the cultural changes that continue to fragment the true way of life a Christian should live. Dreher calls for complete isolation from the secularist culture, which includes abandoning aspects of what we consider harmless and normal. We can link what Dreher is trying to relay with some of the ideas put forth by Carson (2008). Carson, in his book, presents more than just the five options on the relationship between Christ and culture.
He also delves deeper into four components that define culture. We can see some connection between the two authors, especially on the topic of secularism and the attraction to conform to secular practices that have and still continue to corrode our Christianity. Both Dreher and Carson propose different approaches to navigate the tumultuous times.
Critical Analysis
Dreher presents compelling evidence on the changing Christian landscape, which from a critical look should be a cause of concern. It is a fact that the church is losing the young people to a “secular religion,” as Carson would call it. Emergent cultures have made the church lose some of its beliefs to try and accommodate and retain as many members as possible in fear that doing otherwise would cause a complete collapse in the number of congregants. Dreher questions the perspective of the modern church, which calls for all Christians to introspect and consider what the Bible teaches us and not what we believe is right.
Author’s Points
The Benedict Option highlights the shaky grounds on which current-day western Christianity is in. Dreher equates the tumultuous times to the great flood calling for a renewal of spiritual beliefs, values, and practices to overcome the increased penetration of the secularist culture. Dreher calls for the re-establishment of a Christian community that instills Christian beliefs and values. Dreher further calls for the establishment of a church of all seasons, one that is disciplined and consistent in its speech and deeds to be the “light of the world” (Mathew 5:13-16) and one that can persevere in light of material pleasures and other forms of trials (James 1:2-4).
Similarly, Dreher proposes a way in which we ought to live as modern-day Christians, embodying the biblical values as they are and not in the distorted conformist manner put forth by the changing culture. The biblical text that can best summarise Dreher’s thought is the book of Hebrews 12:1 NIV which states, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”
Critique
The book presents consistently strong arguments on the need to reestablish the Christian culture as found in the Bible. Dreher presents compelling evidence on how the church has transformed over time and is increasingly being folded into the secular world by compromising on some of the fundamental tenets espoused in the Bible. Compared to Carson (2008), Dreher takes a radical approach towards change lest we see further deterioration of the Christian faith as we know it.
Dreher argues using researched-backed data that the church is losing grasp of youths and adults alike despite trying to compromise its values to fit the cultural context. As such, he identifies some of the aspects that could strengthen our resolve to persevere in the contemporary Christian world, a world that should be founded on the premise of love as described in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Evaluation
Christ and Culture Revisited presents five approaches to Christ’s relationship with culture. Dreher takes a strong stance against the current secular culture and how the church is increasingly adopting some of its components in practice. This line of thought is aligned with the first paradigm of culture presented by Niebuhr; Christ against culture. In this paradigm. In this regard, Carson quotes Tertullian, who states that Christian culture is entirely different from that of Jews and Gentiles. Therefore they are called to live a life that is separate from the separatist culture (Carson, 2008 pg. 13).
We see in the Benedict Option, Dreher is calling for Christians to reestablish their spiritual beliefs based on the scriptures. Another similarity we can see from both works is the agreement that secularism continues to dominate today’s world and has permeated into the modern church. The church’s voice in politics, education, and other fundamental components of society has been shelved for a more popularist approach. To sum with Carson’s perspective, where he notes that “tensions between Christ and culture are both diverse and complex, but from a Christian perspective they find their origin in the stubborn refusal of human beings, made in God’s image, to acknowledge their creaturely dependence on their Maker.”
This is what Dreher tries to bring across in his book, a renewed focus on the relationship between God and mankind focused on obedience to His word and acting towards fulfilling His purpose.
Conclusion
The Benedict Option by Dreher introduces a radical call to action for the survival of Christianity, as the author put it. While most orthodox Christians would agree on the practicality of Dreher’s approach, others would argue against its rigidity in the contemporary cultural context. The book mirrors some of the points presented by Carson in his book Christ and Culture Revisited. What is evident is that the church currently stands at a crossroads to choose the path that it should take in response to the growing secular culture, which continues to transform how society view and relate to God.
References
Carson, D. A. (2008). Christ and culture revisited. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN: 9780802831743.
Dreher, R. (2017). The Benedict option: A strategy for Christians in a post-Christian nation. New York: Sentinel. ISBN: 9780735213296.
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
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