RELIGION GONE BAD

Evangelical minister White reiterates his impassioned charges (many from his 1994 autobiography, Stranger at the Gate) against the Christian Right movement, footnotes and all.

A gay Christian living in Virginia, the author sets out to convince readers that the stronghold known as the Christian Right is a ticking time bomb about to explode. The aftermath, he claims, will result in the reclamation of inalienable freedoms from those who are homosexual or support gay rights. Drawing on his 25-year history serving as a ghostwriter, pastor and television producer for such well-known and ultra-controversial dignitaries as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Billy Graham, White provides an arsenal of longwinded proof that conservative religious fundamentalists are poised on both financial and organizational platforms to incrementally “take back America.” He cites extremist anti-gay, anti-abortion groups like Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family and D. James Kennedy’s Focus Action, both of which in his view demonstrate an “equal ignorance” in “declaring war” on homosexuals and the “corrosive . . . gay agenda.” The author extensively details the basic framework and functionality of fundamentalism, as well as the secrets to its successes. These groups plan on advancing their cause, he warns, by disseminating damaging, malicious anti-homosexual rhetoric. After breathlessly comparing and contrasting right-wing Christian politics and philosophies to fascism and Nazism, White ends his book-length conspiracy theory on two positive notes: reclaiming the Bible as a tome of goodness and introducing Soul Force, the pro-gay activist organization he developed in 1999 with his partner of 25 years. Stating that he is “not a Christian basher,” he argues his case credibly, if a bit heavy-handedly.

Effective mobilization tool for those who share the author’s mindset, but too narrow in its focus to garner much appeal to readers of other persuasions.