By Charles Colson
Worthy Publishing, 2011.
Reviewed by Bob Webber, Director of Ministry for the CBWC
The 2008 elections left moral conservatives perplexed” writes Charles Colson in this poignant book, fully titled The Sky is Not Falling: Living Fearlessly in these Turbulent Times. “Though the majority of Americans hold views to the right of center, voters elected a government that is more left of center than any in our nation’s history.”
From that beginning Colson’s book explores the current political and spiritual landscape in the United States through 15 chapters that cover such diverse topics as “Confronting Postmodernism” to “Cracking the ethics code in Science” to “Resisting the Tyranny of the Courts.”
It is an easy read that gives us an arm chair front row seat to the “culture wars” as they are currently proceeding south of the border from a solidly evangelical point of view. What are interesting are also the perspectives that come into these essays from Colson’s much heralded work with Prison Fellowship a ministry that he continues to lead seeking to reach prisoners around the world with the gospel and helping support constructive prison reforms.
While most of our information on what is happening in the US seems to come from either the polarized left leaning or right leaning popular media, Colson has a decided more intellectual and rigorous examination of the current situation. He has not lost his legal or political instincts. He is decidedly to the right as the opening paragraph suggests, but in a very thoughtful and intellectual way.
The book also is written in the personal style we have come to know from Colson. In one instance he admits to being in his home church when the worship leader rhetorically asked “should we sing that chorus again?” to which he bellowed “No!” to the dismay of his wife and likely delight of his target audience.
Never satisfied to simply inform, Colson’s book is also a passionate call for Christians to enter the fray and not shrink back into our own backyards.