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Title: Restoring the Good Society: A New Vision for Politics and Culture (Hourglass Books) by Don E. Eberly ISBN: 0-8010-3226-1 Publisher: Baker Pub Group Pub. Date: 01 April, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: Optimistic & constructive but idealizes the past
Comment: Few today would question the idea that American culture is complex and affected by many different ideological forces. Politics, education, business, religion, race and personal lifestyle are just a few prominent categories that seem to be in endless debate from various perspectives. Don Eberly's Restoring the Good Society addresses the complex debate in American life by providing sober analysis of the forces behind the current situation and outlining a solution that insists upon intelligent, compassionate and conservative leadership at every station in our society.

Eberly begins his treatise by carefully observing the decline into ideological despair that tugs at many Americans in everyday life. Liberalism, capitalism, modernism, consumerism and many other "silver bullets" have missed the target of providing lives filled with meaning and purpose. We are left with an aching question: "How can a society that has produced more freedom and prosperity than any other in history, lead the world in many categories of social pathology" (p. 15)?

The author paints the solution with five broad strokes that need to be carried out in every sector of our society. First, American life needs to be less politicized. Preoccupation with power and rights has reduced America to a collection of warring mobs with little hope of reconciliation. Second, we must learn to value values. Articulate leaders are needed to explain how declining moral values are destroying the inner fabric of America. Third, discussions about ethics and values must be broader than the context given in political or religious debate. Fourth, "realize that social and cultural renewal is about changing people, not just government" (p. 24). Fifth, we need to understand that the debate about values is not just about isolated ethical situations, but, rather, about broader and deeper issues such as rights versus responsibilities. In essence, America must be restored from the bottom up, not the top down.

The dissolution of basic institutions is shown to be the root cause of many current problems. Detailed statistics and studies are used to demonstrate that broken families, inconsistent educational standards, crime, teenage parents and the abandonment of the poor by the middle class have all contributed to a social disorder that affects every American in some way. Since individual spiritual restoration is the heart of social transformation, the Christian church is called upon to abandon current practices that are overtly political. "A church known primarily for its political militance is a church that is losing its real power and integrity; this church helps to create - not heal - the wounds of a divided nation" (p. 40). Many of today's religious conservatives have isolated themselves from "culture shaping institutions" (p. 46), because they tend to present every decision in poorly conceived absolutist terms. This approach tends to create just one more power hungry special interest group groping for governmental solutions to deeper problems.

After decades of experiments with secular ideas that cannot seem to make a difference, there will be two that tend to gain strength: nihilism and relativism. Societal nihilism "is opposed to all forms of order based on traditional beliefs and values" (p. 51). Relativism denies the existence of any spiritual truth and, therefore, seeks purely pragmatic ends that can justify any means. These two forces undermine all moral authority and thereby excuse individuals from most responsibilities. Public institutions are seen as the last hope, so they must try to manage society and people as a large set of statistical data.

In his final chapters, Eberly unfolds a well-informed and optimistic plan for how we can realize a great new vision for America. This call to action helps temper what would otherwise be an accurate yet depressing look at our current culture. His recommendations for individuals and public life flow naturally from his insightful analysis of the current problems. Individuals will only be transformed by traditional faith acting as a positive influence on how they view others, gauge and correct their personal behavior (through repentance and forgiveness) and look toward a blessed hope in God's eternal kingdom. Similarly, public life must be driven by the ideals of the Christian faith, not merely a Christian ideology. Impartial justice, compassion and local institutions, such as the church, must all be employed to heal communities one by one with an emphasis on individual responsibility.

Restoring the Good Society is concise and well written but tends to romanticize America's moral past. Dean Merrill's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Church makes a good complement, given from a different perspective on American history. Eberly's Restoring the Good Society is a Christian manifesto for a new era of compassionate and conservative leadership among both individuals and public leaders.