Persecution Complex: Why American Christians Need to Stop Playing the Victim, a new book by Jason Wiedel that I helped edit, will be released in mid-November, which is just around the corner. If you order your copy now, you can get it for just $14, and shipping is free.
What is Persecution Complex? It’s pretty much all there in the title. In the book, Jason looks at where the persecution narrative trumpeted by many American Christians came from, why it’s so appealing (to Christian leaders and their faithful followers), the damaging effects it’s having on the world and, best of all, how American Christians can move beyond it to a much more positive script. Here’s what a couple of my friends are saying about the book:
“Once in a while I read a book I wish I’d written. This is one such book. ‘Important’ hardly covers it. To understand the madness that has embittered paranoid American religion into a thoroughly delusional and dangerous movement, read this book!” — Frank Schaeffer, author of Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God
“The predominate narrative among many Christians in the United States today is one of persecution. Whenever the government scales back on the amount of privilege that the Christian religion has in our society, many in the faith community immediately begin to project a narrative of persecution. This narrative helps us to feel like we fit in to the Biblical teachings of Jesus, that “we will be hated by the world for his names sake.” But is that what is really happening? Are Christians in the West actually being persecuted? Jason Wiedel cuts through the fog around this issue and reveals the truth behind the persecution complex: we’re not being persecuted, we’re losing privilege. Wiedel’s insights and exploration in to this concept help us to see why the loss of privilege is actually a blessing and how the false narrative of persecution is damaging Christianity and our witness to the world. This book is a difficult read for American Christians, but one that must be read and examined carefully. I believe that hope for a brighter future lie within these pages and I am convinced that everyone who reads this book with a posture of humility will be challenged, refined, and blessed by Wiedel’s message.” —Brandan Robertson, founder of Revangelical