Review: Imagine a God-Blessed America

reviewed by    T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                             Vol. XX, No. 7, September 2007

The author of Imagine, Richard Land, is president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. In this capacity he has become well-known as a strong voice for ethical issues in our culture and facing our government. He hosts two national radio programs, For Faith and Family and Richard Land Live. In 2005 he was voted one of “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” by Time magazine.

Imagine a God-Blessed America is comprised of eleven chapters. The first introduces the theme of what America could be if Christians dreamed deeply, persistently, and determinedly and then put feet to their dreams of what a God-blessed America could and should be.

Chapter two addresses what it would take for such a wonderful change to take place. Land writes, “... it starts with individuals like you, accepting God’s promise that there can be a different future.”

Each of the following eight chapters challenges us to imagine a vital change in our country: a nation that affirms the unique value of every human life; an American culture in which sexuality is honored, not degraded; an America in which stable and happy marriages are the norm; if we made sure that in America children are not victimized by adults; if a significant portion of our population comprised Christians who are radical change agents; a society influenced by churches that reflect Christ, not culture; an America that is liberated from the cult of self; and a nation shaped by commitment to the common good.

And the final chapter presents a healing vision for America.

While these dreams may seem somewhat ordinary for Christians, Land is not claiming to present new goals, but rather a call for commitment, commitment to humbling ourselves, to prayer, to seeking the will of God from the depths of our hearts and with unflagging faith and zeal.

Imagine is clearly, straightforwardly written, not an endless tome (only 191 pages), and very important food for thought. Read it and then imagine!

[Richard Land, Imagine! A God-Blessed America, Broadman & Holman, 2005.]