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Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
Sometimes you pick up a book and it grabs you by the scruff of the neck, shakes you around a bit, and makes you exclaim, “Everyone needs to read this.” When Liberty Enslaves: The Toxic Blend of Faith and Politics by Jerry Aveta was just such a book, for me. The author effectively compares the social conditions, political situation, religious involvement, and general environment of the United States before the Civil War with our current political environment. What drove the secessionists in 1860 was the economic need for slavery for the South to maintain its power and wealth, despite the moral arguments regarding the right of all to be free and equal. The author points out that although equality was the goal, people of faith were found on both sides of the argument justifying their positions as secessionists or abolitionists. Moving forward to 2021 and the attempt by an insurrection to usurp the change of power following the 2020 election, the author points out that, as in 1860, it was a perceived removal of liberties and freedoms that drove the division between the conservatives and the liberals. This time the freedom and rights being threatened were a “woman’s right to choose” and the right to bear and carry arms, including lethal military-style weapons. Again, people of faith were right at the center of this argument, many blindly allying themselves with a political discourse that bears little relation to their doctrinal beliefs.
When Liberty Enslaves gets right to the heart of the political and social polarization that has been the hallmark of twenty-first-century politics. Jerry Aveta accurately portrays the capture of the Christian faith and more specifically those designated as Evangelical Christians by the extreme conservative movement. He rightly points out that Christian Nationalism is a proxy for white supremacy and white nationalism. The failure of successive generations to come to terms with the horror of enslaving human beings and to create an environment where African Americans had the same opportunities; educationally, health-wise, employment-wise, and socially is a large part of the reason for the continuing racial tension that is endemic in the United States. The argument that institutionalized racism does not exist in the United States is aptly destroyed by the author’s careful analysis of what has occurred with the black population since emancipation. The author’s constant footnotes prove and justify his sources, which were not “fake news.” Running through this entire narrative is the conviction that people of faith must stop blindly following the dictates and philosophies of their spiritual leaders and begin to consider the realities of the current situation. This is one of the most straightforward, timely, and important books of our time.
