Amazon.com (ISBN 0849916720, Hardcover)

Readers who are aligned with the Christian far right will find kindred spirits in authors Tim LaHaye (coauthor of the "Left Behind" series) and David Noebel (Understanding the Times). The duo has assembled a fear-producing manifesto attacking just about every known minority group and liberal social cause. In the opening chapter, (ominously titled "It Could Happen..."), the authors offer an exaggerated vision of what the world could look like in 10 years if we still forbid Christianity to be taught in U.S. public schools, or if Americans continue to offer gays and lesbians equal rights, or dozens of other similar horrors.

What is the root of this evil future scenario? "Secular Humanism," according to the authors. "Unfortunately, the mainline churches ... have eaten, swallowed and disgusted tons of humanistic dogma: evolution, socialism, Marxism, higher criticism of the Bible, moral relativism, amoral sex education, nontraditional families, liberation theology, process theology, gay theology, feminist theology, black theology, world government, and global citizenship to name a few." Some readers will be thrilled by this call to trek what the authors feel is the moral high ground, especially those who base their religious values upon intolerance of racial equity, homosexual love, and women's right to choose (even if that choice makes her a single parent in a "nontraditional family"). Others will most likely find this a disturbing and offensive contribution to the American landscape. --Gail Hudson