Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive: And the Truth That Sets Us Free

Walton, a regional director of the InterVarsity USA campus ministry, critiques a dozen entrenched myths about the U.S., among them “all men are created equal” and “America is the land of the free.” Setting up a comparison between mainstream American Christianity (what he terms the “white American folk religion”) and the core teachings of Jesus, Walton believes the seminal lie is that America is a Christian nation. The Constitution, for Walton, has long since replaced the Bible for Americans as an ethical guide, and mainstream Christianity puts individual prosperity and “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” above the example set by Jesus of loving one’s neighbor. He goes on to attack the “lie” that America is a nation of immigrants, recalling the enslaved people in his own ancestry as an example of how the U.S. has been built upon the work of people who did not immigrate to the country freely. Walton writes that America is less melting pot and more filter, pointing to political nepotism, gerrymandering, and the elevation of greed as attributes that allow the rich to continue getting richer at the expense of the less fortunate. Although much of his message is grim, Walton ends with a call to “leave our nets and follow Jesus” and believes the only way forward is a rededication to the Christian faith. Walton’s theocratic treatise will encourage like-minded Christian readers to reconsider assumed truths about America. (Jan.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the author's job title. It also incorrectly stated that he'd written a previous book.