Tag Archives: hugh hewitt

In Defense of Religious Freedom

In several articles on this site, the premise has been repeated that true religious freedom is not the suppression of differing ideas, but the encouragement of them.  Sometimes this is a cautionary tale to Christians who feel that other religions should not have the same freedoms as Christians.  More often, however, it is a rebuttal to those who would silence or restrict Christians in order to avoid offense or exposure to a differing moral stance.

Hugh Hewitt has a similar explanation on his site, in his criticisms of those who criticized CBS for allowing Tim Tebow and his mother to air a “Celebrate Life” ad during the SuperBowl:

Most people of faith are strong proponents of religious liberty because they are very acquainted with the stories of religious persecution in almost every other part of the globe.  The answer to religious intolerance Read more

Book Review: In, But Not Of

Hugh Hewitt
Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 2003.
Topic: Ambition

Even though “In” is only 25% of the title, it makes up more than 90% of the book. There are only one or two of 48 chapters dedicated to a Christian topic, and the implied motivation of those chapters is still questionable. (For example, there is a chapter on making sure you attend a church, but the implied purpose is to have a “guardrail” to your conscience—something to keep you honest while you’re working in the world.) All other chapters are simply about how to succeed, with a sentence or caveat at the end of the chapter about how a Christian shouldn’t have pride (which is apparently the only vice “of the world” the author is concerned with).

The book primarily focuses on living in the right place, going to big name schools, understanding a professional sport, and looking good to your boss. In civilian terms, Mr. Hewitt states that politicking is a legitimate means of endearing yourself to the appropriate people for their favor: “People rise in the world because they attract the attention and approval of powerful people” (p50). He accurately asserts that “authority requires credentials,” and lists Paul’s resume’ in Philippians 3:5-6 as a Biblical example, which takes it somewhat out of context, particularly since Paul’s credentials were all prior to his conversion. Mr. Hewitt asserts that one cannot be both a pastor and influential in the world (Chapter 11) because “a preacher has next to zero credibility on any issue of politics or public policy…” (p62).

Mr. Hewitt’s brand of “in but not of” suggests a paradigm of cloaking Christianity in order to succeed; he seems to think that using a Christian phrase might torpedo someone’s perceptions of you and thus your potential to advance professionally.

Not recommended. The book is predominantly about how to advance yourself, not dealing with Christian ambition.

This book is available from Christian Book Distributors and Amazon. (This site is an Amazon Associate and may earn from qualifying purchases made through Amazon referrals.)

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