Raised Right review

Raised Right, How I Untangled my Faith from Politics by Alisa Harris

This memoir by a women around my age really hits the spot! I love the title and the book lived up to the tag line. Two disclaimers-I get books for free by blogging about them from Blogging For Books, Multnomah Publishing and two, I grew up in a home that is rather moderate. This Harris grew up in a homeschooling, protesting, Republican-only-voting home, so I don't relate to that aspect, but I do see the issue of so many in America tangling their faith with politics, and how this is a huge issue for the Kingdom of God. Fortunately the 'third way' is being addressed by thinkers such as Tim Keller, even CS Lewis in his day saw the danger of seeing your politics as the outward sign of your faith, which makes others wrong.

I am giving this four stars because sometimes the writing is jumbled, I was unsure if she was speaking of past teachings or present thoughts and some things are not fully introduced. But her history is fascinating and her thoughts engaging. I highly recommend this to anyone: conservative, moderate or progressive to help understand our generation of believers and how we see the world of politics, justice and life.

Two of my favorite passages:

“Luke 4:18: The Spirit of the Lord is one me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed. When I heard freedom, I thought deregulation of onerous government rules, when I heard blind, I thought blind to the virtue of limited government; when I heard oppressed I thought of children who were not allowed to pray in school and successful rich people whose money was seized by the government.” I know people who in my mind are thinking this way and she puts in it black and white, thankfully she has come to the light that the gospel is so much more!

“I have never been able to shake the Calvinist belief in the depravity of man...And I can't believe, as so many conservatives seem to, that a person's depravity disappears as soon as he begins running a business-that suddenly his pursuit of money will become altruistic as he lives out the virtues of unfettered capitalism, that in seeking success for himself, he will always lift others along with him as a rising tide lifts all boats. Fiscal conservatives may lovingly quote...Adam Smith who said a business owner is “led by an invisible hand” that guides him into improving society as he seeks his own best interests. When I read “invisible hand” I see more often than not a hand that strangles the weak an defenseless, robbing them to give to the rich.”