Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Culture Warrior
Book Review: A Stirring Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Culture Warrior is full of information about our culture and what is changing--stirring thoughts of how and why a society grows or diminishes--and making the reader see just where America stands. I think it's best read carefully and slowly--you don't want to miss anything.Book Review: A fun book but with weaknesses
Summary: 3 Stars
I received Bill O'Reilly's latest book, CULTURE WARRIOR, as a gift for Christmas (can I use that word without offending someone?). Knowing from his TV show O'Reilly's overbearing style, I approached the book with a degree of trepidation. After all, O'Reilly has no shortage of ego, and modesty is not one of his major virtues. And, if you are familiar with O'Reilly's personality on TV or the radio, you can hear him clearly through his writing style. As I mentioned, although that personality in large doses can be overbearing, in the book it seems more playful and entertaining.
Nevertheless, let the reader beware, O'Reilly is not averse to self-promotion, neither is he afraid of bragging - by the way, did you know he is six feet four inches tall? If not, he will remind you of that fact many times throughout the book. That said, however, I have to say that the book is entertaining and it has its insights.
O'Reilly's main premise is that there is a culture war going on, not as is often suggested, between conservatives and liberals or Democrats and Republicans (although the conflict can be framed in those terms). The culture war O'Reilly is describing is between "Traditionalist", such as himself and his fans, and "Secular Progressives" (abbreviated `SP'). Traditionalists are those who take seriously our country, its founding documents, its objective history, and its religious heritage. On the other hand, the SP agenda is to re-interpret history, the nation's founders, its founding documents, and so on, in order to push a more secular agenda - one that is washed free of what SP advocates regard as repressive religious contamination. For many in the SP camp, God is really a repressed guy (sexually and otherwise) to be avoided at all costs.
O'Reilly then spends the rest of the book fleshing out what those terms mean, who fits the SP label, and describing confrontations he has had with persons who are SP types. He gives entertaining anecdotal evidence not only for the validity of the terms, but also for the validity of applying those terms in hopes of better understanding some of the other controversies on the cultural horizon such as:
- abortion,
- gay marriage,
- the war on Terror,
- hyper sensitivity of the media towards other religions like Islam, but unfettered insult towards Christianity,
- the battle over Christmas,
- hatred of America by many in the SP camp, and so on.
Although at times somewhat simplistic, O'Reilly's analysis is at the same time helpful.
Another plus in the book is background he gives to the ACLU - its history and the cases it has chosen to advocate for and those it has fought against. This is NOT a group to be taken lightly.
The most decided weakness of the book is O'Reilly's failure to provide an analysis of the philosophical underpinnings of the SP movement. Yes, he does quote references from the writings of SP guru, George Lakoff, but these are more along the lines of strategy, not philosophy. By "philosophical underpinnings" I mean the writings of Marx, Freud, Darwin, and so on. I realize that if O'Reilly went into a lengthy discussion of these authors, he would lose a large portion of his audience, so I'm not sure what the solution for this is. Nevertheless, although it is good to hack away at the branches of evil, untruth, and deception, it is even more necessary to cut them off at the root.
It is also important for traditionalists to know the intellectual foundations of their own beliefs and values. That fact itself reveals another weakness in O'Reilly's book. For example, he expresses frustration with the priest in his own Roman Catholic parish who "for the 876th time" explains St. Paul's letters to the Corinthians. O'Reilly's point is, of course, that what St. Paul had to say to the Corinthians is boring or not terribly relevant to the issues of our day. O'Reilly goes on to concede that, "Once in a while, a priest will discuss a social issue from the pulpit, but that is rare" (p.177).
The point is: O'Reilly would seem to prefer a lot less Bible and theology than talks about issues that are near and dear to his heart. And that, dear reader, is the problem. What if the priest were constantly to speak from a SP point of view? Would O'Reilly like that?
I am not a Roman Catholic and I have no idea whether the priest to whom O'Reilly refers is a good priest or an effective speaker. Frankly, I don't care. The point is that whatever the field of endeavor, whether religion, government, politics, science, or whatever, that enterprise must work from the accepted foundations of that field or it will crumble; it will fail. Christianity must work from the basic principles laid out in the Bible (including the letters of St. Paul) or it becomes an institution that is blown about by whatever happens to be the winds of cultural whim, as is the case with so many protestant denominations today, including my own. Government (USA democracy) must adhere to its founding documents and thereby be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people or it too will go astray and become a servant of the few - e.g., the rich, the intelligentsia, and/or the judicial activists.
O'Reilly argues that he is a pragmatist and wants only "what is best for the country" (p.180). However, unless one has an almost divine lofty perspective as to be able to see all possibilities, one would be well advised to build on tried and true principles. For the Christian that means building on divine revelation via the Bible - including hearing what St. Paul had to say to the Corinthians for the 876th time. By the way, Bill, although St. Paul would probably fit the definition of a culture warrior, he was not a Roman warrior or a pagan before conversion. He was Jewish.
In summary, I give the book three to three and a half stars. In spite of its shortcomings, it is provocative and fun to read. Look how it got the juices flowing in me! I am glad to have received it for Christmas (whoops, there's that word, again). Thanks Dave!
Book Review: A good read, maybe a little too much
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a big fan of Bill O'Reilly and the book is much like I expected. You will either like it or hate it, although I was somewhat mixed. I find that I agree with him in many respects, but certainly not all....
I would like people that are not fans of his to try this book, it is always good to get a different perspective on life.
Book Review: A good, fast, yet savory read!
Summary: 5 Stars
"No Spin" here; Bill presents the hard facts, and backs them up! I only have a couple of chapters left, and I don't want the book to end. The frightning fact is, however, if there is no end to this socialist movement, we, as a free nation, WILL end. This point haunts you through the read; yet, makes you love the fact that someone of note is echoeing what you've been thinking and saying all along. A must-read for pull-yourself-up-by-your-boot-straps, salt-of-the-earth, hard-working, take-care-of-your-ownself Americans! Bravo, Mr. O'Reily!
Cheers,
Beverly Swanson
Book Review: A review
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is based on the sad truth of the state of our country. Doesn't have the humor that Bernie Goldberg has, but it's a great book nonetheless.