If we want to understand contemporary American culture wars, we must first come to grips with the culture wars of the nineteenth century.

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Contemporary America is fiercely divided between the left and the right on cultural issues, we're increasingly unable to draw biblical distinctions and think about these topics as Scripture does. In this book, Douglas Wilson explains how our nation's failure to remove slavery in a biblical fashion has led us to many of the quagmires we find ourselves in and until we grapple with issues like racism, hate speech, and the biblical position on slavery, we will continue to repeat the same mistakes our ancestors did. This collection of essays lays out the answers from a view unafraid of historic, biblical orthodoxy, as well as addressing some of the controversies surrounding the previous edition of the book.

You can also purchase this as an audiobook here or on audible.*

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What People Are Saying:

"The Reverend Douglas Wilson may not be a professional historian, as his detractors say, but he has a strong grasp of the essentials of the history of slavery and its relation to Christian doctrine. Indeed, sad to say, his grasp is a great deal stronger than that of most professors of American history, whose distortions and trivializations disgrace our college classrooms. And the Reverend Mr. Wilson is a fighter, especially effective in defense of Christianity against those who try to turn Jesus' way of salvation into pseudo-moralistic drivel." -Eugene Genovese, Ph.D. Columbia University, Bancroft Prize author of Roll Jordan Roll: The World the Slaves Made

Wilson makes that old-time religion contemporary not by dumbing it down for the huddled masses, but through his trademark winsome snark. God's people are better for it. His enemies -- not so much." -Steve Deace, nationally syndicated radio host

"More like a lumberjack than a pastor, even when he wears a suit." -The New York Times

"Doug Wilson jumped the shark a long time ago." -Jonathan Merritt

"So just who is this twisted 'Doug Wilson' creature, anyway?" -The Slacktivist

"I much prefer Wilson's sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions. He is willing to maintain very staunchly that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and that his sacrifice redeems our state of sin." -Christopher Hitchens

"When friends ask me where I go for wise cultural analysis, the first name that always comes to mind is Doug Wilson. For years, I've found Doug's commentary on culture, politics, economics, and family to be profoundly insightful and biblically faithful. In Rules for Reformers, Doug has packaged his wise and witty cultural commentary with shrewd and gracious application of the Scriptures. In doing so, he's given those of us who love the gospel a manifest for grace-driven cultural reformation." -Joe Rigney, author of The Things of Earth and Live Like a Narnian and professor at Bethlehem College and Seminary