• happybadger [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    "if god is not real sir", i said smartly, "then i have moral permission to both kill you and fuck an animals sir". the woke professor was shocked!

    edit: fuck, the reviews- https://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Logic-Philosopher-Theological-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CBXZR1MS

    Cruel Logic is not for the faint of heart or those with a thin stomach lining. This is a horror/thriller novel. It is graphic in terms of violence, murder, sexual licensiousness, and profanity. HOWEVER, this content is precisely what enables this novel to expose the folly of unbelief; showing the reader a glimpse of the futility of life without the Triune God of Scripture.

    For one who is watching what is going on around us today--Critical Race Theory, pervasive LGBTQ+ ideology and other sexual pervions, neo-Marxism's "long march" through the University, etc.--the graphic and explicit content is precisely what we see around us. For those who want to believe that progressive sexual ideology and BLM activism are just nice, "peaceful," wholesome expressions of human sexuality or pursuits of justice, these very features of Brian Godawa's Cruel Logic will be a needed wake-up call to the very real challange before us today. Several of the characters in Cruel Logic swear and commit heinus sexual deviations because that is par for the course in Antifa circles andsexual-revolution-praising progressive culture making headlines. A novel where protesters shout "O fiddlesticks" or where free-sex activists practice side-hugs during university "sex week" would not be painting a true picture of what is happening on campuses throughout the USA!

    I begin this review this way because some one-star reviewers have critiqued this as somehow not really a Christian novel due to these graphic features. They have described it as "pornographic." Some even say it mocks Christianity and Christian belief. The type of reader who prefers to read Amish Christian romance novels or "white hat vs. black hat" style good and evil novels where the "white hat" cowboys always come away the winner will probably feel this way about Cruel Logic. But I pray that faithful Christian readers will have more discernment than these reviewers.

    The real people who should be critiquing Cruel Logic are those liberals, secularists, and neo-pagans whose wordviews are exposed via the dialogues and lecture snippets of this novel. If you are pro-LGBT+, you will be infuriated to see the instability of that worldview exposed and critiqued in Cruel Logic. If you are pro-Abortion-up-to-the-point-of-birth, you will be infuriated to see that worldview exposed and critiqued. If you are pro-CRT, you will be infuriated to see that worldview exposed and critiqued.

    Who should find Cruel Logic fascinating and thrilling? Several kinds of people should. Those who want more than just the rage-inducing soundbytes from the conservative media sources (even if they agree with those sources)--who actually want help defending the truth of Christianity against the progressive insanity that is everywhere today. Those who want to learn about the philosophical presuppositions of progressivism. Those who feel that they learn best from hearing stories. (It's no accident that God has chosen to reveal his truth in a Scriptural form that is highly narratival!)

    Contrary to some of the claims of the one-star reviewers, this book is HIGHLY VALUABLE as a resource for learning the centrality of the self-attesting Christ of Scripture for making sense of life and giving an account for the reliability. Yes it exposes the weaknesses of pietistic Christianity which lacks depth of doctrine, lack of catechesis, and anemic exegesis and exposition. But that does not make it a book that is contrary to Christianity, Christ's church, or the infallible/inerrant Word of God. It was not an evangelistic tract, though detective Van Til does actually share the main elements of the gospel with the main character, Joseph.

    This novel isn't the only way to expose the godlessness of the secuar and neo-pagan west, but it is one effective way. If you're wanting to read a clever story with plot twists, cliffhangers, and a compelling setting and plot arc, Cruel Logic is worth your time. But don't just plan to breeze through a story, plan to learn from these characters. You will be entertained, yes, but you will also be better equipped to contend for the Christian faith in a godless age.