Catholic Monday: Return to Order

Today at Stuart's Study, I am reviewing a book that I was hesitant to review at first. Return to Order by John Horvat II is an attempted case study on the American economy. I will admit that I did not read this book cover to cover. I started out with that very intention, but after getting through several full chapters, I had to start skimming it or I would never be able to write a review on it. Therefore, keep that in mind when reading this review.

Broken into two parts, the author first presents a history of the United States and it's economy. It does however make assumptions that the U.S. and Founding Fathers were all Christian. In reality, many were Deist at best, which assume that God is merely a celestial watchmaker. Don't get me wrong, not all the Founding Fathers were this way, but it bears to remember that these Founding Fathers were politicians and businessmen with their own interest in mind, i.e., Benjamin Franklin.  Another assumption made about the U.S. by many is that we are somehow God's new chosen people and nation.

Building on these assumptions, the author then attempts to provide ways to return to our former glory and prosperity. We are likened to the Prodigal Son, and if we return to the Father, we will be blessed and restored to our proper place in the world. While, I agree that the U.S. is becoming more secular by the minute, I believe it is a global condition and not just localized to where we are. Does this make it right or mean that it doesn't need changing? Of course not! I just feel this book preaches panic and destruction.

Would I recommend this book? It most certainly wasn't my cup of tea. Is the book completely without merit? Not at all. There are truths in this book, but there is also a lot of presumption and misinformation as well. Looking at other reviews of this book, a lot of people love it. Not me though, and the best I can give this book is 2 out of 5 stars.