I remember being on a christian mission trip in my youth building a house for a family in another country and feeling odd about it. Sure, you’re left with a sense of fulfilment, but that’s not the point and that felt like the problem. Why did I leave justified when, before we came, the family that had no house was happier than most of us were in our own lives? So, was all our goodness for self-gratification? I guess that’s what mission work is.
As the author refers to the words of Amartya Sen, “If you are a single-minded egoist or a raving altruist or a class conscious militant, you will appear to be maximizing your own utility in this enchanted world of definitions.”
This doesn’t read like a book, but more of a cross between an essay and a TedTalk. The writing is sarcastic and philosophical while looking to be accessible/palatable to readers who may not have first hand knowledge of political-economists and theologians. The writer makes a point to note, “Voting in a two-party system is a strategy decision, rather than a matter of identity.” As a Canadian whose political system runs fairly similar to the American system, this point should resonate with a lot of people. I hope the pointedness of the writing helps drive ideas like these home.
I found ihe writing style a bit patchy, where the writer had a lot of important things to say packed together really tightly, seeming to divert from the original thesis. As the work continues, the writing style is stronger (or I became comfortable with it).

During the 2020 presidential election I voted for the first time. Before that, I never followed politics, and I would have thought that I was more of a Republican. I was somewhat on the side of controlling our borders better--but never really gave it a lot of thought. After having a front-row seat to the craziness that came from Trump while I was in lock down during COVID and watched a lot of television to see what was going on, I explored where our country was and where it could be.

I no longer feel that being a Christian is an automatic reason to vote Republican. In fact, I can't see where the way Trump and others behave is anything like the way Jesus told us to behave. The name calling, revengeful acts and treatment of humans in general is so wrong, I find it hard to believe that all these things are widely accepted.

Many Christians have chosen abortion as the reason they would not vote for Kamala. I can't say I truly understand why people choose that option, but after researching late-term abortions, I discovered that most extreme birth defects--often leading to a baby's inability to live, don't show up until 20 weeks, and that is the main reason women have late-term abortions. How can I say that should not be a choice? Who wants to carry a dead or dying baby to term? AND I really do feel Christians are missing an opportunity to show the love a Jesus and His grace to everyone who goes through such a difficult decision making process. .

Truly, all the judging Christians do is turning people away from the church!

This is a much needed book for this time.