Ann Coulter is nothing if not a lightning rod for controversy. The best-selling conservative author, who is constantly seen making rounds on the cable news circuit, draws constant criticism for her opinions and the way she expresses them.   Conservative Christians find her simultaneously refreshing for her intelligent and witty attacks on the lunacy of liberalism and exasperating for her over-the-top and borderline-crass “humor”. Case in point: I recently had the opportunity to hear her in person and, in my opinion, she gave a smart, scathing critique of the modern liberalism movement in America. She ripped liberal policies and ideologies to shreds, showing them to be both immoral and exceedingly unintelligent. Of course, the day before I heard her at the Reclaiming America for Christ conference, she regrettably called John Edwards, the Democratic presidential candidate, a faggot, drawing ire from leading conservative voices like Michelle Malkin and Albert Mohler.  To use a homosexual slur at a time when the church is finally making real efforts to reach the homosexual community is simply uncalled-for.

 

Fortunately for Ann, her latest book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, showcases far more of her brilliance than ill-conceived humor. I have read a few of Ms. Coulter’s books in the past and, while I have found them to be worthy reads and entertaining, I always thought they lacked a bit of direction and organization. They read almost as if they were scattered thoughts from Ann’s columns critiquing Democrats and liberals (in fact, I am almost positive that that is exactly what they were). Happily, I did not get that impression while reading Godless. Coulter started with a clear premise, stating that liberalism was, in fact, its own religion and did a good job of supporting that thesis throughout the rest of the book. 

 

Coulter starts by examining the liberals’ view of justice, a critical element to any religion. She carefully documents and cites several different cases that show the left’s skewed sense of lawfulness and, one by one, she systematically refutes the liberals’ commonly held beliefs on crime and punishment.   Coulter even devotes a whole chapter to Willie Horton, the violent murderer who was released from prison as a result of a liberal furlough policy in Massachusetts in the late eighties. Of course, upon release, Horton proceeded to rape and murder more victims before being captured again, but Coulter effectively used him as an example of what happens when liberal policy is implemented in the arena of criminal justice. Amazingly, the few Democrats who do attempt to address this section of the book criticize Ann for using examples from the past. I suppose they would rather have her use instances from the future, but I believe that using recent history is often a devastatingly effective way to make a point.  

 

Coulter then discusses the sacrament of the liberal religion which she identified as abortion.   She noted the frantic defense of this barbaric act whenever the subject comes up for debate.   Coulter’s background in law really shone through in this section of the book as she made some excellent points concerning the legal circumstances surrounding Roe v. Wade and the partial birth abortion ban enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2003. For example, I have often heard voices from the left say that “partial birth abortion” is not a medical term, as if the term was made up by a radical right wing propaganda machine. Coulter explained, though, that it was a legal term, not a medical term. 

 

Coulter goes on to attack the hijacking of the school system by the Democratic Party and the messengers used by the left to get their message out.  She also addresses the left’s fascination with evolutionary theory, even though there is virtually no scientific evidence left to defend it.  Now that’s religious fanaticism if you ask me. Amazingly, some liberal bloggers like attacking intelligent design but refuse to hold evolution up to the same test.

 

What to like:   I found the most enlightening part of the book the last few chapters which were devoted to evolution. Every religion needs a story of origin and Ann rightly identifies the liberals’ as Darwin’s theory of evolution. Science debunking the claims of evolution has been around for decades but Coulter does the great service of bringing some of this science to the public’s attention. Some have wondered why this is important, but one’s worldview will inevitably stem from one’s belief in origin.   People who accept the secular, evolutionary worldview that all of life is an accident or a product of random chance will, as a matter of course, view life as cheap and meaningless.  Coulter drives this point home and I believe it is the most meaningful and powerful part of her book.

 

What not to like: Ann spent several chapters on the left’s fascination with bad science yet omits any mention of global warming.   I really feel like she missed a great opportunity to give the public another resounding example of liberals’ fascination with beliefs that have no basis in science. 

 

 As for her language and humor, I actually really didn’t think it was all that bad, but be warned, I also enjoy movies that some within the Christian community would consider crude and offensive.   I think that she should have gone a little easier on some of the 9/11 widows she referred to as “witches”, but I’ve also found their behavior since the terrorist attacks to be deplorable and so it’s hard to muster too much sympathy for them.  What I find odd is that liberal friends of mine complain of her language and crudeness and then enjoy R-rated movies and other such entertainment. That being said, Ann is now boldly proclaiming her Christianity and Christians need to be held to a higher standard than the rest of society.  

 

I was glad that nothing in the book approached being as inappropriate as her comment about John Edwards, but she could have still used a bit more discernment in her language and the jokes she chose to incorporate.

 

Memorable Quote: “In an article in the New York Times on intelligent design, the design proponents quoted in the article keep rattling off serious, scientific arguments – from Behe’s examples in molecular biology to Dembski’s mathematical formulas and statistical models. The Times reporter, who was clearly not trying to make the evolutionists sound retarded, was forced to keep describing the evolutionists’ entire retort to these arguments as: Others disagree. 

 

That’s it. No explanation, no specifics, just ‘others disagree.’ The high priests of evolution have not only forgotten how to do science, they’ve lost the ability to formulate a coherent counterargument. You keep waiting to hear a serious response to arguments by people like Behe, Dembski, and Hoyle, but the evolutionists just scream that evolution is a FACT and if you don’t believe it, you must be a fundamentalist who believes the earth is flat.”

 

Conclusion: Ann Coulter has delivered another smart and intelligent critique on the secular liberals who wish to eliminate God from the public square in the United States. Coulter’s humor in Godless is inappropriate at times and I wish she would tone down her act a little, but most of the time I find her witty and funny approach to politics a welcome change from the usually serious and dry tones used in social and cultural commentary. What I find odd is the liberals’ refusal to even attempt to dispute the points Ms. Coulter makes throughout this book. I think I’ve only heard three real arguments against Godless:

 

1)      Ann Coulter is mean;

 

2)      Ann Coulter is not funny;

 

3)      Ann Coulter is just a caricature of the right and must not really believe what she says.

 

Amazingly that’s basically all I’ve seen or heard for proof that she must be wrong. The left’s refusal to intelligently engage her criticisms of their movement speaks volumes about the devastating blow to liberalism Godless represents. Liberalism has become the official state religion in America and it is only going to be with a lot of hard work that Christians can  undo the harm already caused.