Christianity Without the Tears

A book review of "Live Not By Lies"

I have read many good books in my years — few though they may be — and the book "Live Not By Lies" by

Rod Dreher

has skyrocketed to the forefront. Many of the books I love most dearly are novels, yet occasionally I find a non-fiction work that I truly love. Perhaps it is the narrative structure of this work as we examine different men and women’s lives that struck me. Perhaps the topic of Soviet Russia that I so love, or perhaps it is just a phenomenal work of Christian Dissidence as the title suggests.

The book begins with an exploration of America’s “soft totalitarianism” and juxtaposes it to the “hard totalitarianism” of the Soviet/communist systems in the East. Dreher explores the different forms by which we are "totalized," not so much by the government but rather by Silicon Valley and, of all things, consumer capitalism. He suggests how often we silence ourselves, report on ourselves, and destroy our privacy through means like Siri or Alexa. Bringing these different sources of algorithmic control and command into our own lives. Allowing our every whim, desire, and movement to be tracked, targeted, and commercialized. He speculates that it will not take long before these weapons are used against us. If perhaps we are told to stay at home, yet we take an impromptu drive to a friend's house, we are reported on by our cars. Or for instance, as is now the case, exercise culture is a “right-wing extremist” practice, accordingly tendencies towards exercise are a typifier of extremist behavior. How long will it be before our Amazon cart and website cookies demarcate us as enemies of the state? Or more precisely in America, enemies of Silicon Valley and the tech-oligarchies. Our lives are so intertwined with modern technology that to be an enemy of those oligarchs would ruin our lives entirely.

The realization of just how easily totalitarian styles of governance, via the government or big business, can come about is certainly scary. However, it is not the meat of the book; the meat of this book is not the easy punches of “the Leftists are the real Nazis” or anything like that. Rather the meat of the book is in the lives of the saints that Dreher tells us about. Peeking into how they dealt with the totalitarian state that was already there. Moreover, this book is not so much a warning of totalitarianism to come, but a terrifying dream of weak Christianity that is already here.

Tearful Christianity

This second part of the book could be summed up with the idea of “Christianity cannot exist without tears.” To exist on earth is to suffer, in my beliefs — unorthodox though they may be — Earth is the purgatory before paradise. To be a Christian, in the truest sense of that word, is to find purpose in that suffering. I am never surprised when I encounter a non-believer who is despairing or riddled with anxiety. A reading of the existentialist philosophers accustoms one to that state of perpetual angst. I am a touch more surprised when I find that same depression or anxiety in a Christian. However, as I have spent time reflecting on this problem, I am less surprised by that as well. Regardless, that topic could be its own essay; suffice it to say we are perpetually trying to live a Christianity without tears. I would argue that Aldous Huxley emerges as the superior prophet when compared to Orwell. Huxley's insights, as Dreher highlights, have proven remarkably prescient; we have unwittingly found ourselves in the Brave New World, particularly this passage.

In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears–that's what soma is’

– Brave New World 

Huxley and Dreher observe that culture would drift away from Christianity because it is the easier option to do so. C.S. Lewis explains this: “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” Yet this is exactly what Dreher fears is happening: soft-soap Christianity, more focused on making the congregation feel good about themselves than dealing with themselves. We have maintained the “come as you are” mentality, forgetting the second half: “you cannot stay as you are.” I think this idea is perfectly encapsulated by the “He gets us” Superbowl-Jesus fiasco. An advertisement was aired in which Jesus is depicted as merely nice and understanding. It completely missed the portion of scripture that depicted Jesus as calling people out of their current situation. Matthew WAS a tax collector until Jesus called him out of that, Simon WAS a zealot until he was called out, Mary WAS a prostitute. Jesus saw them as they were and called them out of that state, and he brought them on a journey. A journey that would lead in many different directions full of sorrow and joy.

"Live Not By Lies" puts something into words that I have been wrestling with for a long time: my own attraction to tradition and traditional faith. It puts into perspective a certain value to the orthodox religions that built up tradition in the first place. Perhaps it is because of their view of canonized saints or as a natural outgrowth of their theology, but suffering tends to play a large role in orthodox faiths. I am not aware of any other Christian denomination that highlights suffering quite like the traditional faith, especially not in the modern church age, the age of prosperity gospels and "live your best life now" preaching. Moreover, I don’t even know of many pagan religions that would dare to say that “suffering is sanctifying,” not even the Stoics believed that. Rather, they believed that suffering was unavoidable so it was best not to worry about it, to grin and bear it. Yet traditional faiths would have us believe that suffering can actually imbue us with purpose if we give it to Christ. In his book, Dreher quotes many people, but one of the best quotes is from Solzhenitsyn.

 “Accepting suffering is the beginning of our liberation, suffering can be a source of great strength. It gives us the power to resist. It is a gift from God that invites us to change To start a revolution against the oppression. But for me, the oppressor was no longer the totalitarian communist regime. It’s not even the progressive liberal state. Meeting these hidden heroes started a revolution against the greatest totalitarian ruler of all: myself.”

– Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Rod Dreher is a Roman Catholic, and to use a technical term on the down low, he certainly advocates for traditional faith in his book. Furthermore, while he doesn’t disparage the evangelical faiths (he actually highlights several amazing Baptists in the book), he does level several poignant criticisms. Indeed, some are criticisms I often make myself. The best way I could put it is that we are often Job’s foolish friends rather than Elihu. When a friend is suffering, we often say one of two things: “Surely you must have done something wrong,” or we immediately think to tell them, “We can get rid of this suffering, for surely God doesn’t want it,” never considering that perhaps the hurt, the pain, is, as Paul says, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Or we could take to heart what Job said to God: “Though You (God) slay me, yet shall I serve you.”

Tradition is not holy, nor is it sacred, but it does have value so long as it remains in its place, a prudential matter. As the Teacher writes, wisdom is learning from other people’s mistakes, so only a fool will throw away hundreds of years of understanding on a whim. What I believe tradition can offer is a holistic view of the Christian Faith, one that doesn’t cater to the personal whims and interests of the individual. That is not to say I am rejecting the relationship between ourselves and Christ; merely that we often refuse parts of our relationship because it is inconvenient. We love going on the journey with Christ until it takes us to a hard place; then we decide “well, my relationship with Christ isn’t supposed to be hard,” or “he wouldn’t want this for me, because he gets me.” Perhaps it is exactly because he gets us so well that he knows exactly what we need at all times, trials and all. It is this view that I believe tradition can help us with: the long view of Church History, full of saints (not just the whole body) but amazing men and women who suffered for the faith in ways we don’t often see or think about on a daily basis or even on a Sunday sermon.

I have not been a great sufferer; I’m not a Job, nor Daniel, Jonah, nor have I been a Soviet-era martyr for the Faith. However, I have had my difficulties in life; the last few months, in particular, have been a battle for me and my family. It is often ourselves (As Solzhenitsyn observes) that dominate ourselves, our will or intellect that attempts to totalize our revelation. We refuse to allow the Spirit of God to lead and guide us to all Truth in Christ Jesus. This book has helped me to maintain the belief that Christianity without tears is not Christianity at all. Moreover, everything we go through necessarily has a purpose, for God ordains all.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

– Romans 5: 4-5

It is this that Rod Dreher’s book "Live Not By Lies" has inspired in me and how it has comforted me. Though it may have left the purview of the text of the book discussing Soviet-era totalitarianism, nevertheless, the book is really about the sanctifying effect suffering can bring upon those who direct their gaze towards Christ. Those who give themselves up to suffering as a lover, deciding that I will give my hurt, my pain unto a person greater than I. In so doing, we become more like Christ, bearing our crosses daily. We can find meaning in the pain because the pain makes us more like Christ. Whether our suffering is persecution at the hands of a corrupt State or an illness, strife at work or home, whatever it may be, Christ has overcome. We are never promised an easy time here on Earth; rather, tribulation and persecution. All the same, we are told to have joy, and that if we pursue Christ, our enemies will become our footstools.

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

– John 16: 33 

---

It’s been some time since I have published a new essay on here, part of the reason is because I have been working on some other things. However, the main reason is really this topic is just tough to write out. I have been thinking on this idea for some time, but it was hard for me to put it out on paper until I read this book. It still seems strange for me to write on suffering, it is such a personal thing for so many people. Moreover it is something that I feel I have never truly experienced of so long. Writing on Job or Daniel and how they suffered greatly and we can too felt kind of fraudulent. Yet I always felt like it was true because it was what the Bible and so many people throughout history have said. So I suppose this is also a long thought out letter to myself for days that may come around later in life.

I hope you enjoyed it

— Jonathan R Kutz