There is an old adage that says, "Leaders are readers". Another one says, "You are what you read". Whatever the adage, there is no question that reading is an absolute necessity if freedom and liberty are to be maintained. It is very difficult to enslave a mind that has been quickened by the extensive reading of good books. Most great men are voracious readers.
While I certainly do not consider myself to be the quintessential reader, I have enjoyed a hunger and thirst for books, both sacred and secular. And since people often ask me what books I have read or am reading, I will use today’s column to provide a short list (in no particular order) of some of the books that I have either recently read (over the last year or so) or am in the process of reading.
My friend, Richard Viguerie, recently wrote an excellent book entitled Conservatives Betrayed. The subtitle explains the book’s contents. It reads, "How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause." It is an excellent read. Every conservative Christian, especially, should read it.
John Stormer wrote an excellent essay regarding our runaway judiciary currently plaguing these United States. His book is entitled Betrayed by the Bench. The subtitle reads, "How Judge-made Law Has Transformed America’s Constitution, Courts and Culture."
Attorney Edwin Vieira, Jr. recently published a tremendous book explaining the meaning and purpose of "The Militia of the several States." It is entitled Constitutional Homeland Security Volume 1: The Nation in Arms. And if you have a spare year or two to study and digest an exhaustive and capacious two-volume set of books regarding the Federal Reserve and related issues, get Vieira’s recent release, Pieces of Eight. The book’s subtitle is "The Monetary Powers And Disabilities Of The United States Constitution." (No, I have neither read nor digested all of it, yet — but I’m working on it.)
Congressman Ron Paul has a compilation of terrific essays regarding a constitutional and commonsense foreign policy. It is called A Foreign Policy of Freedom. This should be required reading for every politician in Washington, D.C., for sure.
Dr. Jerome Corsi has written the consummate manual exposing the agenda of elitists to merge the United States into a North American Union in his blockbuster book, The Late Great U.S.A. If you don’t have this book, buy it!
David McCullough’s biography of our second President, John Adams, is also well worth reading. As most of you know, this book is the foundation for the current mini-series being broadcast on H.B.O. I haven’t seen any of these segments as yet, but I have been told the television re-creations are very true to the book.
Another book I have recently reacquainted myself with is Lindsey Williams' book, The Energy Non-Crisis. This book exposes the fact that there is more than ample oil underneath U.S. soil to meet our energy demands for hundreds of years, and how the powers that be are withholding this information (not to mention the oil) from the American people. Buy the book!
R.J. Rummel authored a book that is sobering in both its truth and its relevance. It is entitled Death By Government, and traces the historical reality of how the vast majority of mass murders have been — and continue to be — committed by governments, not individuals. His facts are irrefutable. Thank God our Founding Fathers placed the right to keep and bear arms in our Constitution. It, more than any other constitutional protection, has kept America free all these years. Get the book.
Another book I recommend is called China Inc. The author is Ted Fishman. He shows the serious danger posed to our country by the unholy marriage that has taken place between international corporations and Red China. It is a well written and well researched book.
Last year, a friend gave me a copy of Ezra Taft Benson’s superb book, God, Family, Country. It is a great read.
Being somewhat of a Civil War buff, I always enjoy good books about the War for Southern Independence, especially those books that are not afraid to print the truth about the Southern cause. I recently purchased another book to add to my Civil War library entitled The War Between the States, by John Dwyer. Authors contributing to this book are George Grant, J. Steven Wilkins, Douglas Wilson, and Tom Spencer. It is very good.
And for inspiration, read anything written by Jeanne Guyon. A Christian lady in France who was persecuted and imprisoned by French authorities for her courageous and controversial walk with Christ, Madame Guyon’s words will penetrate one’s heart and lift one’s soul to a closer walk with Christ as few others can do. I recently re-read her book, Union With God, which includes twenty-two of her poems. Her poems are absolutely phenomenal! I suppose her great suffering made her such an accomplished writer and poet. Suffering has a way of doing that.
And her book, Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, is one of her all-time best! This book was actually burned in France, but even Watchman Nee, John Wesley, and Hudson Taylor enthusiastically promoted this book.
Will Durant, in his 11-volume Story Of Civilization recounts Jeanne Guyon’s impact on history. Feast your soul on Madame Guyon.
Of course, every American citizen needs to constantly read
I also recommend that everyone familiarize themselves with Frederic Bastiat’s short but brilliant treatise entitled The Law.
And if you don’t read any other book this year (other than the Bible), be sure to read Hitler’s Cross by Erwin Lutzer.
And if I may be slightly self-serving, my compilation of the great documents of American history is something every American should also have in their possession. That is what people such as Judge Roy Moore and Howard Phillips say, anyway. For information about my "Freedom Documents", go here.
These are a few of the books — some older, some newer — that I have recently found helpful.
And, speaking of reading, thank you for reading my columns!
Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He hosts a weekly radio show. His website is here.
