Live Not By Lies: a manual for Christian dissidents

A book which explores how Christians have functioned under totalitarianism systems

UPDATE (06/04/22): You can see the latest interview with Rod Dreher by clicking here. (You may need to give it a short time to load.)


Live Not By LiesLi is the title of the last letter Alexandr Solzhenitsyn wrote to his Russian countrymen before going into exile in the USA.   It is now the title of a book written by American journalist Rod Dreher. The 'prompt' to the writer were reports from elderly residents in America who, having fled from communist regimes during the cold war years.

Dreher amplifies the alarm sounded by the brave men and women who fought totalitarianism. He explains how the totalitarianism facing us today is based less on overt violence and more on psychological manipulation. He tells the stories of modern-day dissidents--clergy, laity, martyrs, and confessors from the Soviet Union and the captive nations of Europe--who offer practical advice for how to identify and resist totalitarianism in our time.

Solzhenitsyn famously said that one of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming totalitarianism can't happen in their country. Dreher believes that many American Christians are making that mistake today, sleepwalking through the erosion of our freedoms. America is not the only country where Christians are asleep.  Live Not By Lies is indeed a Wake UP call to them and an effort to equip them for the long resistance.

This article has been produced as an encouragement to all Christians to recognise that what is now happening in what were functioning democracies is moving populations around the world into scenarios which in 2019 would have been totally inconceivable and absolutely intolerable.

It also provides an opportunity to present views and be aware of the views of others.
 

Note: Up until Nov. 2024 the book was only available in hard-back form. However it now available in paperback and Kindle form.
Since Live Not by Lies was originally published in 2020 with a warning for America, many have seen in Europe and other Western nations an acceleration of 'soft totalitarianism' in our societies. Whether it is the effects of cancel culture online because of progressive voices marginalising conservative opinions, or the unprecedented restrictions of civil liberties in response to Covid-19, people feel coerced to go along with the approved narrative on whatever topic, even if, secretly, we may believe the truth is somewhat different.
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