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SEATTLE, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- What do Red States have that Blue States
dont? More crime, more poverty and more hypocrites giving Jesus a bad name,
according to John Grevstads "Red State, Blue State: Defending the Liberal
Jesus and Blue State Morality from Red State Religion and Hypocrisy"
(http://www.redstatebluestatethebook.com, ISBN 0595344844, iUniverse, Inc.).
With "Red State, Blue State," Grevstad casts a critical eye on politics,
religion and culture as they exist in America today and spotlights the chasm
that divides Red States - those won by George W. Bush in 2004 - and Blue
States, where saner heads prevailed.
The authors point: This isnt what Jesus envisioned for his people. Using
the Bible itself to back up his theories, Grevstad shows Jesus as a social
liberal whose message has been blasphemed by Red State evangelism - and who
never spoke about many hot-button issues of the religious right.
"People acknowledge that Jesus had liberal social leanings. However, there
is no dialogue about where it all went wrong," Grevstad explained. "How did
the message of a progressive messiah evolve into a conservative religion?"
Part of the answer, says Grevstad in "Red State, Blue State," points
directly at Paul of Tarsus. The author cites significant evidence to suggest
that Paul - the primary author of the non-Gospel parts of the New Testament -
was the first evangelical, the philosophical ancestor of good ol Red State
boys like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay,
Bill Frist and the Commander-in-Chief himself.
"Paul never met Jesus. Paul neither quoted Jesus nor did he ever read the
Gospels," said Grevstad. "It would be difficult for anyone to accurately
spread a message that they never heard nor read. Without question, Pauls
conservative and judgmental Epistles contradict the liberating principles
communicated by Jesus in the Gospels. This book proves it."
"Red State, Blue State" also confronts evangelical Christian attitudes
about abortion, same-sex marriage and homosexuality, revenge, judgment and
monetary issues, showing that conservative moral values have nothing to do
with Christs teachings.
When it comes to the modern-day religious right, their narrow religious
beliefs are not helping anyone. Through a game of "Red State, Blue State" at
the end of each chapter, Grevstad uses government statistics to show that the
"Christian" Red States lead the nation in poverty, violence, capital
punishment, incarceration and infant mortality, while coming up dead last in
areas like literacy, health care, prenatal care, college graduation and
average IQ.
Because "Red State, Blue State" pulls no punches and delivers its message
with a healthy dose of wit and even contempt, it has the potential to inspire
religious dialogue - in both the Blue and Red States of America.
About the Author
John Grevstad earned a BA in English from Washington State University and
an MA in Sociology from Pacific Lutheran University. He is a high school
English teacher in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact:
John Grevstad
206-853-1358
johngrevstad@comcast.net
http://www.redstatebluestatethebook.com
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visit http://www.ereleases.com.
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