As promised in The Daily Detour's first post, the time has come to start a new category entitled, "On My Bookshelf," with a review of Hugh Hewitt's little book, In, But Not Of (recently retitled as, A Guide to Christian Ambition). 
Not only was this book partially responsible for the genesis of The Daily Detour, but also for my emerging addiction. 'Tis true, I've become a blogoholic, and there is no turning back. But as I venture deeper into this new information infrastructure, the truth of Hugh Hewitt's premise has never been more telling.
The extreme brevity of the chapters in In, But Not Of make it very difficult to put down. And this very savvy publishing technique works to perfection. You start out intending to just explore the first few chapters, and yet, you find each chapter pulling you headlong into the next. You think to yourself, "Well, chapter 4's only about four pages long. I'll go ahead and read a bit more". And, so the cycle goes until you find yourself finishing all 48 chapters just as Jay Leno is signing off.
Through this publishing effort, Mr. Hewitt's provides experiential advice and real-world application in an effort to help Christians learn how to intentionally influence the surrounding culture. While this book is intended primarily for a younger audience (18-30ish) by helping them strategically navigate a career path of increasing influence, the information presented is beneficial to anyone along the career continuum.
Hewitt's unapologetic promotion of ambition as part of the Christian calling illuminates an unspoken tension within the Church. For he challenges an unstated, yet prevailing, notion in Christian theology--the implicit misnomer that to exert ambition in the secular world is to automatically endorse a corresponding secular priority scheme. Not so, suggests Hewitt. In fact, the entire premise of In, But Not Of is built on the idea that the underlying motivation for pursuing ambition in the culture should always be to exert greater Christian influence throughout the culture.
The impetus for Hewitt's thesis comes from an understanding of not only the biblical imperative of the Great Commission, but more practically, the current worldview struggle in which we find ourselves. As he writes,
We no longer have time for the intramural league. The attack upon the West and Christianity became undeniable on 9/11, even though some are overcome by fear and cannot bring themselves to survey the field. Within the United States, elites of the Left refuse to confront the reality of hatred for the West, even as they keep up their assault on traditional Christianity. If the fundamental dynamics of the struggles of power and influence in the United States are not changed, the Left will be the decisive winner within a generation. If the Left does indeed triumph both culturally and politically, it lacks the will and the ideology to oppose the attack on the West from outside the West. (p. 16)
Hewitt is just one of a number of literary voices sounding this clarion call about the clash of civilizations. Others like Samuel Huntington and Brigitte Gabriel understand the stakes as well, and we would be wise to heed their call.
While I overwhelming resonate with Hewitt's consensus, I would challenge certain aspects of his analysis. For example, in chapter 11 he contends that one should choose either pastoral ministry or public service, but not both. Citing examples of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell (and we might add, the reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson), Hewitt's argument is noteworthy. But his analysis seems unfairly skewed based on a handful of glaring examples of pastors who have unsucessfully attempted secular influence. For where we find the Robertsons and Falwells, we also find the Reverends Martin Luther King, Billy Graham, and Rick Warren. And it is difficult for a pastor to exhort his congregants to pursue cultural influence without making corresponding efforts to lead by example. While the pursuit of ambition must be stewarded with extreme vigilance and discretion, the mis-application by a few prominent Christian pastors should not deter others pastors and Christian leaders from strategically pursuing cultural influence.
Minor differences with Hewitt's perspective do not dampen my wholehearted endorsement of this pivotal literary effort. His message about the need for intentional Christian ambition is timely, and the very practical structure of the book provides any earnest Christian the means to carry it out. Who knows but that you'll be inclined as I was to discover how you can be more intentional about expanding your sphere of influence. There already seems to be a growing response to Hewitt's challenge. Be a part of this necessary revolution. In, But Not Of is a must-read to get you on your way. 