Make America Good Again E-Book

Joe Battaglia

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 90

Beschreibung

America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. Everyone is upset about something—from fake news to political correctness and everything in between. In Make America Good Again, Joe Battaglia offers alternative perspectives on today's hot-button issues, such as gun legislation, immigration policy, and climate change initiatives, and frames them within biblical principles. Learn to cut through toxic political rhetoric, return to faith-based morality, and lead the charge in restoring our nation's true greatness.  

Leseprobe

Joe Battaglia articulates what is needed to make sense of our cultural divide in order to unify us as a nation. Make America Good Again identifies the intentional social reengineering and unintentional ignorance that have brought us to the place of fear, anger, and hopelessness today. Understanding the past allows us to enter intellectually honest dialogue to discover solutions and change our future. This small but great book is one I can easily endorse for its journalistic excellence and compassionate appeal to help us break free from deception and live united in life-giving truth, according to God’s design, plan, and purpose.

PAMELA CHRISTIAN, DD; ORDAINEDINTERNATIONALMINISTER; AWARD-WINNINGAUTHOR; KEYNOTESPEAKER; MEDIAHOST, HOLY SPIRIT BROADCAST NETWORK

In this riveting new book, Joe Battaglia’s clarifying, Christ-centered wisdom and common sense deliver a message America desperately needs: we’ll truly become great again when we stop screaming at each other long enough to find common ground. Boy, do we ever need this important message on healing our national discourse!

MIKE GALLAGHER, SALEM RADIO NETWORK, NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Joe Battaglia marshals his considerable life experience as a journalist/broadcaster, author, and para-church expert in Make America Good Again to offer insight and bridge the great chasm that has opened up in American life—one that divides us not only in politics but also in the church and among families. Want to learn how to talk about gun control, climate change, and poverty in a manner befitting a self-proclaimed follower of Christ? Then buy this book! In fact, get two copies: one for yourself and one for anyone with whom you feel a sundered relationship because of all things political.

HUGH HEWITT, NEW YORK TIMESBEST-SELLINGAUTHOR; WASHINGTON POSTCOLUMNIST; SALEM RADIO NETWORKHOST

The ever-ingenious Joseph Battaglia once again gets us to pause, reflect, and think deeper about our current cultural mess and the chaos that has plagued too many of our hearts, minds, parties, institutions, and souls. This must-read book offers a convicting exploration of all we are called to: humility, truth, mercy, and love. You’ll be better off for reading Battaglia’s latest work.

BILLY HALLOWELL, DIRECTOROFCOMMUNICATIONSANDCONTENT, PUREFLIX.COM; AUTHOR, THE ARMAGEDDON CODE, FAULT LINE, ANDLEFT STANDING

My friend, Joe Battaglia, reminds us of Alexis de Tocqueville’s big idea: goodness must be at the heart of America. Make America Good Again is timely, welcome, and important. The freedom we have enjoyed in America these last two and a half centuries can only continue if we understand this idea, pass it on, and live it out.

ERIC METAXAS, NEW YORK TIMESBEST-SELLINGAUTHOR; HOSTOFTHENATIONALLYSYNDICATEDERIC METAXAS RADIO SHOW

In a thoroughly thoughtful, provocative, and urgent sense, Joe Battaglia takes on some of today’s sacred cows but does so in a winsome way. Whether you agree with him or not, you will be a better person because he has forced you to evaluate the issues of today.

KEVIN MCCULLOUGH, FOX NEWSCOMMENTATOR; HOSTOFTHENATIONALLYSYNDICATEDTHE KEVIN MCCULLOUGH SHOW

If there was ever a book for this precarious and uncertain time, it is Make America Good Again! Joe Battaglia applies his unique combination of wisdom, wit, and insight to address some of the greatest challenges of our time.

JEANNE ZAINO, PH.D.; PROFESSOROFPOLITICALSCIENCEANDINTERNATIONALSTUDIES, IONA COLLEGE; SENIORADVISOR, APPLIEDTECHONOMICS, PUBLIC SECTOR

BroadStreet Publishing Group®, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

www.broadstreetpublishing.com

MAKE AMERICA GOOD AGAIN:12.5 Biblical Principles to Unite Our Nation, Restore True Greatness, and Reshape Our Political Rhetoric

Copyright © 2020 Joe Battaglia

978-1-4245-6170-4 (paperback)

978-1-4245-6171-1 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Cover and interior by Garborg Design at GarborgDesign.com

Printed in The United States of America20 21 22 23 24 5 4 3 2 1

To my daughter, Alanna,who always inspires metoward goodness and continuallychallenges me to that end!

Further, I pray that our nation’s childrenwill see civility and good heartednessreturn to our land.

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Section 1: Foundations and Party Platforms

Chapter 1Differences Make Us Stronger

Chapter 2There’s No Us vs. Them. It’s Just Us.

Chapter 3Find Common Ground Despite Our Differences

Chapter 4Tolerance

Section 2: The Issues

Chapter 5Immigration

Chapter 6Poverty

Chapter 7Green Thinking

Chapter 8Gun Control

Chapter 9Fake News

Chapter 10The Culture War

Section 3: Rising Above

Chapter 11Forgiveness: An Answer to the Culture War

Chapter 12Reaffirming Our Roots

Chapter 12.5The Secret Sauce That Makes It All Work

About the Author

FOREWORD

Goodness is all about how we resist in bowing to the god of self-aggrandizement to pursue true humility, speak truth, show mercy, love the unlovable, and even embrace opposition. To be just as comfortable with the immigrant, the oppressed, the voiceless, and the powerless as with those from Silicon Valley and Wall Street. To identify with the dreams and aspirations of those living in either red or blue states.

But how do we rise above the din of the plethora of demeaning voices shouting at us every day during an election year filled with ugly, demeaning, embarrassing, and hateful rhetoric with disingenuous rants from both sides? It will undoubtedly remain that way unless we change the narrative, which is neither right nor left.

I’ve been reporting from the front lines of political wars for more than a decade, and to be perfectly honest with you, it’s gotten a little noisy. Okay, it’s gotten really noisy, and more often than not, the discourse has turned coarse.

That’s why Joe Battaglia’s new book is so important for the national conversation. He’s the son of an immigrant who cuts through the noise of the day to remind us that our differences should unite us, not divide us. Joe’s book shows us the path we must take in order to make America good again.

Todd Starnes

INTRODUCTION

Alexis de Tocqueville was the French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840), which was published after his travels in the United States. It’s considered an early work of political science, and in it, he astutely captures the essence of the Great Experiment that was America’s. His observations about what made us a truly great nation are illuminating.

The following quote is often attributed to him but is not actually found in his two-volume set. That said, in tone and content, it certainly could have been said by him! Regardless, it speaks volumes about what has made America great:

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers—and it was not there … in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there … in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there … in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.

De Toqueville may not have said this, but he did visit houses of worship and comment on the pivotal role that faith in God played in establishing the mindset of freedom and goodness that separated America from all other nations, as captured in this quote of his: “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” He understood the clear, symbiotic relationship between liberty and faith in God.

Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.

Scripture says that “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34 NIV). What great truths were expounded from those “pulpits aflame with righteousness” that made America good? We’ll explore that as we suggest alternative perspectives on key party platforms and hot-button issues framed within biblical principles. It may even help us draw a roadmap that leads us back to being good again.

Section One

FOUNDATIONS AND PARTY PLATFORMS

Chapter 1

DIFFERENCES MAKE US STRONGER

Inscribed on the back of every coin are the Latin words E pluribus unum. That may be all someone ever sees of Latin nowadays. I suspect that most Americans know the phrase means “one from many.” The heterogeneous makeup of our population has long represented our nation’s genius in that we are one nation formed from many different people. Simply, we are all different yet one. Not that we are all the same and one.

There is a reason why this simple Latin phrase embodies America’s greatness, regardless of the historical revisionists, who would rewrite much about our history simply because they are either ignorant of facts or prefer to overlay their modern-day perspectives on anything that happened many years ago that does not fit their current politically correct agendas.

The wonder of the “one from many” motto was instilled in me very early in my life as the son of immigrants. My parents were born in Italy, immigrated to America in the 1930s, and never went back. My paternal grandparents lived with us as well, reinforcing the appreciation of my roots and