US/UK
The book „The Devil You Know" by the authoress Elicka Peterson Sparks hold the subtitle „The Surprising Link between Conservative Christianity and Crime". Who knows little about religion, knows, that the link is surprisingly easy to find for a religion preaching a peaceful togetherness. So, I was hoping that the book just contains more than a superficially view on the factors (crime and (conservative) Christianity). And I a not disappointed at all.
The professor of criminology and also co-author of another book called „Intimate Partner Violence: Effective Procedure, Response and Policy" is especially dealing with conservative Christianity and within this especially with the Christian nationalists respectively the movement of „Christian nationalism" and its influences in politics, economics and so on.
The dark side of Christianity in common is found easily. You just need to watch all the wars, to see the connection - not only the newer / current ones - between belief and war. In „The Devil You Know" Elicka Peterson Sparks illuminates different bible passages / phrases, shows the different influences and many other factors without making it all too easy for herself.
The different factors, suggestions and thought-provoking impulses are good reasons to think about it really hard, whether it is making sense, to give belief systems such a possibility and might without knowing, what will happen. And now we know, but still we don't change much. Do we really need studies, more of such books and so on, to really think about it?
„The Devil You Know" makes it easy for us. But still: changes are never easy. A book, that is the beginning of a knock-on effect - or already part of one. A part of the whole, if you want. Great, but not an easy lecture, you should read.
Rating: 10 of 10