A Nefarious Plot

 A Nefarious Plot by Steve Deace

A demon in hell mocks Americans for being blind to Satan's destruction of western society. Deace uses the gloating, evil voice of the demon to make us aware of the dangers we all face if society keeps going in its current direction. There's truth in what he says, but problems with how he says it.

One problem is that he doesn't stay in character. He plays the part for awhile, then we clearly hear the voice of the author, then back to the character. At times we're being mocked by the demon, at times we're being lectured by the author. Sometimes we're being encouraged to believe in God, but a demon wouldn't be caught dead (so to speak) telling us about God's great love for us, so we must be back to the author again.    

There are other problems, which I'm sure in light of the message he's trying to get across - that we are in real danger and need to start paying attention - will seem irrelevant to some readers. But since I'm talking about the book itself and not its politics or ideologies, they are relevant here. He takes cheap shots at individuals, implies that right-wing thinkers are God's people and left-wing thinkers work for the other side, makes fun of anyone who went to public school, and dismisses seminary students as being part of the problem - all clearly in the author's own voice. If you get frustrated enough with his attitude to consider not finishing the book, he says it's because of your failure to grasp the urgency of the matter, taking no responsibility for his own failure to make his material credible. He makes sensational statements to get some points across - saying a single mother in America can get up to $80,000 a year in government assistance (like most single mothers get anywhere near that...), and that family dysfunction was basically non-existent until 50 years ago (I'm telling you as someone who was there, there was lots of it around before that) - and he backs up few of his claims with any research.   

The result of all this is that it's hard to take him seriously, and that's the tragedy of this book. There is truth in what he says, truth that needs to get out there and be heard, but mixed up as it is with his personal vitriol, I think it's going to turn a lot of people off. He's shot himself in the foot by not showing some restraint.    

I understand the importance and the urgency of what he's saying, but I think he could have  - I wish he had - found a more effective way of saying it.