How to Survive the Apocalypse, by Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson (Eerdmans, 2016), analyzes pessimistic but popular television series of recent years, including Game of Thrones, House of Cards, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad. The authors show how these series present “a universe where there is nothing up there beyond ourselves, and therefore no moral order that transcends whatever we decide on.” Don Draper on Mad Men states the most common worldview: “You’re born alone and you die alone, and this world just drops a bunch of rules on you to make you forget. I never forget. I’m living like there is no tomorrow, because there isn’t one.”

Is there a good tomorrow for America? Joustra and Wilkinson sometimes wax abstractly academic, but I was glad to see their last chapter’s look at how Daniel in the Bible tackled his culture’s pathology. They admit that “the barbarians are in the city. … The politics of apocalypse sorely tempt us to abandon any project for the common good,” but then criticize philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s choice in 1981 of Benedict, the sixth-century monastic pioneer, as a role model. Rod Dreher has thoughtfully developed “the Benedict option” over the past several years and makes a strong case for it, but Joustra and Wilkinson note that Daniel stayed in government and “stood his ground when he had to,” but “made some deals when he didn’t.”

How does this apply to us? Maybe it’s easier to contemplate disaster via zombies, since we know they don’t exist, than to examine how poorly we are prepared for hurricanes, earthquakes, nuclear terrorism, pandemics, or electromagnetic pulses—or even for being congenial with our neighbors. But Joustra and Wilkinson note that Daniel, although dragged in exile to Babylon, stayed “on Babylon’s side, rooting for his adopted homeland … not to flame out, but to prosper and flourish.” We should not yield the city to the barbarians: “We need new Daniels. Daniel, not Benedict, is the patron saint of the apocalypse.”

And how should we react to apocalyptic political changes? Revolutionary Religion, edited by David Williams (Orchises, 2016), includes five fiery sermons preached from 1774 through 1777 as America moved toward independence. It’s not hard to imagine what those preachers would say about today’s culture, and Daniel Horowitz’s Stolen Sovereignty: How to Stop Unelected Judges From Transforming America (WND Books, 2016) is a worthy jeremiad as he calls for a declaration of independence from dictatorial justices. He proposes use of Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution, which explicitly allows Congress to strip from the Supreme Court its jurisdiction over matters that go far beyond what its authority should be.

Would Congress ever do that? Mitch McConnell’s The Long Game (Penguin Random House, 2016) shows the strengths and weaknesses of a slow-but-generally-steady senator who entered politics when he realized he had no future in baseball. We may need to go for a few runs now rather than wait for liberal changes that never come.

Trauma and homosexuality

Brad Grammer had same-sex desires until he grasped Christ’s love for him. Now he’s been married to the same woman for more than 20 years, has two sons, and works with homeless teens in Indianapolis. His new book, Examining the Impact of Trauma: Continuing the Conversation of Same-Sex Attraction (Resource Publications, 2016), recommends basics: Stay married. Love your neighbor. Sacrifice personal comfort to serve.

Grammer grew up in a two-parent family, longing for a closer relationship with his father. He was puzzled by same-sex desires, but Christian faith and friendships with key men produced a gradual change. He questions theories of genetic roots for same-sex attraction but also cautions against a quick-fix mentality: “I may not know everything about the questions pro-gay people have for me, but one thing I can state without a doubt: Once I only had same-sex attractions, and now I haven’t for 20 years.” —Russ Pulliam