Against the Night: Living in the New Dark Ages

by Charles W. Colson, Ellen Santilli Vaughn

Ten years ago when Charles Colson's top-selling Against the Night appeared, he described the demise of Western culture as the "new dark ages." The book describes in particular the ominous shadows that have engulfed politics, family life and education. Today as we face the new millennium, the book is still pertinent, as the darkness has not lifted. It seems in many ways to have thickened. Against the Night, however, is not pessimistic. It gives Christians hope that as we regain our vision of living in God's kingdom and being God's people, we will be a light in the darkness.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Cultural, Religion, Theology, Politics

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Almost 40 years ago, Charles W. Colson was not thinking about reaching out to prison inmates or reforming the U.S. penal system. In fact, this aide to President Richard Nixon was "incapable of humanitarian thought," according to the media of the mid-1970s. Colson was known as the White House "hatchet man," a man feared by even the most powerful politicos during his four years of service to Nixon.

When news of Colson's conversion to Christianity leaked to the press in 1973, The Boston Globe reported, "If Mr. Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for everybody." Colson would agree.

In 1974 Colson entered a plea of guilty to Watergate-related charges; although not implicated in the Watergate burglary, he voluntarily pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the Daniel Ellsberg Case. He entered Alabama's Maxwell Prison in 1974 as a new Christian and as the first member of the Nixon administration to be incarcerated for Watergate-related charges. He served seven months of a one- to three-year sentence.

After leaving prison, Colson founded Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976, which has since become the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. Today, Colson remains a member of the board of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

A sought-after speaker, Colson has written more than 30 books, which collectively have sold more than 5 million copies. His autobiographical book, Born Again, was one of the nation's best-selling books of all genres in 1976. Another bestseller, co-authored by Nancy Pearcey, How Now Shall We Live, is considered one of the most important books written on the subject of Christian worldview. His most recent book, The Faith, is a powerful appeal to the Church to re-embrace the foundational truths of Christianity.

In 1991 Colson launched BreakPoint, a unique radio commentary that provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. BreakPoint is currently aired weekdays to more than 1,300 outlets nationwide that reach and estimated 2 million listeners.

Today Colson is focused full time on developing other Christian leaders who can influence the culture and their communities through their faith. The capstone of this effort is The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, an online research and training center launched in 2009 for the promotion of Christian worldview teaching. In addition to a vast library of worldview materials, the Colson Center provides online courses and serves as a catalyst for a growing movement of Christian organizations dedicated to impacting the culture. The Colson Center website also hosts Colson's popular weekly Two-Minute Warning video commentary aimed at engaging a younger generation with a biblical perspective on cultural issues.

In 2009, Colson was a principal writer of the Manhattan Declaration, which calls on Christians to defend the sanctity of human life, traditional marriage and religious freedom. Nearly half a million people have signed the Manhattan Declaration. Collaborating with other Christian ministries, BreakPoint aims to launch other ecumenical grassroots movements around moral and ethical issues of great concern.

In recognition of his work, Colson received the prestigious Templeton Prize for progress in religion in 1993, donating the $1 million prize to Prison Fellowship. Colson's other awards have included the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation's second-highest civilian honor (2008); the Humanitarian Award from Dominos Pizza Corporation (1991); The Others Award from The Salvation Army (1990); the Outstanding Young Man of Boston from the Boston Chamber of Commerce (1960); and several honorary doctorates from various colleges and universities (1982-2000).

Reviews

[BevReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Colson reminds Christians in this book that the new barbarians, armed with ideas of relativism and individualism, have pervaded every part of society- education, politics, the church-leading to a societal decline and cultural decadence. Christians and the Church are to rise up against the new barbarians by seeking to be obedient to Christ and his Word. Even though the Church and Christians might not be successful in their fight against the new barbarians, they must do it simply because God has called them for it.

Although written more than 30 years ago, it is a book of very much relevance in the present time. Colson does a great job of narrating stories that explain his propositions and ideas very clearly, and cites various examples of how the Church and Christians have rose up in the past 'against the night' and have been successful. The way he sets up the story in the beginning prepares the reader for what's coming, the challenges to be faced and then presents the solutions to those challenges very warmly. Overall, a very good read.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1989 but even more relevant today, this book gives a glimpse of what the world will be like if Christians and the church continue to follow the culture around them. Charles Colson talks about how the “new Barbarians” have invaded every aspect of society, the church included. He defines the problem of individualism that is destroying the traditional (and necessary) communities of family and church. Colson shows how the church was the one rock and guiding light amidst the Dark Ages after Rome’s fall and maintains that it can hold a similar role today, simply by being different from the world around it and taking stands that will likely be unpopular. Just like “Reason in the Balance” which I read recently, this is a very enlightening and thought-provoking work.

Favorite quotes: “If political processes seem cynical and selfish these days, it is because many citizens are cynical and selfish. If there is a loss of higher purpose among politicians, it is because there is a loss of transcendent values among the electorate. If politicians placate special interests, it is because many of their constituents see only their own special interests. American politics simply mirrors the loss of character in the American people.”

“But it is not the prospect of success nor some grand vision of changing history and saving the world that should motivate the Christian. No, it is duty alone that should compel us to act in the arena in which God has placed us.”

“For as the church maintains its independence from culture, it is best able to affect culture.”

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it was written in the 1980s, this book could easily sound current if a few examples were replaced with more recent events. Parts of the book are a bit alarmist, but it's a good book overall -- a good call to the church to remain faithful while the surrounding culture deteriorates.

As a side note, Colson mentions two disgraced presidential candidates from a race in the 1980s. I remembered Gary Hart's scandal but didn't recall that Joe Biden had falsified his resume. I wonder why I never heard that bit of history mentioned when Biden was named as Obama's running mate.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written in 1989, but I could have sworn it was published yesterday. It's still relevant and worth reading. Colson explains how individualism (not the individual) is bad as an idea, from where individualism came, and what you can do about it. Based on what I've heard, I think this book would work well in conjunction with Matt Walsh's book Unholy Trinity--which I hope to read soon.

[Randy Corn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, like many by Colson, is something of a critique of the modern cultural situation as Colson sees it. His essential idea is that we may well be returning to a new version of the Dark Ages, the period of Middle Ages darkness where there is a breakdown of moral consensus and society is dominated by individualism. Keeping with this idea Colson suggests that the only thing which kept the world from falling into complete anarchy was the church, especially the monastic orders. Colson believes the modern church can do the same thing, if it will.

The book is made up of three sections which are then divided into twenty chapters. The result of so many chapter divisions is that the book moves quickly and it is easy reading. I would say that Colson has a good writing style. I was reminded of the one page editorials that he used to supply to Christianity Today, these chapters were just like an expansion of one of the editorials. Just like those, he finds good illustrations and quotations for all of his major ideas. I came away from this book with the idea that Colson is a well read man and that he does more than just read, he thinks about it and draws together conclusions from his broader life experience.

Speaking of illustrations, he fills out the story of his fellow Watergate conspirator, G. Gordon Liddy. While Liddy was a thorough going agnostic he finally came to faith in Christ through a Bible Study and an apologetics understanding of it. I was glad of this since I used to listen to Liddy and had read his autobiography years ago.

The final thing to say is that Colson does not say we ought to do certain things and this will transform society. He says we are called to faithfulness as the community of Christ to model Christian love and then we leave the results with God. It is far removed from the individualistic triumphalism that the modern church seems so committed to, and that is refreshing. This is a book well worth recommendation.

[Amy Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I start a review off with the word “um?” Because, ummm, wow. Dusted off from my retired dad’s book shelf, written in 1989, this book was prophetic for its time. What has radical individualism done to our society and how has it left vulnerabilities? And how does the church stand as a light during what Colson calls, “the new dark ages?” This has renewed my understanding of the need for the the church, tradition, education, community, doctrine. It’s in the same vein as “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self,” but much more condensed and easier to track with. Get a used copy off eBay or Amazon! Loved this book.

“Societies are not held together by rules and laws; order cannot be enforced by swords or guns alone. People must find their motivation and meaning in powerful ideas- beliefs that justify their institutions and ideals.” Colson

[Andrew Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book that is more applicable today than when it was originally written! Colson's commentary on the socio-political landscape is so apt for today that I thought that the book was written recently; it was written in 1989.
Colson outlines the "current" issues of the culture and provides different solutions for fighting against the darkness but ends with recognizing that our true hope is in Jesus Christ and not in who wins the next election.

[David Sarkies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another sensationalist book about society's moral decline
8 October 2011

I thought it might be good to open this with a little statement regarding good old Chuck Colson. He worked for the Nixon administration during the Watergate Scandal, and when it broke, he was one who did gaol time because of it. The story is, though, that while he was in gaol he became a Christian, and since his release he has been working in the prison system sharing the gospel with the inmates. However, there is a but: when Deep Throat finally revealed himself, Colson was one of those who then began to criticise Deep Throat for what he did. I question then whether Colson has truly understood what he actually spent time in gaol for, or whether it was one of those 'God ordained' things to set him on a road of fruitful ministries.

That is not to say that Colson's prison fellowship is without criticism, but the criticism usually comes from the rabidly anti-Christian corner and they accuse his organisation of creating a favoured class of inmates who are involved in the fellowship. This I think is somewhat over the top, and while I was very disappointed to hear Colson's attack against Deep Throat, it does not mean that his work with inmates is unhelpful. I actually believe that it is very beneficial for society.

However, on to his book. This book is pretty much a diatribe on how immoral and bad society has become, and if we don't turn back to God, then it is only going to get worse. Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe society has lost its way, but the fact of the matter is that it had never found it in the first place. The counter-cultural revolution in the 60s was not so much people suddenly deciding not to be Christians and to embrace a life of sin, no, much of the things that happened during the 60s (such as free sex, drugs, homosexuality just to name a few) were happening already and had been happening for quite a while beforehand. However, what the 60s did was that it brought it out into the open and forced society to accept that these things were going on. Some people have suggested that homosexuality did not exist before 1975 (the year it became legal in Australia) and all I can say to that statement is that it is rubbish. All I need to do is point the reader to C.S. Lewis' Surprised by Joy where he writes about homosexuality in a boy's school in England around 1905, and that is just to name one of many sources that evidence its practice prior to 1975 (though there are only a handful that tend to take that belief anyway).

However, what we also need remember is that this is a product of the Reformation. We wanted freedom to worship how we liked, and we wanted freedom from a dictatorial church. In fact one of the reasons that the Americans rebelled against British Colonial rule was on this very point. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion. However, the catch is that while we have freedom to worship god, others have freedom not to. We can't have it both ways, demanding our right to worship God while denying others the right not to. If you travel to many of the very liberal states in Europe (such as Germany and Holland) you will discover that these places was where the reformation was born. France is different, namely because they killed all of the protestants in the 16th century, and then pretty much broke up the church during the French Revolution. Once again it was a demand for freedom, freedom to worship how we chose to.

While I will not condemn a book pointing out to us society's permissiveness (and it is true that a permissive society is a society on the road to self destruction, as is clear in the book of Judges), we need to remember that things have been this way for centuries, it is just that it has now come out of the closet. What we as Christians need to do is to not rant and rave against society for its sins, but to demonstrate to society that there is a better way to live, and to be there to pick up the shattered lives of those who have been destroyed by such a permissive culture.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's Chuck Colson, so it's great. But, it's not one of his greatest books. I also don't like dwelling on the general decline in morality and character of western civilization. It doesn't make me want to fight against the night, it makes me want to run to a dark corner and hide. I still found some quotes I liked:

"But social rewards and punishments can never adequately fill the gap left by the absence of character. and in that absence, government's efforts are powerless to impose moral behavior on its citizens."
"The supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things - the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit, and to prefer the good and the genuine to the bad and the counterfeit." -Samuel Johnson
"If you ask what is the good of education, the answer is easy - that education make good mena, and that good men act nobly" -Plato
"two key truths: first, the solutions to all human ills do not lie in political structures; and second, it is impossible to effect genuine political reform solely by legislation"

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent analysis of culture.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little tough to read but surprisingly still relevant today.

[Kit Sublett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't one of Chuck Colson's better-known reads, but it's my favorite, I think. Changed my life in some ways ... taught me how important the church is in the big scheme of things.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is simply prophetic in regards to where the culture was going and where it is now.

[Nick Woodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Charles Colson's analysis of just about anything, but he is especially good at studying the church in light of contemporary society.