From the Bookshelf of Easley Library Bookworms…

Lord of the World

Robert Hugh Benson

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Aug 25, 2017 Werner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction

In the real world of the early 21st century, the Western world, which dominates the rest of the world economically and politically, is similarly dominated internally by a ruling wealthy political and cultural elite. That elite is united behind a worldview that serves them as a de facto state religion, the basic tenets of which are: materialistic atheism that rejects any concept of a transcendent God as not only misguided but evil; idealization (and idolization) of a deified Mankind, while denyin In the real world of the early 21st century, the Western world, which dominates the rest of the world economically and politically, is similarly dominated internally by a ruling wealthy political and cultural elite. That elite is united behind a worldview that serves them as a de facto state religion, the basic tenets of which are: materialistic atheism that rejects any concept of a transcendent God as not only misguided but evil; idealization (and idolization) of a deified Mankind, while denying any inherent rights or dignity to any individual human; absolute centralization of political and economic power; and "rationalization" of economic and social processes to maximize profit and control. Although large numbers of the subservient population of workers, consumers, taxpayers and nominal "voters" don't share this belief system, the power elite largely dominates all levers of political, economic and judicial decision making, mass education and communication (and therefore also dominates perception and access to information about events) and uses economic coercion, bribery, brainwashing and manipulation of the electoral process to ensure its agenda. Many of us (including, but not only, traditional Christians) view this state of affairs with dissatisfaction and genuine fear. Christian believers especially perceive an agenda on the part of the elites (sometimes avowed openly), and a trend towards, the elimination of even vestigial legal safeguards for religious and other freedoms, and the establishment of open totalitarianism and persecution with the intent to exterminate religious believers.

In 1907, the intellectual currents that would lead to this state of affairs were far less advanced than they are now. But they were there, and already clearly expressed in germinal form in much of the "Utopian" thought of that day. (Obviously, what an adherent of this worldview sees as "Utopia" would pretty much be everybody else's dystopia.) Robert Hugh Benson, former Anglican priest turned Roman Catholic priest, extrapolated from those currents with incredible prescience to create a Christian response to them in fictional form. Set apparently in the early 21st-century (mention is made of the legislation in 1998 establishing legal euthanasia, some years before the characters' present) it describes a world where the materialistic Utopia is largely a reality, save for the galling persistence of a small minority of religious believers. This is social science fiction, subject to the limitations of its time; future technological developments here aren't portrayed exactly as they turned out (though some are pretty close!), and nobody in 1907 (or even 1967) foresaw the Internet. But what we have in the main is a chillingly realistic and plausible portrait of the secular world, that is in its essentials basically not much different than the one we live in, or could reasonably expect to live in very soon.

However, this is more than dystopian SF, because Benson recognized the real issues as spiritual rather than sociological, and the answer to the problem as coming from God's action, not ours. So this is a novel that takes very seriously the reality of Christian eschatology, of a climax of history in which God Himself will act to replace the present world order with an eternal one based on justice and righteousness, as adumbrated in Bible prophecy --and Benson takes some aspects of Bible prophecy more literally than most Catholic expositors have, although without the bizarre distortions of prophecy featured by the dispensationalist writers of, for instance, the Left Behind series. (This isn't a spoiler; it's foreshadowed from the Prologue on, and it's the essential core of Benson's message.)

This is very much a novel of ideas; but it also has a very real, taut plot, focusing mainly on three viewpoint characters who represent very different takes on the events of their world. All three are drawn very realistically, and in such a way that we can truly get inside their heads and understand how they think. (Nonbelievers aren't necessarily treated unsympathetically --Mabel is actually one of the most sympathetic characters in the book.) Events move swiftly, with a mounting degree of menace and suspense. The Edwardian diction features some big words, including Catholic ecclesiastical vocabulary and some lines, especially near the end, in untranslated Latin (which educated readers in 1907, of course, could translate) and complex sentences; and there can be at times more description of physical settings than I'd have preferred. But I didn't have any problem reading this, and finding it to be an extremely powerful and meaningful reading experience.

I've recommended the book to Christian readers. Some nonbelievers might find some food for thought here, but I don't think Benson saw them as his audience. He addressed it to his fellow Catholics, to strengthen them in the face of coming persecution (and both Pope Francis and his predecessor have urged their flock to read it). In keeping with his own early 20th-century milieu of very conservative English Catholicism, the author sees his denomination as largely coextensive with Christianity. In his fictional early 21st-century, Protestantism is largely extinct, distinctive Catholic ideas are often expressed in the text, and Catholic mysticism (which Protestant readers might find somewhat alien) is prominent here. Nevertheless, I think this is worthwhile reading for Protestant readers too, for the same reason as for Catholic ones; what unites us, in the face of a world that rejects God, is more important than what divides us, and we all need the reminder that our salvation comes ultimately from Jesus Christ, not from cultural power or political action. ...more

64 likes · Like · see review

Group Home Bookshelf Discussions

Photos Videos

Send invite Members Polls