Live Not by Lies

A Manual for Christian Dissidents

By: Rod Dreher

Narrated by: Adam Verner

The New York Times best-selling author of The Benedict Option draws on the wisdom of Christian survivors of Soviet persecution to warn American Christians of approaching dangers.

For years, émigrés from the former Soviet bloc have been telling Rod Dreher they see telltale signs of "soft" totalitarianism cropping up in America - something more Brave New World than Nineteen Eighty-Four. Identity politics are beginning to encroach on every aspect of life. Civil liberties are increasingly seen as a threat to "safety". Progressives marginalize conservative, traditional Christians and other dissenters. Technology and consumerism hasten the possibility of a corporate surveillance state. And the pandemic, having put millions out of work, leaves our country especially vulnerable to demagogic manipulation.

In Live Not by Lies, Dreher amplifies the alarm sounded by the brave men and women who fought totalitarianism. He explains how the totalitarianism facing us today is based less on overt violence and more on psychological manipulation. He tells the stories of modern-day dissidents - clergy, laity, martyrs, and confessors from the Soviet Union and the captive nations of Europe - who offer practical advice for how to identify and resist totalitarianism in our time. Following the model offered by a prophetic World War II-era pastor who prepared believers in his Eastern European to endure the coming of communism, Live Not by Lies teaches American Christians a method for resistance:

• See: Acknowledge the reality of the situation.
• Judge: Assess reality in the light of what we as Christians know to be true.
• Act: Take action to protect truth.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said that one of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming totalitarianism can't happen in their country. Many American Christians are making that mistake today, sleepwalking through the erosion of our freedoms. Live Not by Lies will wake them and equip them for the long resistance.

©2020 Rod Dreher (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“As a new cultural revolution aims to institutionalize a tyranny of ideological clichés, Dreher renews Solzhenitsyn’s great call to ‘live not by lies.’ I cannot imagine a more timely and urgent book, or one with a more enduring spiritual, political, and cultural message.” (Daniel J. Mahoney, coeditor of The Solzhenitsyn Reader)

“In this remarkably prescient book, Dreher sets Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s timeless appeal to ‘live not by lies’ as the cornerstone of his own bold warning. His suggestion of a dawning post-Christian, ‘pre-totalitarian’ society is impossible to dismiss in light of the patient case he builds for his passionate, if provocative, thesis.” (Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor and pianist)

“With characteristic foresight, Rod Dreher has written an invaluable compendium of how to live fearlessly under totalitarianisms, old and new. Better still, the book is a counsel of hope and joy for even the bleakest days - and an encouragement we need, especially today in this time of cascading crises.” (Patrick Deneen, author of Why Liberalism Failed)

an excellent study in societal control

I really enjoyed the different theories past and present on how governments seize control of people's thoughts and actions. the key and first step is to force division throughout society the more combative every group is the better . this is worth reading and sadly it is very timely.

Chilling but powerful

It’s difficult to think of a better book or thinker on the subject of the crisis Christians face in a Post-Christian world.

Dreher is the best writer and thinker on the subject. Must read!

God help our country

We are seeing the death of America. I pray our country wakes up before it is too late. But I must prepare to suffer if necessary to help strengthen our faith in God. Wake up America before it’s too late! God bless America!

Read, share and then pray.

Brilliantly echoes the story of the many martyrs surviving in the true spirit of Christ under the heel of the Communist brutal boot.

Live Not by Lies

It was very enlightening.
Loved it!
Provoking thoughts in what God requires of His people.

Great education. Much needed warning.

I have had a gnawing about a coming persecution in the U.S. for a while. Rod Dreher’s interviews with former dissidents of the Eastern Block was a warning about what is likely coming, but also how to prepare oneself to stand in the face of adversity. We’ve had it so easy for so many years in this country.

A manual for our times. got tons from testimonies

Bottom line: study the Bible, pray, discern, and act within small, loving communities in our homes

Amazing

This book is amazing and I feel all Christians should read/listen to it. I feel so strongly about said fact, I will be buying more copys to send to friends and family.

Prepping for the Emerging Soft Totalitarianism

What soft American Christians must learn from costly resistance to Communism by our East European brothers and sisters: Christ calls followers, not admirers. I fear this message is still too early for many American Christians to accept, but enough should to help all prepare.

Get Ready

This book presents a bold call of impending challenges to Christians in the USA, like that of believers in Russia and Czechoslovakia as the Nazis and then Stalin took power. I enjoyed it as much as it scared me and challenged how I see the world I love in and how technology, as George Orwell described in 1984, can become more than just convenient ways of living; it can actually be the vehicle to limit our freedom. The author relates 1984 and Brave New World to how prophetic they are to what's happening in 2020 with President Trump and the COVID-19 pandemic.