Book Review: “The Return of the Gods” by Jonathan Cahn

How did I get this book?

My new friend, Wes, at Calvary Chapel Fort Walton Beach gave me a copy. He had been reading it, really enjoyed it and wanted me to read it too.

Last year, when this book came out, I had a friend that sent me a link to it to peruse. He had come across it and wanted to know if I was interested in it as well. At that time, I wasn’t. I had other interests I was pursuing.

Wes caught me at the right time!

What is it about?

Mr. Cahn makes the case that the ancient gods, Baal, Ishtar and Molech have made a return to Western Civilization. He takes the time to explain who these gods were in ancient times and how they were removed from our culture and life.

He then details how they returned, specifically to New York City and how their presence was marked in various public events and public objects. Baal’s return is marked by the installation of the bronze bull on Wall Street. Ishtar through the events of Stonewall. Molech is more difficult to track, but it’s obvious that we are sacrificing children everyday in the hope of a more prosperous life.

Most of the book is about Stonewall.

He closes with a compelling gospel presentation and with words of hope for Christians in this culture.

What did I think?

He’s wordy. For me, there were sentences and paragraphs that just felt like they were too much. I might be picky! My friend, Wes, loved it.

The book’s best contribution is the exegesis of the Stonewall Riot through the lens of the ancient texts describing Ishtar. The amount of similarities is staggering. He makes a very good case for describing the phenomenon of that whole event, along with June as Pride Month, capped by the Pride parade as having all the marks of the worship of Ishtar.

Not everyone realizes that’s what’s going on. It’s typical for false religions to dupe people.

Mr. Cahn has done a great job of explaining through spiritual terms how and why our culture is in the place that it’s in.

For me, however, I felt like "The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution." by Carl Trueman was a better explanation of our current culture. But, it’s not nearly as accessible as “The Return of the Gods.”

Conclusion:

Wes is right. This is a good book. This will give a succinct explanation for our current cultural insanity. It will also give the proper framework for addressing the situation. At its core, the issue is spiritual.

As Christians, we worship a far better God than Baal, Ishtar and Molech…. like not even close!