All the wars and cruelties of the twentieth century could happen again in the twenty-first, unless we wake up and recommit to fundamental moral truths that safeguard human rights and the common good – “whole life” principles for liberty, justice and peace.
What would you think if we told you that: All the horrors that marked the twentieth century were going to happen all over again. This time the cruelties and casualties will be even greater, thanks to more advanced technologies. The next mass atrocities will face less resistance, and generate fewer “rescuers,” because the West is even less hobbled by religious scruples about killing the innocent than it was in 1939. The twenty-first century will be remembered not for Twitter, iTunes, expanding democracy, and the final dismantling of prejudice – but for total warfare, biological weapons, and the virtual disappearance of human rights as a concept.
That might be the ugly future, warn the authors of The Race to Save Our Century, unless modern man wakes up and recommits to fundamental moral truths that safeguard human rights and the common good.
In The Race to Save Our Century, human rights activist Jason Jones and political/economic scholar John Zmirak, combine to issue a stark warning to the West, and to call on readers to embrace and promote five core principles of a Culture of Life: . The innate dignity of every human person, regardless of race, age, or handicap. . The existence of a transcendent moral order, by which we judge the justice of all laws and policies. The need for a humane economy that embraces freedom in a context of social responsibility. . The crucial importance of decentralized, responsive government that preserves civil society and freedom. The need for solidarity, for a sense of fellow feeling and common obligation toward each and every member of the human race.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Jason Jones, a human rights activist and filmmaker, and John Zmirak, a scholar of economics and theology, have combined to create a book that is prophetic—not in the sense that it pretends to tell the future. No, The Race to Save Our Century speaks truth to power as Amos and Elijah did, and points to the deepest truths about God and man. The authors expose the anti-human ideologies that created the twentieth century’s genocides, and warn us how these moral viruses still lurk within our culture. Best of all, the book gives a cogent, five-point program for defending human dignity, freedom, and peace in the 21st century.” —Gov. Mike Huckabee
“I share Jason Jones’s view that denial of transcendental moral principles would lead to ‘subhumanism,’ which reduces us to a subset of mere lowly animals. Also, even though pleasure or happiness as such is good, human dignity as the highest principle cannot be placed under hedonistic utilitarianism. This book has discredited relativism, the prevalence of which has been corrupting the human intellect for many decades. Jason Jones defends human life and freedom powerfully in this insightful book, and I encourage people from every part of the world to read it and take it seriously.” —Zhenming Zhai, Professor of Philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
“A fresh and provocative countercultural argument that transcends and challenges conventional political categories. People of good will from all points on the ideological spectrum will appreciate and profit from The Race to Save Our Century.” —O. Carter Snead, Director, Center for Ethics and Culture and Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame
“I encourage anyone concerned about our country to read this book. You will be motivated, encouraged, and inspired.” —Abby Johnson, author, Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line
“The true ascent of man over the centuries has been the steady recognition and embrace of the truths about human nature and the good society that the Creator wrote upon our hearts. Forget these, the authors tell us in this prophetic book, and our new century will more than replicate the horrors of the one we just left behind.”— Patrick J. Buchanan
“As a victim of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, I found hope for human dignity after reading this book. It is a must-read for college students.” —Dr. Kate Xiao Zhou, Professor of Political Science, University of Hawaii
“John Zmirak was brilliant when I met him at Yale thirty years ago, but to now see that brilliance in full flower in this magnificent book written with Jason Jones is a deep joy. Simply put, The Race to Save Our Century should be taught in every college in America. Do yourself a huge favor: chuck the newspapers for a while and read this book! You’ll learn infinitely more about what is happening in the world today.” —Eric Metaxas, New York Times Bestselling author of Bonhoeffer
“I am inspired by Jason Jones’s courage to speak truthfully and write unequivocally in defense of Life. He is also a brilliant filmmaker, who uses powerful persuasive movies to publicly challenge calcified minds. Jason Jones’ loud drum beat for people to stand up and courageously speak truth to power evokes the spirit and words of Robert F. Kennedy, ‘Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change.’” —Kwame Fosu-Shabazz, Policy Director & Director of International Affairs, the Rebecca Project
“In many ways, the core event of the twentieth century was the attempted suicide of Western civilization. But even now, as Jason Scott Jones and John Zmirak demonstrate, there is hope. And it involves going back to the roots of that civilization: not for nostalgia’s sake, but for the sake of breathing life back into the civilization that gave full meaning to human dignity and human freedom. This book shows us how.” —Samuel Gregg, Research Director, the Acton Institute for Religion and Liberty
“Jones and Zmirak have compiled an incisive history that reveals so much of the connectedness in the atrocities since World War I, but it becomes more than a mere history when we realize that there is a normative ethics that can be reaped from all of the pain and suffering in a century of subhumanism. This book shows that the intrinsic value of human beings-this immutable worth-is really something that can be seen and comprehended not because one is a Republican or a Democrat, nor a Christian or an atheist, but simply because one is human. This will without question be required reading for our staff members: this is a monumental step in the right direction for the pursuit of a culture of peace and a culture of life.” —Aimee Murphy, Executive Director, Life Matters Journal
About the Author
Jason Scott Jones is a filmmaker and human rights activist. His film projects include The Stoning of Soraya M., Bella, and Crescendo. He works directly to aid the homeless, peoples facing genocide, and women with crisis pregnancies. He is president of Movie to Movement and the Human Rights Education Organization (H.E.R.O.). He lives in Hawaii. This is his first book.
John Zmirak is an editor, college teacher, screenwriter, and political columnist. He is author of the popular Bad Catholic’s Guides, Wilhelm Röpke, and The Grand Inquisitor (graphic novel). He is a former editor at Investor’s Business Daily. His work has appeared in Aleteia.org, The Blaze, National Review, The Weekly Standard, First Things, The American Spectator, USA Today, Commonweal, The American Conservative, and The National Catholic Register; and he has contributed to The Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought and American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia. He has been a commentator on Fox News and the Christian Broadcasting Network. He edited a number of popular guides to higher education, and served as press secretary to Louisiana Governor Mike Foster. His columns are archived at www.badcatholics.com.
