Brueggemann truly tells it like it is, holding nothing back, as he outlines the history and effects of the United States' preoccupation with exceptionalism. He compares our current preoccupation with exceptionalism with ancient Israel's obsession with chosenness just before the Babylonian exile and he outlines the dangers inherent in these preoccupations. For anyone who wants to see how a prominent Old Testament scholar brings the Bible alive by applying it to our contemporary times, this is a must read. At a time when the US empire is exploiting most of the globe and protecting its interests with pervasive militarism, and the church stands by in tacit support, we need to wake up and see how far the US has strayed from its initial dream. 9/11 should have been a wake-up call to how far we have strayed, and instead it became just another chance to practice denial, blaming the terrorist attack on those who hate America's freedoms, rather than recognizing the truth, that the attacks were out of hatred for America's global exploitation, disregard for other nations' sovereignty and our lingering racist views of other world races. Will we wake up before the American dream dies?

Brueggemann also offers some practical advice for how the church can respond, which first suggests the church needs to lose our thrall with the empire. We cannot serve both God and mammon. The church must respond as Christ did, as much as possible, even though there are few easy ways to do that. The church needs to stand against militarism, exploitation and injustice, in all its so common forms. We also must kindle hope for a better future more based on the principles of the kingdom of God, and less on empire building and its attendant evils. ( )