The Natural Family: Bulwark of Liberty - Softcover

Carlson, Allan C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1412808499 ISBN 13: 9781412808491

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

Sixty years ago, the UN declared the family to be the "natural and fundamental" unit of society. Today, many people are unsure as to what the word "family" even means. In response to this confusion, The Natural Family: Bulwark of Liberty defines the family based on universal human experience. Insisting, without apology, on the reality of the "natural family," the manifesto issues a personal call to men and women to rediscover this fundamental source of life, joy, and freedom.

Carlson and Mero frankly admit that those who should have defended marriage were asleep when the full-scale assault on the family began in the 1960s. Even more seriously, most of them joined the assault by eventually adopting the very assumptions--philosophical, social, and economic--which almost extinguished the family's traditional legal and social privileges. "Family values" is now an empty slogan for those with some nostalgic attachment to the family, but who have no idea what the family really is.

Carlson and Mero examine why the family is in crisis, the ways in which the natural family is the source of culture and freedom, and what families can do to preserve the most fundamental and wholesome relationship on earth. Assured that human nature is on their side, Carlson and Mero can be both realistic about the family's plight and relentlessly optimistic about the future. The Natural Family is a road map, especially for the young, for rebuilding a culture of freedom, joy, and love. "Perhaps the most succinct, thorough, and impressive pro-family argument yet made." —BOOKLIST

About this title

About the Author:

Allan C. Carlson  is president emeritus of the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society in Rockford, Illinois and was distinguished visiting professor of history and politics at Hillsdale College.  

 

Review:

"Carlson and Mero have given us an engaging and accessible primer on the importance of the 'natural family' for the American experiment in ordered liberty. They define the 'natural family' as 'the fundamental social unit, inscribed in human nature, and centered around the voluntary union of a man and a woman in a lifelong covenant of the marriage.'"

—W. Bradford Wilcox, National Review

"In picturesque language, Carlson and Mero describes the joys, sorrows, and challenges the young family will face.... Carlson and Mero are true conservatives....The Manifesto these authors have offered in defense of the natural family demands the attention of all those who would defend civilizations most basic institution. This important document has emerged at just the right time."

—R. Albert Mohler, Jr. Ph.D., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY "The pro-family movement has long needed a work that provides a broad philosophical overview of the traditional family. The Natural Family: A Manifesto fills that need admirably. Beautifully written, cogently argued."

—Gary Bauer, President, American Values

"The Natural Family: A Manifesto is brilliant-the most important manifesto of the last one hundred years. Every person should read it, especially those in government and the mass media.... I, for one, will do my best to send it to as many opinion leaders as possible and follow up with a conversation to help them understand its significance."

—Ted Baehr, President, Christian Film and Television Commission; Editor, Movieguide

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1412808499
• ISBN 13: 9781412808491
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 270