It’s not dead yet

It has long been noted that the fall of the Iron Curtain did not spell the end of Communism. It is still alive and well, mainly in Western universities, and amongst many of our ruling elites. Because this ideology still has such a powerful hold, it would be premature to throw out your collection of anti-Communism books.

One such book was the 1960 volume by Dr Fred Schwarz, You Can Trust the Communists…to Be Communists. While copies of the original may be harder to find nowadays (although the 1962 edition I still own speaks of 750,000 copies in print), we can now easily find this volume again, thanks to the efforts of David Noebel of Summit Ministries in Colorado.

He has just released You Can Still Trust the Communists…to Be Communists (Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, 2010).

Fifty years on from when this volume was first published, Noebel has presented us with an expanded and revised edition of this classic work. All of the original work is still here, but at the end of each chapter by Dr Schwarz there is now a selection of titles for further reading.

And Noebel has added five new chapters of his own as well, along with an extensive bibliography at the end of the book. Noebel reminds us that Marxist ideology did not cease with the fall of the former Soviet Union. It is certainly quite active, and can be seen even in the current Obama administration.

Thus he offers important chapters on the direction America is now headed in the new millennium, and discusses how the socialists and progressives are keeping the Communist dream (or nightmare) alive. He also looks at the religious left, and leading figures such as Jim Wallis of Sojourners magazine, noting their role as fellow travellers, or “useful idiots” as Lenin put it.

Thus this second edition picks up where Schwarz left off, and takes us right up to the current situation. But even without all this new, up-to-date material, simply having this vital volume back in print is good news indeed. If you do not already have a copy of his first edition, this volume will be a welcome addition to your library.

Dr Schwarz of course was an Australian doctor, who decided to give up a lucrative career to move to America and warn the world about the dangers of totalitarian Communism. He thus formed the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade in 1953, and soon became a world-renowned expert on the threat of the Marxist ideology.

His original 1960 volume was one of the earlier clarion calls for the free West to wake from its slumber and recognise the menace of atheistic Communism. He of course was reviled and abused for his efforts, and he had to pay a very heavy price indeed for alerting us to the truth about the Communist deception.

In this book we have a wealth of information about how the Communists operate. He offers detailed chapters on such topics as:
-The Recruiting of a Communist;
-The Moulding of a Communist;
-Techniques for Seizing Power;
-Consolidation of Power;
-Allies of Communism;
-Brainwashnig; and
-The Communist Program for Survival.

It was Santayana who once warned us not to forget the lessons of history, lest we repeat the mistakes. Although the military might of Communism has largely subsided (although Marxist police states still exist), the ideological warfare of the Communists remains.

Thus the importance of Noebel’s revisions and updates. This ideological struggle is certainly not over, and the radicals are still seeking to bring their version of utopia to earth, even if it will be a coercive utopia. Indeed, the same techniques and deception can be found in the work of today’s radicals and activists.

Just as the early Communists sought to dupe the Christian churches into supporting their agenda, and were successful in co-opting many church leaders for their cause, so too today. The struggle for the soul of the church is far from over. As Noebel documents, such activities are still eagerly being pushed.

He highlights the case of Jim Wallis. He reminds us of how he has continuously promoted an anti-American agenda, even siding with her enemies. When the Vietcong overran South Vietnam, Wallis effused, “I don’t know how else to express the quiet emotion that rushed through me when the news reports showed that the United States had finally been defeated in Vietnam.”

However, as Noebel notes, “like Jane Fonda, Wallis said next to nothing about the Communist genocide that followed the wars in Vietnam and Cambodia.” And this same Wallis is now a “spiritual advisor” to President Obama! No wonder the US is in such sad shape today.

The ideological battle between the free West and its enemies has not abated, but taken on new forms and trajectories, But the underlying war of worldviews remains. We all owe Fred Schwarz a great debt of gratitude for his original work. And we all owe David Noebel a great debt of gratitude for presenting us again with this work, along with his own updates to it.