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VIENNA, Va., Feb. 24, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- A new collection of author and columnist, Joe Sobran, focusing on his writings on religion, has been published. Subtracting Christianity: Essays on American Culture and Society (fgfBooks.com, 456 pages) is a treasure trove of succinct essays written in his trademark style.

Joseph Sobran (1946-2010) was an important Christian writer of the 20th and 21st centuries. Often called the most articulate pro-life essayist of our time, nearly everything he wrote was imbued with traditional Christian teachings, whether it be on cultural issues, politics, a proper attitude toward the state, the Constitution, or even Shakespeare.

Sobran predicted years in advance the war against Christian society, the culture of death, the decline of society, and the perils of government intervention into our lives.

Sobran was a sought-after speaker and lecturer who appeared on TV and radio talk shows throughout the country. He wrote a syndicated column for some 30 years, a weekly Wanderer newspaper column for over 20 years, and was a regular commentary on CBS Radio's Spectrum. Many of the essays in this new collection are taken from his newsletter, SOBRAN'S: The Real News of the Month. His book, Alias Shakespeare: Solving the Greatest Literary Mystery of All Time, made a compelling case that the "Shakespeare" plays and sonnets were written by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.

The new collection is "dedicated to a resurgence of Christianity in a world that has chosen to 'subtract' Christ." It carries a Preface by the Most Rev. Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, who writes that this collection "constitutes a true spiritual and intellectual treasure" which will be "a genuine enrichment of the reader's spiritual and intellectual life."

Patrick J. Buchanan endorses the new anthology with these words: "Christianity and the moral code it bequeathed mankind did not have a more eloquent defender in our lifetimes than Joe Sobran. His wit, his insight, his capacity to clarify, simplify, and beautify the revealed truths were unrivaled. He was a champion of the unborn who relished intellectual combat, and bore his wounds of battle bravely. This splendid collection of his essays, some of them timeless, brings his unique voice back to life for many of us."

This collection includes some forthright and candid essays in the chapters, "Killing as a 'Right'" and in "Odd Couplings," in which he predicted (in "Sodomy and the Constitution," written in 2003) that Justice Anthony Kennedy would be the pivotal player in the Supreme Court legalizing so-called same-sex marriage.

In "Dark Ages, New Morality," Sobran writes: "The progressives have found no substitute for virtue. They can offer only such morbid stopgaps as contraception, abortion, and euthanasia. The Dark Ages understood virtue built a civilization; the progressive age doesn't understand virtue and is tearing down the civilization it inherited. Euthanasia is a fitting symbol: the last sacrament of a society that cannot aspire to heaven, but only to painless annihilation."

In "The Expurgated Christ," Joe Sobran takes apart the "Jesus Seminar" which, in the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, has blue-penciled many of the words of Christ. As Sobran writes, "the result is a paltry figure nobody could worship. Had this 'historical Jesus' really existed, we would never have heard of Him. The message that you should be nice to others and refrain from stuff like imperial exploitation would hardly have transformed the ancient world and haunted the conscience of mankind through several civilizations to come. A man who preached such watery doctrine wouldn't be worth crucifying."

He goes on to say that the words of Jesus "have a unique permanence. They have an authority in our hearts, even when we try to deny them. They command. We can obey or rebel. That is why Jesus is still not only loved but also hated — and why those who hate Him feel they have to profess to love Him."

For more information, go to www.fgfBooks.com.

"Joseph Sobran: Subtracting Christianity: Essays on American Culture and Society."
456 pages. ISBN 978-1-4951-4337-3.
$27 postpaid: FGF Books, 713 Park St., SE, #2, Vienna, VA 22180.

Or order online and see reviews and endorsements at fgfbooks.com/FGFbooks.html

Review copies for journalists are available.