FROM CHURCH HOUSE TO MAIN STREET

Kimbrough’s final work in his five-volume series endeavors to apply Bible-based “Universal Principles” to contemporary politics.

As an engineer and retired postal worker, Kimbrough became increasingly concerned over the last decade about corporate “reverse Robin Hood” strategies that “rob from the poor to aid the rich” and about politicians who abandoned “basic moral and ethical standards.” The author, a Christian, sought to apply his religious beliefs in crafting concrete solutions to America’s woes. He devotes the book’s first half to positioning the Bible as an authoritative resource. Heavily influenced by evangelical and Baptist thinkers, Kimbrough more or less adheres to fundamentalist interpretations of Scripture. For instance, while he acknowledges that “microevolution” exists, he maintains that true scientific data (which is rarely cited) aligns with a literal translation of Genesis, proving “all species must have existed from the beginning of creation.” Other defenses attempt to provide scientific evidence for the Bible’s chronological timeline. Theologically, the book promotes traditional conservative social values in its opposition to gay marriage and its belief that a “wife should be in submission to her husband’s leadership.” Its political solutions, however, differ from such values. A centerpiece of Kimbrough’s eight-year “American Recovery Plan,” for example, includes massive investment in science, technology, education, environmental protections, and infrastructure. It also calls for a reform of the Electoral College system to better reflect the will of the people by apportioning each state’s electoral votes by percentage won by each candidate. The scientific assays here may not persuade anyone outside of insular Christian circles, and the work’s stances on issues of gender and sexuality will cause many to bristle, but it can still be applauded for seeking solutions to economic, educational, and environmental inequality.

A wide-ranging, problematic effort to balance politics, science, and Scripture.