Bullies and saints: an honest look at the good and evil of Christian history. John Dickson. 2021.

Is religion a pernicious force in the world? Does it poison everything? Would we be better off without religion in general and Christianity in particular? Many think so.

But the critics are only partly right: this is not what Christianity was at its foundation or on its best days, Jesus of Nazareth gave the world a beautiful melody - of charity, humility and human dignity - and while many of his followers have been tone-deaf, many others have sung the tune and transformed the world. Dickson provides an honest account of the mixed history of Christianity and asks skeptics to listen again to the melody of Christ, despite the discord produced by too many believers. He also asks Christians to reflect soberly on their own participation in the tragic inconsistencies of Christendom and pleads with them to live in tune with their Maestro.