BOOK SHELF: "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris

"Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris (Alfred Knopf, 2006), $13 list; less than $11 online

In the event you are not already familiar with Sam Harris, know this much: The author has not drafted a love letter here.

He has drafted an indictment, one that skeptics and nonbelievers will embrace with great delight. But it was not written to them. It was written to Christians. And Christians would do well to read it (at 91 pages, it won't take that long). Read it and, yes, be outraged.

Think of Harris as a devil's advocate.

You will notice in your reading that most of Harris's issues are less about the one big question (Is there a God?) than they are about the way Christians have perverted their own faith (practice vs. belief) as written in the Holy Bible.

He writes: "The most hostile communications (I have received in response to this book) have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own.

"The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ's love are deeply, even murderously intolerant of criticism."

Roger Penrose, emeritus professor of mathematics at Oxford University, advises: "Read (the book) and form your own view, but do not ignore its message."