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Book ReviewsKingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalismby Michelle Goldberg, 2006, W. W. Norton In Kingdom Coming, Michelle Goldberg, senior writer at Salon, demonstrates how an increasingly bellicose fundamentalism is gaining traction throughout our national life, taking us on a tour of the parallel right-wing evangelical culture that is buoyed by Republican political patronage. Deep within the red zones of a divided America, we meet military veterans pledging to seize the nation in Christ’s name, perfidious congressmen courting the confidence of neo-confederates and proponents of theocracy, and leaders of federally funded programs offering Jesus as the solution to the country’s social problems. With her trenchant interviews and the telling testimonies of the people
behind this movement, Goldberg gains access into the hearts and minds of
citizens who are striving to remake the secular Republic bequeathed by our
founders into a Christian nation run according to their interpretation of
scripture. In her examination of the ever-widening divide between believers
and nonbelievers, Goldberg illustrates the subversive effect of this
conservative stranglehold nationwide. In an age when faith rather than reason
is heralded and the values of the Enlightenment are threatened by a mystical
nationalism claiming divine sanction, Kingdom Coming brings us face to face
with the irrational forces that are remaking much of America. Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seductionby David Kuo, 2006, Simon & Schuster Reviewed by The Associated Baptist Press A new book by a former White House faith official is causing shockwaves, even before it is released, with reportedly explosive allegations that President Bush's aides have been duping religious conservatives for political gain. From 2001 to 2003, Kuo served as the No. 2 person in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. According to MSNBC, the book includes charges that high-ranking White House officials referred to prominent conservative Christian leaders as "nuts" behind their backs, used the faith-based office to organize ostensibly non-political events that in reality were designed to boost Republican candidates in tough elections, and favored religious charities friendly to the administration when doling out grant money. Piety & Politics: The Right-Wing Assault on Religious Freedomby Rev. Barry W. Lynn, 2006, Harmony Books, a division of Random House In his new book, Piety & Politics: The Right-Wing Assault on Religious Freedom, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn explains why the Religious Right's dream for America is a nightmare. Lynn deplores Religious Right attempts to demolish the wall between church and state. A strong defense of secular government, Piety & Politics argues that true religion doesn't need the government's assistance, and in a nation of many faiths, it's impractical and inappropriate to foster specific doctrines in the government or teach them in public schools.
The First Freedom: The Tumultuous History of Free Speech in Americaby Nat Henloff, 1988, Namar Productions, Inc. Reviewed by Paul Gilbert This book reviews the origin of the First Amendment with chapters on freedom of-and from--religion under the First Amendment in chapter 5. Other parts of the book summarize speech by students, teachers, and librarians. Still other chapters review the birth of the First Amendment, Its history from 1790 through 1919, the Supreme Court cases involving the idea of persons using criminal seditious speech, issues involving the free press, and projections of what might occur in the future in regard to the First Amendment. |
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