Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Title of book is covered in only six pages of this book, 7 Oct 2007
Jon Meacham, Newsweek managing editor, examines U.S. national traditions and the intention of the founding fathers when they created freedom of religion more then two centuries ago. Contends that faith and freedom are intractably linked. 'A nation will thrive only by cherishing freedom and protecting faith.'
This book is well written and researched. It is also an easy read and a topic that merits much more discussion. But you must pay attention while reading. For you will see that Meacham is biased. And inconsistent when and where he feels the use of religion should or should not be used in government. He is uninformed on the make up of the Pre-Civil war south and he seems to gloss over the parts of this countries disfavor of Roman Catholicism. He is so set on his thesis that America is tolerant of religion he forgot these transgressions and did not address them. Yet still points out times where politics and religion have met throughout history where it meets his thesis, ignoring all those that do not.
In summation this author is far from objective. And seems to have a preconceived desire to convince us his thesis is correct at any cost. Meacham uses insinuation, omission of opposing points of view or more importantly: opposing facts, broad generalization, attempts at impugning the morality of the Founders and colonists, and a glaring failure to account for etymology all run rampant through out this book. At the end of the book he states, "In choosing to explore the connections between religion and public life," ...which he does explore as long as it supports the thesis he has put forth. On page 397 and 398 he states; "In a way the genesis of this book can be traced back nearly twenty years, when Herbert Wentz introduced me to Robert Bellah's idea of civil religion," Which tells us he already had preconceived idea of this book and how he would defend them regardless of historical evidence. Meacham finds "public religion" good when he likes a person's views and bad when he doesn't. His retelling of history may soothe some secularists, but it is not likely to calm some religious believers' fears. Tolerance runs one direction. Though the author is biased and does not have a deep knowledge on the subject I still will give him three stars for getting the discussion re-started.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Balanced Study, 19 Oct 2007
"American Gospel" examines the story of the role religion has played in American public life from colonial times to the present. Utilizing quotes from clergy and presidents, among others, author Jon Meacham presents an interesting narrative of one of the most important forces of history.
Through this book, Meacham follows the role of religion in shaping crucial eras. The inspiration or use of religion molded the colonial experience at the beginning of the story. One of the most interesting sections deals with the role that the founding fathers, whose religious orientation often differed markedly from that of many modern readers, saw for faith in the nation's birth. Later high points included the Civil War, both World Wars and the Depression when God was invoked to guide the country through these trying times. Not limited to periods of crisis, Meacham also involves the words of Theodore Roosevelt, Billy Graham and some historical figures who are less frequently quoted.
The theme of this book is that public religion has and always will play a role in public life, most effectively when it respects the religious diversity of America. Those looking for book to praise or denigrate religion will be disappointed. The reader looking for a balanced study of the religious thread woven into our history will be well satisfied.
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by Doris Kearns Goodwin
