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coltonmray's review against another edition
3.0
Detailed but dry, and focuses all its attention on the early 20th century. I did learn a lot from this book and it exposes that the myth of the "Christian nation" is a fairly recent invention borne as much out of political machination than anything divine. The vague theology of the Founding Fathers continues to be exploited for political gain to this day.
ryan_heintzleman's review against another edition
4.0
It's very disorienting to read about the 1950's creation of the justifications for a Christian America that are still being parroted today to push antiquated and cruel laws. Prayer and religion being too personal and too sacred to be reduced and sanitized down for use in government instructions is something I can really sympathize with and understand. It struck me as the most powerful argument against a union between government and religion. Unfortunately most Americans seem to vehemently disagree yet would melt down if they were forced to merely witness the word "Allah" on any sort of official government document let alone on our currency or in our pledge. I now have an overwhelming urge to join the Satanic Temple.
kylenards1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
david_rawls's review against another edition
5.0
Christian Nationalism seems to be a hot topic for many Americans today. The idea that America is a Christian Nation debated fiercely by those for and against this idea. Kevin Kruse in his book "One Nation Under God" makes a case that the idea of seeing ourselves as a Christian Nation does not so much go back to our founding but is a more recent phenomenon. Kruse shows how during the Cold War many politicians and Christians felt threatened by the outside forces of communism and the decay of morals within the culture which led to a push to see God as a part of our Nations beginning. Hence much of our debates about who we are and what role Christianity plays today are not as old as our founding but much more recent. Whether Kruse is right or not I will leave it up to the reader. I believe the greater issue is not so much how the nation identifies but rather whether this identification has corrupted the church. On this issue I believe the answer must be a resounding yes. One of the things that Kruse Chronicles in his book is the influence of America's beloved Billy Graham on the Nixon White House. Graham took positions that promoted much of Nixon's policies. Certainly his hope was to see America return to Christ. But historically Graham would eventually move himself away from this type of posturing as I believe he saw the damage that it had done to Christianity. The church cannot be a prophetic light to the country when it is simply a chaplain for the state. America may see itself as a Christian Nation but Christians must see the church as something separate from the Nations they live in. Nations can never be Christian but only those who follow Jesus. I give this book a five out of five stars because it helps us challenge our ideas of how we see the church and the state. I believe that the Church offers America a hopeful future but it will not be on the backs of our favorite politicians or political parties but it will be us being the salt and light in our communities. Anything else is idolatry.
crazedoso's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Ever wondered how modern Christianity seems to completely go against the words and actions of Christ? If so, this book gives a good background in how big business hijacked the Bible and used it to push prosperity gospel that is based on greed and not looking out for your fellow man.
jpdaltonaz's review against another edition
5.0
Not exactly a breezy beach read. But an excellent book explaining the creation of the religious right and its foundations, not in religion itself, but far right conservative sentiment
andipants's review against another edition
3.0
I was very intrigued with the premise of this book; common wisdom holds that America's sharp Christian turn began mainly in the 1950s as a response to "godless" communism, but Kruse argues (convincingly, I'd say) that this trend was actually an extension and broadening of a movement purposely created in the 1930s by wealthy business interests and admen as a backlash against the New Deal.
I knew a bit going in about the origins of modern American libertarianism, but the explicit and purposeful way these corporate interests coopted religious sentiments was new information to me, and Kruse thoroughly documents the point in the first couple chapters, citing ample evidence of the individuals and organizations involved and their methods. (Though I will say, these were also the driest sections to read; the lists of millionaires and organizations with names comprising various permutations of "faith" and "freedom" got a bit mind-numbing at times.)
The later chapters moved from this creation and into its after-effects, detailing the growth of public religion and religiosity in the Eisenhower years, the infamous school prayer Supreme Court cases of the 60s, and Nixon's overt politicization of religion (to the point where he was holding church services in the White House!). Much of this I knew, at least in broad strokes, but it is certainly worth the periodic reminder that this idea of America as a "Christian nation" is much younger than many conservatives would like to think.
I did wonder at times in the midsection where exactly all this was going, since the fairly simple thesis suggested by the subtitle seemed to have been well proven and left behind after the first couple chapters. The mid-century stuff, especially the school prayer decisions, felt like a bit of a rehash of fairly well-known history to me (but of course, it's also a topic I've read about before, so ymmv). But Kruse does bring it all together in the end; the point he arrives at is rather broader than the subtitle suggests, but no less important:
I knew a bit going in about the origins of modern American libertarianism, but the explicit and purposeful way these corporate interests coopted religious sentiments was new information to me, and Kruse thoroughly documents the point in the first couple chapters, citing ample evidence of the individuals and organizations involved and their methods. (Though I will say, these were also the driest sections to read; the lists of millionaires and organizations with names comprising various permutations of "faith" and "freedom" got a bit mind-numbing at times.)
The later chapters moved from this creation and into its after-effects, detailing the growth of public religion and religiosity in the Eisenhower years, the infamous school prayer Supreme Court cases of the 60s, and Nixon's overt politicization of religion (to the point where he was holding church services in the White House!). Much of this I knew, at least in broad strokes, but it is certainly worth the periodic reminder that this idea of America as a "Christian nation" is much younger than many conservatives would like to think.
I did wonder at times in the midsection where exactly all this was going, since the fairly simple thesis suggested by the subtitle seemed to have been well proven and left behind after the first couple chapters. The mid-century stuff, especially the school prayer decisions, felt like a bit of a rehash of fairly well-known history to me (but of course, it's also a topic I've read about before, so ymmv). But Kruse does bring it all together in the end; the point he arrives at is rather broader than the subtitle suggests, but no less important:
[W]e do violence to our past if we treat certain phrases — "one nation under God," "In God We Trust" — as sacred texts handed down to us from the nation's founding. Instead, we are better served if we understand these utterances for what they are: political slogans that speak not to the origins of our nation but to a specific point in its not-so-distant past.
It's become a cliché at this point to moan about political polarization, but there are roots to the problem and it's something we can certainly work to improve. If we want to do so, I'd say this is a bit of history we'd all do well to remember.
genejeannie's review against another edition
2.0
This book made me realize that I find Christianity and American patriotism both as boring as I find them nefarious. The topic is well researched, but I couldn't maintain interest in the subject to finish the book.