★★★★★ 4
Even-handed History of America's Religious Roots
Format: eTextbook
One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin Kruse
“One Nation Under God" is an even-handed book that makes the record clear on where America’s religious identity came from. Professor Kevin Kruse makes the compelling historical case that America’s religious identity had its roots in the domestic politics against Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s and 1940s. This scholarly 386-page book includes eight chapters broken out into the following three parts: I. Creation, II. Consecration, and III. Conflict.
Positives:
1. Interesting and well-written book. Fair and respectful treatment.
2. A fascinating premise, how Corporate America invented a Christian America.
3. Kruse does not waste time in establishing his thesis for the book. “This book argues, the postwar revolution in America’s religious identity had its roots not in the foreign policy panic of the 1950s but rather in the domestic politics of the 1930s and early 1940s.”
4. The origins of the union of Christianity and capitalism. “At First Congregational and elsewhere, the minister reached out warmly to the wealthy, assuring them that their worldly success was a sign of God’s blessings and brushing off the criticism of clergymen who disagreed.”
5. The anti-New Deal movement. “For Fifield and his associates, the phrase “freedom under God”—in contrast with what they saw as oppression under the federal government—became an effective new rallying cry in the early 1950s.”
6. The role that Billy Graham played in American politics. “As the Washington crusade began in January 1952, Graham made clear his intent to influence national politics.”
7. It’s always interesting to read about the fathers of prominent politicians and religious leaders of today or recent past. See how many you find.
8. Political opportunism illustrated. “Vereide recognized that the tensions of the Cold War could be exploited to win more converts to his cause.”
9. A comprehensive look at the history of the National Day of Prayer. “In an apparent nod to the previous year’s “Freedom Under God” observance, which was set to be repeated in 1952, Truman selected the Fourth of July as the date for the first National Day of Prayer.”
10. Eisenhower unlikely role as the spiritual leader of a nation. “Eisenhower’s relationship with the Freedoms Foundation ran back to its founding. In his first meeting with Belding in September 1948, he discovered that the ad man shared his belief that the free enterprise system was in desperate need of defense.” “FOR EISENHOWER, THE “GOVERNMENT UNDER God” theme of the first prayer breakfast became a blueprint for his entire administration.”
11. Key stats that show the influence of religion and politics. “The decade and a half after the Second World War, however, saw a significant surge: the percentage claiming a church membership climbed to 57 percent in 1950 and then spiked to an all-time high of 69 percent at the end of the decade.”
12. The drive to declare the United States as one based on the Bible. In God We Trust. “In July 1953, the National Association of Evangelicals arranged to have Eisenhower, Nixon, and other high-ranking officials sign a statement declaring that the United States government was based on biblical principles.”
13. Interesting tidbits about our founding fathers. “The founding fathers had felt no need to acknowledge “the law and authority of Jesus Christ,” and neither had subsequent generations of American legislators.”
14. A comprehensive look at the history of the Pledge of Allegiance. “THE ORIGINAL PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, much like the Constitution itself, did not acknowledge the existence of God. Its author, Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister from Rome, New York, was a decidedly religious man, but when he wrote the pledge in the 1890s he described himself as something that would seem an oxymoron in Eisenhower’s America: a ‘Christian socialist’.”
15. Interesting history on the need to create an illusion of historical accuracy.
16. Separation of church and state. “The justice reached back to borrow a metaphor coined in a letter to his fellow Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut, two and a half centuries before. “In the words of Jefferson,” Black wrote, “the clause against establishment of religion by laws was intended to erect ‘a wall of separation between church and state.” “Religious liberty was essential, he told his wife, because “when one religion gets predominance, they immediately try to suppress the others.”
17. A look at the quest for school prayer amendment. The tactics used by both sides. “The issue is that agencies of government cannot avoid favoring one denomination and hurting another by the practical decisions that have to be made by government authority on what version of the Bible shall be imposed and what prayer. The churches know this and that is why they are against the Becker Amendment.”
18. Prayers at the White House. “In creating a “kind of sanctuary” in the East Room, Nixon committed the very sin the founders had sought to avoid.”
19. Republicans use of religion for political gain. “Much as Reagan used school prayer as a partisan issue, Bush used the pledge.”
20. An excellent epilogue.
21. Notes included. A section of abbreviations.
Negatives:
1. Interesting but on the dry side. The book is scholarly but the author lacks flare.
2. Lacks conviction. The book feels more like a cold report than an engaging thesis.
3. Charts and timelines would have added value.
4. No formal bibliography.
5. At $14.92 for a Kindle book when the Hardcover was available for $15.70 at time of purchase may hurt some trees.
In summary, this is really a 3.5 star book but I’m feeling generous. On the one hand, it’s an interesting topic that is covered in a fair and respectful manner while on the other hand it lacks panache. Kruse provides great insights into the evolution of the religious right and makes a compelling case of their true origins. A worthwhile book to read, I recommend it!
Further recommendations: “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State” by Robert Boston, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “The Dark Side of Christian History” by Helen Ellerbe, “Birth Control, Insurance Coverage, & the Religious Right” by A.F. Alexander, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Moral Combat” by Sikivu Hutchinson, “Republican Gomorrah” by Max Blumenthal, “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges, “Doubt” by Jennifer Michael Hecht, and “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2015
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