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Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America
by Steven Waldman
The culture wars have distorted the dramatic story of how Americans came to worship freely. Many activists on the right maintain that the United States was founded as a "Christian nation." Many on the left contend that the Founders were secular or Deist and that the First Amendment was designed to boldly separate church and state throughout the land. None of these claims are true, argues Beliefnet.com editor in chief Steven Waldman. With refreshing objectivity, Waldman narrates the real story of how our nation's Founders forged a new approach to religious liberty, a revolutionary formula that promoted faith . . . by leaving it alone ....
"Starred Review. Well-wrought, well-written and well-reasoned - a welcome infusion of calm good sense into a perennially controversial and relevant subject." - Kirkus Reviews.
"This is a history every American should know, and Waldman masterfully tells it." - Jim Wallis, author of The Great Awakening.
"Steven Waldman recovers the founders' true beliefs with an insightful and truly original argument. It will change the way you think about the separation of church and state." - George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent, ABC News, and anchor of This Week.
"What makes this a priority addition to both large and small public and academic libraries is Waldman's moving beyond the often counterproductive thinking on this issue." - Library Journal.
"Starred Review. Waldman produces a thoughtful and remarkably balanced account of religion in early America." - Publishers Weekly.
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