Solemn Reverence
The Separation of Church and State in American Life
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Solemn Reverence
Buy for $13.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Randall Balmer
-
By:
-
Randall Balmer
About this listen
"A slender but thoroughly argued case for reinforcing the wall between church and state.... A stern warning that those who push for the intrusion of religion into public life do so at the peril of both." (Kirkus Reviews)
The First Amendment to the US Constitution codified the principle that the government should play no role in favoring or supporting any religion, while allowing free exercise of all religions (including unbelief). More than two centuries later, the results from this experiment are overwhelming: The separation of church and state has shielded the government from religious factionalism, and the United States boasts a diverse religious culture unmatched anywhere in the world. In Solemn Reverence, Randall Balmer, one of the premier historians of religion in America, reviews both the history of the separation of church and state as well as the various attempts to undermine that wall of separation. Despite the fact that the First Amendment and the separation of church and state has served the nation remarkably well, he argues, its future is by no means assured.
©2021 Randall Balmer (P)2021 Truth to PowerListeners also enjoyed...
-
Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Trevor Thompson
- Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 102
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 100
There is a commonly accepted story about the rise of the Religious Right in the United States. It goes like this: With righteous fury, American evangelicals entered the political arena as a unified front to fight the legality of abortion after the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The problem is this story simply isn’t true.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Needs more nuance, but basic thesis is right
- By Adam Shields on 08-10-21
By: Randall Balmer
-
Thy Kingdom Come
- An Evangelical's Lament
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 63
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes: nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary conservative activists have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from the Republican Party platform.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Historical Reality
- By Cliff J on 08-10-07
By: Randall Balmer
-
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory
- A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, 25th Anniversary Edition
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Randall Balmer
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 6
Randall Balmer's Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is an insightful and engaging journey into the world of conservative Christians in America. Originally published 25 years ago and the basis for an award-winning PBS documentary, this timely new edition arrives just as recent elections have left an ever-growing number of secular Americans wondering exactly how the other half thinks.
By: Randall Balmer
-
Redeemer
- The Life of Jimmy Carter
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 47
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
Evangelical Christianity and conservative politics are today seen as inseparable. But when Jimmy Carter, a Democrat and a born-again Christian, won the presidency in 1976, he owed his victory in part to American evangelicals, who responded to his open religiosity and his rejection of the moral bankruptcy of the Nixon Administration. Carter, running as a representative of the New South, articulated a progressive strand of American Christianity that championed liberal ideals, racial equality, and social justice - one that has almost been forgotten since.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting
- By Jean on 06-23-14
By: Randall Balmer
-
Poverty, by America
- By: Matthew Desmond
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 856
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 755
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 754
The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A testimonial based on facts and witness
- By Alonzo Nightjar on 03-27-23
By: Matthew Desmond
-
Black AF History
- The Un-Whitewashed Story of America
- By: Michael Harriot
- Narrated by: Michael Harriot
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,069
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 989
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 989
America’s backstory is a whitewashed mythology implanted in our collective memory. It should come as no surprise that the dominant narrative of American history is blighted with errors and oversights—after all, history books were written by white men with their perspectives at the forefront. It could even be said that the devaluation and erasure of the Black experience is as American as apple pie. In Black AF History, Michael Harriot presents a more accurate version of American history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
LOVE It!
- By KMB on 09-29-23
By: Michael Harriot
-
Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Trevor Thompson
- Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 102
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 100
There is a commonly accepted story about the rise of the Religious Right in the United States. It goes like this: With righteous fury, American evangelicals entered the political arena as a unified front to fight the legality of abortion after the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The problem is this story simply isn’t true.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Needs more nuance, but basic thesis is right
- By Adam Shields on 08-10-21
By: Randall Balmer
-
Thy Kingdom Come
- An Evangelical's Lament
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 63
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes: nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary conservative activists have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from the Republican Party platform.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Historical Reality
- By Cliff J on 08-10-07
By: Randall Balmer
-
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory
- A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, 25th Anniversary Edition
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Randall Balmer
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 6
Randall Balmer's Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is an insightful and engaging journey into the world of conservative Christians in America. Originally published 25 years ago and the basis for an award-winning PBS documentary, this timely new edition arrives just as recent elections have left an ever-growing number of secular Americans wondering exactly how the other half thinks.
By: Randall Balmer
-
Redeemer
- The Life of Jimmy Carter
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 47
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
Evangelical Christianity and conservative politics are today seen as inseparable. But when Jimmy Carter, a Democrat and a born-again Christian, won the presidency in 1976, he owed his victory in part to American evangelicals, who responded to his open religiosity and his rejection of the moral bankruptcy of the Nixon Administration. Carter, running as a representative of the New South, articulated a progressive strand of American Christianity that championed liberal ideals, racial equality, and social justice - one that has almost been forgotten since.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting
- By Jean on 06-23-14
By: Randall Balmer
-
Poverty, by America
- By: Matthew Desmond
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 856
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 755
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 754
The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A testimonial based on facts and witness
- By Alonzo Nightjar on 03-27-23
By: Matthew Desmond
-
Black AF History
- The Un-Whitewashed Story of America
- By: Michael Harriot
- Narrated by: Michael Harriot
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,069
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 989
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 989
America’s backstory is a whitewashed mythology implanted in our collective memory. It should come as no surprise that the dominant narrative of American history is blighted with errors and oversights—after all, history books were written by white men with their perspectives at the forefront. It could even be said that the devaluation and erasure of the Black experience is as American as apple pie. In Black AF History, Michael Harriot presents a more accurate version of American history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
LOVE It!
- By KMB on 09-29-23
By: Michael Harriot
-
Preparing for War
- The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next
- By: Bradley Onishi
- Narrated by: Bradley Onishi
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 101
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not a blip or an aberration. It was the logical outcome of years of a White evangelical subculture's preparation for war. Religion scholar and former insider Bradley Onishi maps the origins of White Christian nationalism and traces its offshoots in Preparing for War.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Religious Fundementalism and Freedom
- By John C. Morris on 06-06-24
By: Bradley Onishi
-
The Flag and the Cross
- White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy
- By: Samuel L. Perry, Philip S. Gorski, Jemar Tisby - foreword
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 175
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 154
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 150
Most Americans were shocked by the violence they witnessed at the nation's Capital on January 6th, 2021. And many were bewildered by the images displayed by the insurrectionists: a wooden cross and wooden gallows; "Jesus saves" and "Don't Tread on Me;" Christian flags and Confederate Flags; even a prayer in Jesus's name after storming the Senate chamber. Where some saw a confusing jumble, Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry saw a familiar ideology: white Christian nationalism.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
could use an accompanying pdf
- By A W on 08-08-22
By: Samuel L. Perry, and others
-
One Nation Under God
- How Corporate America Invented Christian America
- By: Kevin M. Kruse
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 757
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 658
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 655
Conventional wisdom holds that America has been a Christian nation since the Founding Fathers. But in One Nation Under God, historian Kevin M. Kruse argues that the idea of "Christian America" is nothing more than a myth - and a relatively recent one at that.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
RELIGION, PATRIOTISM, & MAMMON: A TOXIC DANCE
- By James on 05-01-15
By: Kevin M. Kruse
-
20 Myths About Religion and Politics in America
- By: Ryan P. Burge
- Narrated by: William Sarris
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 16
The way most people think about religion and politics is only loosely linked to empirical reality, argues Ryan P. Burge in 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America. Instead, our thinking is based on anecdotes, a quick scan of news headlines, or worse, flat-out lies told by voices trying to push a religious or political agenda on a distracted public.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Walking Through an Important Topic
- By Steve Hunt on 10-15-24
By: Ryan P. Burge
-
American Crusade
- By: Andrew L Seidel
- Narrated by: Andrew L Seidel, Lee Osario
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 19
Is a fight against equality and for privilege a fight for religious supremacy? Andrew L. Seidel, a constitutional attorney and author of the critically acclaimed book The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American, dives into the debate on religious liberty, the modern attempt to weaponize religious freedom, and the Supreme Court's role in that “crusade.”
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Stop the crusade
- By Jennifer McDonald on 03-19-24
By: Andrew L Seidel
-
The Greatest Evil Is War
- By: Chris Hedges
- Narrated by: Eunice Wong
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 55
In fifteen short chapters, Chris Hedges astonishes us with his clear and cogent argument against war, not on philosophical grounds or through moral arguments, but in an irrefutable stream of personal encounters with the victims of war, from veterans and parents to gravely wounded American serviceman who served in the Iraq War, to survivors of the Holocaust, to soldiers in the Falklands War, among others. Hedges reported from Sarajevo, and was in the Balkans to witness the collapse of the Soviet Union.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another amazing title by an amazing journalist.
- By Zzzing on 12-28-22
By: Chris Hedges
-
Dark Agenda
- The War to Destroy Christian America
- By: David Horowitz
- Narrated by: Phil Paonessa
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,480
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,285
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,276
New York Times best-selling author David Horowitz exposes not only the progressive war against Christianity but also a war against America and its founding principles - which are Christian in their origin. Dark Agenda is about an embattled religion, but, most of all, it is about our imperiled nation. Tackling a broad range of issues from prayer in the schools to the globalist mindset, Horowitz traces the anti-Christian movement to its roots in communism.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another Gem From David Horowitz
- By OhHaleYeah on 03-27-19
By: David Horowitz
-
The Power Worshippers
- Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism
- By: Katherine Stewart
- Narrated by: Tosca Hopkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 519
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 430
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 424
For too long the Religious Right has masqueraded as a social movement preoccupied with a number of cultural issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In her deeply reported investigation, Katherine Stewart reveals a disturbing truth: this is a political movement that seeks to gain power and to impose its vision on all of society. America’s religious nationalists aren’t just fighting a culture war, they are waging a political war on the norms and institutions of American democracy.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
The Audible editors were AWOL on this one
- By Frank Hightower on 05-24-20
-
Reorganized Religion
- The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters
- By: Bob Smietana
- Narrated by: AW Miller
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14
The United States is in the middle of an unprecedented spiritual, technological, demographic, political and social transformation—moving from an older, mostly white, mostly Protestant, religion-friendly society to a younger diverse, multiethnic, pluralistic culture, where no one faith group will have the advantage. At the same time, millions of Americans are abandoning organized religion altogether in favor of disorganized disbelief. Reorganized Religion is an in-depth and critical look at why people are leaving American churches and what we lose as a society as it continues.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Carolyn Tod on 09-07-24
By: Bob Smietana
-
Did America Have a Christian Founding?
- Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth
- By: Mark David Hall
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
In this new audiobook, Hall makes the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists; that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. In addition, Hall explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Yes.
- By Philip D. Larson on 02-04-20
By: Mark David Hall
-
The Psychology of Christian Nationalism
- Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide
- By: Pamela Cooper-White
- Narrated by: Kim Niemi
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
How do we overcome polarization in American society? How do we advocate for justice when one side won't listen to the other and cycles of outrage escalate? These questions have been pressing for years, but the emergence of a vocal, virulent Christian nationalism has made it even more urgent that we find a way forward. Pamela Cooper-White uncovers the troubling extent of Christian nationalism, explores its deep psychological roots, and discusses ways in which advocates for justice can safely and effectively attempt to talk across the deep divides in our society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating
- By Teresa LaBonte on 09-28-24
-
The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution: 1763-1789
- By: Robert Middlekauff
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,296
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,098
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,093
The first book to appear in the illustrious Oxford History of the United States, this critically-acclaimed volume - a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize - offers an unsurpassed history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the American republic.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Strong History Rich With Behind The Scenes Details
- By John on 10-06-11
Critic reviews
"Who needs this book? Pastors, professors, and all those who want to preserve one of the great distinctions of America." (Scot McNight, in Christianity Today)
"Balmer puts his skill as a historian on display as he makes well-resourced arguments, but he also excels here as a storyteller." (Los Angeles Review of Books)
“A thoroughly argued case for reinforcing the wall between church and state.... A stern warning that those who push for the intrusion of religion into public life do so at the peril of both.” (Kirkus Reviews)
Related to this topic
-
Did America Have a Christian Founding?
- Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth
- By: Mark David Hall
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
In this new audiobook, Hall makes the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists; that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. In addition, Hall explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Yes.
- By Philip D. Larson on 02-04-20
By: Mark David Hall
-
Founding Faith
- Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America
- By: Steven Waldman
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 64
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Eye-opening
- By Michael on 06-28-08
By: Steven Waldman
-
Freethinkers
- A History of American Secularism
- By: Susan Jacoby
- Narrated by: Rich Miller
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
At a time when the separation of church and state is under attack as never before, Freethinkers offers a powerful defense of the secularist heritage that gave Americans the first government in the world founded not on the authority of religion but on the bedrock of human reason. In impassioned, elegant prose, celebrated author Susan Jacoby traces more than 200 years of secularist activism, beginning with the fierce debate over the omission of God from the Constitution.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Essential history of free thought in America
- By Clark Savage on 11-27-17
By: Susan Jacoby
-
Thy Kingdom Come
- An Evangelical's Lament
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 63
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes: nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary conservative activists have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from the Republican Party platform.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Historical Reality
- By Cliff J on 08-10-07
By: Randall Balmer
-
The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton
- By: Andrew Porwancher
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
In The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Porwancher debunks a string of myths about the origins of this founding father to arrive at a startling conclusion: Hamilton, in all likelihood, was born and raised Jewish. For more than two centuries, his youth in the Caribbean has remained shrouded in mystery. Hamilton himself wanted it that way, and most biographers have simply assumed he had a Christian boyhood. With a detective's persistence and a historian's rigor, Porwancher upends that assumption.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Anti-Semitism and Religious Liberty
- By Detailed Shopper on 12-07-23
-
Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (Even When They Lose Elections)
- The Battles That Define America from Jefferson's Heresies to Gay Marriage
- By: Stephen Prothero
- Narrated by: Tristan Morris
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 56
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 49
Though they may seem to be dividing the country irreparably, today's heated cultural and political battles between right and left, progressives and the Tea Party, religious and secular are far from unprecedented. In this engaging and important work, Stephen Prothero reframes the current debate, viewing it as the latest in a number of flashpoints that have shaped our national identity.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Resistance to Change
- By Joanne on 04-07-16
By: Stephen Prothero
-
Did America Have a Christian Founding?
- Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth
- By: Mark David Hall
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
In this new audiobook, Hall makes the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists; that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. In addition, Hall explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Yes.
- By Philip D. Larson on 02-04-20
By: Mark David Hall
-
Founding Faith
- Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America
- By: Steven Waldman
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 64
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Eye-opening
- By Michael on 06-28-08
By: Steven Waldman
-
Freethinkers
- A History of American Secularism
- By: Susan Jacoby
- Narrated by: Rich Miller
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
At a time when the separation of church and state is under attack as never before, Freethinkers offers a powerful defense of the secularist heritage that gave Americans the first government in the world founded not on the authority of religion but on the bedrock of human reason. In impassioned, elegant prose, celebrated author Susan Jacoby traces more than 200 years of secularist activism, beginning with the fierce debate over the omission of God from the Constitution.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Essential history of free thought in America
- By Clark Savage on 11-27-17
By: Susan Jacoby
-
Thy Kingdom Come
- An Evangelical's Lament
- By: Randall Balmer
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 63
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
For much of American history, evangelicalism was aligned with progressive political causes: nineteenth-century evangelicals fought for the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, and public education. But contemporary conservative activists have defaulted on this majestic legacy, embracing instead an agenda virtually indistinguishable from the Republican Party platform.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Historical Reality
- By Cliff J on 08-10-07
By: Randall Balmer
-
The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton
- By: Andrew Porwancher
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
In The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Porwancher debunks a string of myths about the origins of this founding father to arrive at a startling conclusion: Hamilton, in all likelihood, was born and raised Jewish. For more than two centuries, his youth in the Caribbean has remained shrouded in mystery. Hamilton himself wanted it that way, and most biographers have simply assumed he had a Christian boyhood. With a detective's persistence and a historian's rigor, Porwancher upends that assumption.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Anti-Semitism and Religious Liberty
- By Detailed Shopper on 12-07-23
-
Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (Even When They Lose Elections)
- The Battles That Define America from Jefferson's Heresies to Gay Marriage
- By: Stephen Prothero
- Narrated by: Tristan Morris
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 56
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 49
Though they may seem to be dividing the country irreparably, today's heated cultural and political battles between right and left, progressives and the Tea Party, religious and secular are far from unprecedented. In this engaging and important work, Stephen Prothero reframes the current debate, viewing it as the latest in a number of flashpoints that have shaped our national identity.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Resistance to Change
- By Joanne on 04-07-16
By: Stephen Prothero
-
The Evangelicals
- The Struggle to Shape America
- By: Frances FitzGerald
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 25 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 346
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 301
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 293
This groundbreaking book from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Frances FitzGerald is the first to tell the powerful, dramatic story of the Evangelical movement in America - from the Puritan era to the 2016 presidential election. Evangelicals have, in many ways, defined the nation. They have shaped our culture and our politics. Frances FitzGerald's narrative of this distinctively American movement is a major work of history, piecing together the centuries-long story for the first time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Gary LA on 12-27-17
-
God of Liberty
- A Religious History of the American Revolution
- By: Thomas S. Kidd
- Narrated by: Mark Coffin
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
Before the Revolutionary War, America was a nation divided by different faiths. But when the war for independence sparked in 1776, colonists united under the banner of religious freedom. Evangelical frontiersmen and Deist intellectuals set aside their differences to defend a belief they shared, the right to worship freely. Inspiring an unlikely but powerful alliance, it was the idea of religious liberty that brought the colonists together in the battle against British tyranny.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The founding has a complicated religious history
- By Adam Shields on 03-24-16
By: Thomas S. Kidd
-
We the Fallen People
- The Founders and the Future of American Democracy
- By: Robert Tracy McKenzie
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
We the Fallen People presents a close look at the ideas of human nature to be found in the history of American democratic thought. McKenzie, following C. S. Lewis, claims there are only two reasons to believe in majority rule: because we have confidence in human nature - or because we don't. The Founders subscribed to the biblical principle that humans are fallen and their virtue is always doubtful, and they wrote the US Constitution to frame a republic intended to handle our weaknesses.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thoughtful reflection and historical perspective, but ultimately no easy answer
- By Brandon on 03-28-23
-
Our Constitution the Way it Was
- By: Madalyn Murray O'Hair
- Narrated by: David Smalley
- Length: 2 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
In these transcripts of her American Atheist Radio programs, Dr. Madalyn Murray O'Hair tells us about Freedom of Religion in Colonial America, American Deism, Rewriting of History by Christians, The Christianity of our Founding as a Nation, Free thought in American Historical Documents, Free thought Organizations in the Early U.S., Thomas Paine - American Deist and Freethinker, Colonel Ethan Allen, James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, Jefferson's Idea of Religious Freedom, and Jefferson on Christianity.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Phenomenal!!!
- By Average Joe on 01-17-18
-
Baptists in America
- A History
- By: Thomas S. Kidd, Barry Hankins
- Narrated by: Jonathan Walker
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 100
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 85
In Baptists in America, Thomas S. Kidd and Barry Hankins explore the long-running tensions between church, state, and culture that Baptists have shaped and navigated. Despite the moment of unity that their early persecution provided, their history has been marked by internal battles and schisms that were microcosms of national events, from the conflict over slavery that divided North from South to the conservative revolution of the 1970s and '80s.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Baptist critics
- By Paul on 11-27-16
By: Thomas S. Kidd, and others
-
American Gospel
- God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 455
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 273
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 268
In American Gospel (literally meaning the "good news about America"), New York Times best-selling author Jon Meacham sets the record straight on the history of religion in American public life. As Meacham shows, faith, meaning a belief in a higher power, and the sense that we are God's chosen, has always been at the heart of our national experience, from Jamestown to the Constitutional Convention to the Civil Rights Movement to September 11th.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
what you weren't taught in school
- By Stanley on 06-12-06
By: Jon Meacham
-
The Supreme Court
- The Personalities and Rivalries That Defined America
- By: Jeffrey Rosen
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 190
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 94
A leading Supreme Court expert recounts the personal and philosophical rivalries that forged our nation's highest court and continue to shape our daily lives. The Supreme Court is the most mysterious branch of government, and yet the Court is at root a human institution, made up of very bright people with very strong egos, for whom political and judicial conflicts often become personal.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Overruled!
- By Stephen McLeod on 08-23-08
By: Jeffrey Rosen
-
These Truths
- A History of the United States
- By: Jill Lepore
- Narrated by: Jill Lepore
- Length: 29 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,337
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2,080
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,042
In the most ambitious one-volume American history in decades, award-winning historian Jill Lepore offers a magisterial account of the origins and rise of a divided nation. In riveting prose, These Truths tells the story of America, beginning in 1492, to ask whether the course of events has proven the nation's founding truths or belied them.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Good Story but distracting sound engineering
- By MindSpiker on 11-21-18
By: Jill Lepore
-
Unholy
- Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump
- By: Sarah Posner
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 298
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 247
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 244
In this taut inquiry, Posner digs deep into the radical history of the religious right to reveal how issues of race and xenophobia have always been at the movement’s core, and how religion often cloaked anxieties about perceived threats to a white, Christian America. Fueled by an antidemocratic impulse, and united by this narrative of reverse victimization, the religious right and the alt-right support a common agenda.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
How We Got Here
- By D. Sooley on 06-16-20
By: Sarah Posner
-
The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America
- The Thom Hartmann Hidden History Series
- By: Thom Hartmann
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 120
Taking his typically in-depth, historically informed view, Thom Hartmann asks: What if the Supreme Court didn't have the power to strike down laws? According to the Constitution, it doesn't. From the founding of the republic until 1803, the Supreme Court was the final court of appeals, as it was always meant to be. So where did the concept of judicial review start? As so much of modern American history, it began with the battle between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and with Marbury v. Madison.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A must read to understand why voting is essential.
- By Brandon WIlliams on 10-05-19
By: Thom Hartmann
-
Forged in Faith
- How Faith Shaped the Birth of the Nation 1607-1776
- By: Rod Gragg
- Narrated by: Maurice England
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
The true drama of how faith motivated America's Founding Fathers, influenced the Declaration of Independence, and inspired the birth of the nation. Forged in Faith recounts how faith motivated Pilgrims, Puritans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Catholics, and Anglicans alike in a unique and fascinating history of early America and the faith that forged a nation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Incredible must read.
- By Tim Patt on 07-29-21
By: Rod Gragg
-
Supreme Power
- 7 Pivotal Supreme Court Decisions That Had a Major Impact on America
- By: Ted Stewart
- Narrated by: Art Allen
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Best-selling author Ted Stewart explains how the Supreme Court and its nine appointed members now stand at a crucial point in their power to hand down momentous and far-ranging decisions. Today's Court affects every major area of American life, from health care to civil rights, from abortion to marriage. This fascinating book reveals the complex history of the Court as told through seven pivotal decisions.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Polemical, downright ridiculous at times
- By Joe Igla on 11-04-17
By: Ted Stewart