[ZEA]∎ Download God in the White House A History How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F Kennedy to George W Bush Randall Balmer 9780060734053 Books

God in the White House A History How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F Kennedy to George W Bush Randall Balmer 9780060734053 Books

Download As PDF : God in the White House A History How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F Kennedy to George W Bush Randall Balmer 9780060734053 Books

God in the White House A History How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F Kennedy to George W Bush Randall Balmer 9780060734053 Books

I had to read this book as a part of my history class in college. And I must say, I never really knew to what extent religion and politics were related until this book came along. I always assumed that our government was just supposed to be secular, and everyone who tried to co-mingle them was wrong. Yet this book really taught me that religion shapes a person, and that shapes the presidency. The last 60 years of political conflict can easily be explained by the religious swings in America and the White House, and this book does an excellent job showing it. It opened my eyes, I must say.

Why does it get 4 stars? Well... it can get repetitive. A few of the presidents were similar in religious backgrounds, yet they each got an equal portion of the book. The major swings of religion were very well explained though. But then there would be a few presidencies without change.

I still recommend it though.


Tags : God in the White House: A History: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush [Randall Balmer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Randall Balmer, one of America’s top historians, explores the role of personal piety and public displays of faith in each of the modern presidencies--from J.F.K to George W. Bush--and shows how these change according to the times and what they reveal about the man sitting in the Oval Office.,Randall Balmer,God in the White House: A History: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush,HarperOne,0060734051,United States - 20th Century,Church and state;United States.,Presidents;United States;Biography.,Presidents;United States;Religion.,Biography,Church and state,Government - Executive Branch,HISTORY United States 20th Century,HISTORY United States General,History,History General,History: American,Presidents,RELIGION General,RELIGION Religion, Politics & State,Religion,Religion - Socialissues,Religion, Politics & State,U.S. History - 20th Century (General),U.S. President,United States,United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)

God in the White House A History How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F Kennedy to George W Bush Randall Balmer 9780060734053 Books Reviews

Randall Balmer has written a fascinating non-denominational account of the views on religion of our U. S. Presidents from J. F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. He describes the differences in their beliefs in God and how strongly they supported the separation of church and state. These differences shifted with time as the country became more involved in this debate, as the presidents both influenced the electorate with their views and were influenced by the shifting political winds.
Richard S. Greeley
An interesting read. Presents the stories behind how each president did or did not play the religion card -- or overcame negative stereotypes regarding their religion or lack thereof. Also seems to suggest some of the talk did not track with the walk.
The PUBLISHERS WEEKLY reviewer quoted on this page identifies the ways that this book can be faulted but does not mention that the author identifies his bias in the preface and says that he seeks to be fair. The two main strengths of the book are 1) Balmer's knowledge of political history and evangelical history (these emerge in the well documented and not very flattering accounts that he gives about Norman Vincent Peale and Billy Graham at points in the book) and 2) his conclusions about the shallowness of American religion (in spite of its proclamations of holiness) and the need for voters and the media to be more rigorous in its expectations for candidates who try to use religion as a way to garner votes. After GWB announced that Jesus was his favorite philosopher in the 2000 primary season, Balmer suggests (p. 169) that an alert press person might have asked him "Mr. Bush, Jesus demands in the Sermon on the Mount that his followers 'turn the other cheek.' How will that teaching guide your conduct of American foreign policy, especially in the event of, say, an attack on the United States?"
This book brings the facts to the forefront, whether the reader wishes to agree or sincerely ponder the truth is up to you. We the people need to ask the real question of "who can or WILL do the job that we expect" when we think of who we are electing. All the wrong reasons for electing a candidate are pushed to the forefront of our attention and we allow that to happen. Then blindly accuse the results on someone else. We need to take responsibility for the future.
Excellent review of recent American political history. Discusses all Presidents between JFK and Dubya. In particular, discusses the stories, which I hope aren't true but probably are only too true, of how the evangelical right in America turned on Carter because he threatened the tax free status of Bob Jones University, changed it's stance on divorce to accommodate Reagan's marital status and changed it's position on abortion to facilitate an alliance with right wing Catholics.
This short book reveals realities vital to the existence of a free society. I have studied the founding fathers most of my life. The current radical religious right is more of a threat to our republic and the values of our founders than communism ever was. There is nothing more lethal to a republic or democracy than the poison of mingling civil government with religion. This book explains why wrapping our Presidential candidates in a blanket of perceived piety doesn't work. We expect perfect piety from them while lacking it ourselves.
While this is a relatively slim volume in size, similar to a lengthy essay, it is packed with fascinating information and insights into the role God and religion have played in presidential elections since 1960. Beginning with the campaign of John F. Kennedy and ending with the presidency of George W. Bush, the book compares the various religious philosophies of the presidents and how that was perceived by the public.

One of the strongest ironies to appear in the book, and a theme that runs throughout, is the change in religious attitudes over the past 48 years. For instance, many religious leaders were opposed to Kennedy because they feared he would weaken the separation between Church and State, which was a fundamental principal of the Baptist religion. Yet, by the time Reagan was elected, the Church had discovered power and was hoping to lower the bar set between the two. In further irony, Reagan was the least religious of the three candidates, and had one of the most liberal records, yet could speak "the language" of the Religious Right more eloquently than the other candidates.

The author often refers to speeches given by the candidates and Presidents to make his case. To help the reader understand the positions of the candidates, the author has reprinted seven of the most important speeches by the candidates in the appendix.

This is a well written book containing interesting information on the views of those who have led the nation. I think it is an important book for this election cycle and will give readers a new way to evaluate what they are being told from the stump.
I had to read this book as a part of my history class in college. And I must say, I never really knew to what extent religion and politics were related until this book came along. I always assumed that our government was just supposed to be secular, and everyone who tried to co-mingle them was wrong. Yet this book really taught me that religion shapes a person, and that shapes the presidency. The last 60 years of political conflict can easily be explained by the religious swings in America and the White House, and this book does an excellent job showing it. It opened my eyes, I must say.

Why does it get 4 stars? Well... it can get repetitive. A few of the presidents were similar in religious backgrounds, yet they each got an equal portion of the book. The major swings of religion were very well explained though. But then there would be a few presidencies without change.

I still recommend it though.