by Amy Hest
Library Journal
: Historian and acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner Wills (history, emeritus, Northwestern Univ.; What Jesus Meant) provides a survey of the key movements and personalities that helped create the separation of church and state in America. Narrative histories of American Christianity are typically large owing to the diverse religious landscape, and Wills's book follows suit as he examines the patterns of evangelical activity, usually at times of social transformation, and religious tolerance for issues such as abortion rights, abolition, and civil rights. He takes us through the complete history of America's religions, from the Puritans' arrival in America to George Bush's reelection on the religious vote. And he offers short biographies of, e.g., evangelist Billy Sunday and philosopher John Locke, exploring each individual's contribution to the changing of America's religious landscape at different points in history. The reader discovers patterns of decreased religious fervor followed by an explosion of evangelical reassertion of religious values. Wills ends his examination cautioning vigilance about the aggressive reassertion of religious values into the public sphere. Academically well written and with a depth of bibliographical research, this book is recommended for larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/07.]—L. Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms
Library Journal
: Historian and acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner Wills (history, emeritus, Northwestern Univ.; What Jesus Meant) provides a survey of the key movements and personalities that helped create the separation of church and state in America. Narrative histories of American Christianity are typically large owing to the diverse religious landscape, and Wills's book follows suit as he examines the patterns of evangelical activity, usually at times of social transformation, and religious tolerance for issues such as abortion rights, abolition, and civil rights. He takes us through the complete history of America's religions, from the Puritans' arrival in America to George Bush's reelection on the religious vote. And he offers short biographies of, e.g., evangelist Billy Sunday and philosopher John Locke, exploring each individual's contribution to the changing of America's religious landscape at different points in history. The reader discovers patterns of decreased religious fervor followed by an explosion of evangelical reassertion of religious values. Wills ends his examination cautioning vigilance about the aggressive reassertion of religious values into the public sphere. Academically well written and with a depth of bibliographical research, this book is recommended for larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/07.]—L. Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms
Library Journal
: Historian and acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner Wills (history, emeritus, Northwestern Univ.; What Jesus Meant) provides a survey of the key movements and personalities that helped create the separation of church and state in America. Narrative histories of American Christianity are typically large owing to the diverse religious landscape, and Wills's book follows suit as he examines the patterns of evangelical activity, usually at times of social transformation, and religious tolerance for issues such as abortion rights, abolition, and civil rights. He takes us through the complete history of America's religions, from the Puritans' arrival in America to George Bush's reelection on the religious vote. And he offers short biographies of, e.g., evangelist Billy Sunday and philosopher John Locke, exploring each individual's contribution to the changing of America's religious landscape at different points in history. The reader discovers patterns of decreased religious fervor followed by an explosion of evangelical reassertion of religious values. Wills ends his examination cautioning vigilance about the aggressive reassertion of religious values into the public sphere. Academically well written and with a depth of bibliographical research, this book is recommended for larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/07.]—L. Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions Inc. Terms
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