Solemn Reverence
The Separation of Church and State in American Life
by Randall Balmer
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Pub Date Feb 02 2021 | Archive Date Jan 21 2021
Steerforth Press | Steerforth Press / Truth to Power
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Description
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.
Advance Praise
“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
"This moving and sprightly book is filled with backstories from America's struggle for religious freedom that I'll bet you have never heard before . . . a brilliant scholar's telling insights on the right way for church, state and society to interact." - E.J. Dionne Jr., author of Code Red and Why the Right Went Wrong
"This insightful and timely study highlights significant ideas and events related to the separation of church and state in the US from the colonial era to the present. Amid relentless debates and frequent misunderstandings on the subject then and now, Solemn Reverence sets the historical record straight." -- Bill J. Leonard, Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies and Church History Emeritus at Wake Forest University
"This truth-telling book is the most succinct account now available of the history of government's relation to religion in the United States. If you must read only one book on this exceptionally important topic, this new work by the distinguished historian of American religion, Randall Balmer is the one to read." -- David A. Hollinger, University of California, Berkeley, and author of After Cloven Tongues of Fire
"Solemn Reverence is what we need right now: an antidote to the persistent threat of Christian Nationalism. Randall Balmer gives us an accessible and timely reminder of our country's powerful, if far from perfect, religious liberty history. It is a reminder of the wisdom and success of the separation of church and state." -- Holly Hollman, general counsel at BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
"In a concise and wonderfully clear historical review of important episodes intended to defend the principle of church-state separation, Randall Balmer has provided religious Americans with a powerful reminder of their stake in the matter. The Baptist minister Roger Williams, long before the writing of the Constitution, warned churches not to get involved in the 'wilderness' of worldly politics. American Baptists remained staunch champions of church-state separation until the end of the twentieth century. What they have risked in forgetting Williams' warnings is only now becoming clear." -- R. Laurence Moore, author of Religious Outsiders and the Making of Americans
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781586422714 |
| PRICE | $12.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 112 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Jeff (Old Account) S, Reviewer
Solid If Brief History Marred By No True Scotsmen. This is a seemingly comprehensive - more comprehensive than any other I've ever read, and I've read many - yet brief (around 100 pages, including all non-narrative book material such as table of contents and bibliography) look at the issue. It even manages to include several historical facts of which I was hitherto unaware. Which is not overly easy to do, given that I've been speaking on this exact issue, from both sides at varying times, in depth off and on for over 20 years now. HOWEVER, particularly in its later chapters when it begins to get into more modern times - the last 40-50 years or so -, Balmer allows a tinge of "No True Scotsman" to invade his narrative. Even though I largely concur with these particular points, that the Baptists of the modern era - particularly the Southern Baptist Convention post "Conservative Resurgence" - have lost much of what it historically meant to be a Baptist (*even in the SBC itself!*), it taints what is otherwise a largely strictly fact based discussion of the history of the separation of Church and State in the land now known as the United States of America. Still, I don't find it quite significant enough to downgrade the overall rating a full 20% that the loss of one of five stars would denote (though if I were grading on a typical A-F scale, I would probably drop this into B+ territory over the issue). Very much recommended.
