00000cam a22000004a 4500 UP-99796217611831058 Buklod 20151021152514.0 a r |||| u| ta 061006s2006 nyum rb a001 0|eng d 1400065550 9781400065554 (iLib)UPD-00249812259 Donation MCM Santamaria UtOrBLW DML BG10.21.15 eng E 156 M43 2006 Meacham, Jon. American gospel God, the founding fathers, and the making of a nation Jon Meacham. New York Random House c2006. xii, 399 pages illustrations 22 cm. text rdacontent still photos rdacontent unmediated rdamedia volume rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references (p. [359]-387) and index. Author Meacham tells the human story of how the Founding Fathers viewed faith, and how they ultimately created a nation in which belief in God is a matter of choice. At a time when our country seems divided by extremism, this book draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the history of a nation grappling with religion and politics--from John Winthrop's "city on a hill" sermon to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence; from a proposed nineteenth-century Christian Amendment to the Constitution to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call for civil rights; from George Washington to Ronald Reagan. At the heart of the American experiment lies what Benjamin Franklin called "public religion," a God who invests all human beings with inalienable rights while protecting private religion from government interference. It is a great American balancing act, and it has served us well. Religion and politics United States History. Christianity and politics United States History. National characteristics, American. United States Religion History. United States History Religious aspects Christianity. FO Monograph UPD DAC E 156 M43 2006 Book