Balmer, a left-wing evangelical Christian, believes that his religious faith has been "hijacked" by the Religious Right. It seems that being a Christian and being a Republican has become synonymous in the minds of certain people, both within and without the faith.

The first chapter starts off discussing the Religious Rights' two favorite bugaboos--abortion and homosexuality. Jesus said nothing about either in the New Testament, but in the politicized churches of the Religious Right, that's just about all one hears about. What about poverty? What about racism? Oops, the Religious Right did spend a lot of energy trying to maintain Bob Jones University's tax exempt status....In any event, Balmer makes his point clear that abortion, undesirable as it is, is no place for government intervention.

Balmer provides a short history of the Baptist church (many on the religious right self-identify as Baptist). The early Baptist church supported a separation between church and state; this idea ended up getting written into the Bill of Rights. The politicized church of today would be unrecognizable to the early Baptists. It is noted that religion, predominantly various strains of Christianity, has thrived in the United States in this atmosphere of church/state separation. Balmer likens the need of the Religious Right to have symbols of the faith on public property, to Golden Calf-type idolatry.

Although admitting that parents have a right to choose schools for their children, Balmer considers any school situation other than public school potentially antidemocratic. This includes school vouchers, homeschooling, and (to a lesser extent) charter schools. Balmer also describes a "Patrick Henry College" that not only allows young evangelicals to continue their isolation from the world through their college years, but also encourages them to bring their beliefs into the political system (such as becoming a Supreme Court justice....)

Creationism, or Intelligent Design, or whatever they're calling it this week, is not only unscientific, but damages religious faith by requiring it to undergo scientific rigor.

There is one area where the Religious Right is starting to break ranks with the rest of the Republicans, and that is the environment. Evangelicals are moving away from a "dominion" model (let's use everything up) and towards a "stewardship" model (the Earth is the Lord's, and we as Christians are to take care of it).

The book concludes with a list of more Religious Right foibles, and finally, a reminder of what religious people ought to be putting their energies toward (such as abolishing torture, capital punishment, etc. as well as the usual war/racism/poverty stuff that Republicans haven't, in general, seen fit to deal with for one reason or another).

Balmer presents his arguments well. Occasionally, however, some of his personal political viewpoints, beyond what is covered in the book do come rushing out. For example, he seems to advocate vegetarianism to some degree, on page 151 ("not yet dead animal hanging from a slaughterhouse hook") and p. 186. He is a cheerleader for the public schools with all their faults, admonishing the Religious Right not to either modify them (e.g. having any sort of religious presence) or shun them (vouchers, private schools, etc.) On page 135, he gives the example of the radio to try to say that there is no "liberal media"--what about television?

It is interesting to compare this book with _Failing America's Faithful_, by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. (I reviewed it earlier). Despite the denominational difference (Townsend's a Catholic, Balmer's an Evangelical) the themes are similar; the Religious Right should not be allowed to monopolize Christianity in America. However, while Townsend advocates a left-wing version of the Religious Right, Balmer emphasizes that religion works best when it stays peripheral to political activities.

How can one who does not believe all the Bible -- only his own chosen verses, and many of those out of context -- argue against the failures of others whom he claims are not measuring up to the Bible's teachings ?? On another note, the Bible stands on its on teachings. You cannot argue for or against something on the basis of tradition. Truth is truth, right is right, regardless of what others say. Many of his arguments are moot, because he doesn't believe the truth of a book he seeks to defend. His arguments for the most part are his personal beliefs versus the Christian Conservatives. **** If you truly want to understand the role of religion and politics in American History, a better read would be "The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States" by Benjamin Franklin Morris. (Originally published in 1864 -- recently reprinted and available from www.americanvision.org) Another Good Read --

"America a Christian Nation" by Stephen Mcdowell. Let the facts speak for themselves.