American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 723 ratings · 147 reviews

The American Gospel–literally, the good news about America–is that religion shapes our public life without controlling it. In this vivid book, New York Times bestselling author Jon 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 div...more The American Gospel–literally, the good news about America–is that religion shapes our public life without controlling it. In this vivid book, New York Times bestselling author Jon 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, American Gospel draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the fascinating 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 the Revolution to the Civil War; 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.

Debates about religion and politics are often more divisive than illuminating. Secularists point to a “wall of separation between church and state,” while many conservatives act as though the Founding Fathers were apostles in knee britches. As Meacham shows in this brisk narrative, neither extreme has it right. At the heart of the American experiment lies the God of 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.

Meacham has written and spoken extensively about religion and politics, and he brings historical authority and a sense of hope to the issue. American Gospel makes it compellingly clear that the nation’s best chance of summoning what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature” lies in recovering the spirit and sense of the Founding. In looking back, we may find the light to lead us forward.

“In his American Gospel, Jon Meacham provides a refreshingly clear, balanced, and wise historical portrait of religion and American politics at exactly the moment when such fairness and understanding are much needed. Anyone who doubts the relevance of history to our own time has only to read this exceptional book.”–David McCullough, author of 1776

“Jon Meacham has given us an insightful and eloquent account of the spiritual foundation of the early days of the American republic. It is especially instructive reading at a time when the nation is at once engaged in and deeply divided on the question of religion and its place in public life.”–Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation

“An absorbing narrative full of vivid characters and fresh thinking, American Gospel tells how the Founding Fathers–and their successors–struggled with their own religious and political convictions to work out the basic structure for freedom of religion. For me this book was nonstop reading.”–Elaine Pagels, professor of religion, Princeton University, author of Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

“Jon Meacham is one of our country’s most brilliant thinkers about religion’s impact on American society. In this scintillating and provocative book, Meacham reveals the often-hidden influence of religious belief on the Founding Fathers and on later generations of American citizens and leaders up to our own. Today, as we argue more strenuously than ever about the proper place of religion in our politics and the rest of American life, Meacham’s important book should serve as the touchstone of the debate.”
–Michael Beschloss, author of The Conquerors

“At a time when faith and freedom seem increasingly polarized, American Gospel recovers our vital center–the middle ground where, historically, religion and public life strike a delicate balance. Well researched, well written, inspiring, and persuasive, this is a welcome addition to the literature.”–Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University, author of American Judaism: A History(less)

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published April 4th 2006 by Random House

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Best American History books

306th out of 768 books — 1,035 voters

The Book of Mormon by The Church of Jesus Christ ...

Books (Besides the Bible) Recommended for Christian Readers

449th out of 1,899 books — 1,837 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,547)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 27, 2009 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I hear the claim that America needs to get back to being a "Christian nation," it makes me uncomfortable, and the reason is that the "gospel" of American public religion and the gospel of true Christianity are two different things. American public religion is based on the "God of Nature" of many of the Founding Fathers; even the Christian ones signed on to a view of the public God of America who is similar to the God of Christianity but does not, at least as far as I can tell, require and m...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 17, 2008 Skylar Burris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, christianity

Jon Meacham appears to take a genuinely moderate approach to his examination of the role of religion in American history. He argues that America was not founded as a Christian nation, but he also declines to classify it as a purely secular nation where religion must be expunged from the public sphere. In clear, concise language, he relates the role religion played in America from the founding of Jamestown to Ronald Reagan, although he is rather sporadic in his approach, often flying through grea...more Jon Meacham appears to take a genuinely moderate approach to his examination of the role of religion in American history. He argues that America was not founded as a Christian nation, but he also declines to classify it as a purely secular nation where religion must be expunged from the public sphere. In clear, concise language, he relates the role religion played in America from the founding of Jamestown to Ronald Reagan, although he is rather sporadic in his approach, often flying through great expanses of history, including the Great Awakening (a rather strange omission for a book on religion and America). He argues that America has both "public" and "private" religion, the private religion being specific (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc.), and the public religion being a type of general deism. He concedes that, on the whole, religion has been a positive influence on America.

While I appreciate that he approaches the role of religion with a moderate tone, I'm not sure I find his overall characterization of America or its founding fathers as religiously moderate convincing. Firstly, the founding fathers well may have been moderate for their own day, but they would hardly be considered so in ours. What if a modern President, as Abraham Lincoln once did, suggested that a present war was God's punishment for the national sins committed by Americans? (Indeed, Meacham himself, in the pages of American Gospel, reacts in horror at Jerry Falwell's extremism for suggesting our national sufferings in 9/11 were the consequence of our national sins.) What if a modern president where to make the kind of religious proclamations, today, that past presidents once made without concern that the public would scream, "Separation of church and state"? George Bush nearly sent people into fits merely by using words like "good" and "evil," but "moderate" politicians such as Ben Franklin routinely said things such as "We had daily prayer in this room of the divine power. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were answered." Meacham is right that the founding fathers were not sectarian zealots in their own time; what he fails to consider is the likelihood that they would be considered so in ours.

Secondly, Meacham's middle of the road approach fails to grasp how important the extremes of religious zeal were in bringing about major changes in United States history: abolition, the temperance movement, women's rights, and the Civil Rights movement—all major American political movements that were not fueled by moderate mainline attitudes, but by evangelical piety. Real historical change rarely results from moderation. Meacham makes some passing attempt to distinguish the use of the churches for the civil rights cause and the use of churches by conservative Christians to affect political change, but the distinction is quite spurious. Meacham's religious "extreme" appears to be those who use religion to further causes of which he doesn't personally approve; his religious "moderates" are those who use religion to further causes of which he does happen to approve. At any rate, the fact remains that, in U.S. history, religion has long mingled with politics, and it is not moderate and general religion, but deeply felt and specific religion, that has most often affected true change.

None of this is to suggest that America is a nation where Christians routinely strive to "force" their belief on others. Not even the most fundamentalist of American Christian denominations today advocates anything like a theocracy or the imprisonment of dissenters or the execution of homosexuals or religious tests for office. That is to say, one can be evangelical, zealous, or "extreme" in one's religion and still believe in religious tolerance and liberty; in fact, it is the most evangelical sects of Christians that have historically, traditionally supported the separation of church and state and not the presumably moderate "mainline" Christian denominations, which have tended, rather, to be established state churches.

America may not be a "Christian nation," but it is a nation OF Christians, many of whom are quite zealous compared to Christians in the rest of the western developed world. America boasts a more vibrant, more seriously held Christianity than any other western nation, with evangelicals numbering around 25% of the population. In America, church attendance greatly outstrips attendance in European countries with established churches. What America offers is not "moderation" in religion at all, but liberty, which is what makes real zeal possible. Established religion erodes zeal and slowly kills Christianity. But liberty gives birth to "extreme" religion, life-changing religion, nation-changing religion. What makes America unique is not that we are full of religious moderates or even that our founding fathers were religious moderates, but that most of our religious "extremists," unlike the religious extremists of most other times and cultures, have traditionally recognize that liberty is a friend of true religion.

So, while I appreciate that Meacham does not falsify history to fit it into a mythological Christian-nation mold as do too many fundamentalists, and while I appreciate that he does not wish to eradicate all vestiges of faith from the public sphere as do too many secularists, I ultimately find his thesis of moderations somewhat bland and lacking in historical insight. I had great hopes for the book from its opening pages, but it soon began to fall flat. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 23, 2007 Josh Tatum rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers who like Newsweek and are uninformed but curious about Church and State in U.S. history.

Shelves: churchandstate

Don't get me wrong, this book covers all the basic points of American religious history. Meacham does a decent job of telling the important - not just the popular - stories of the American religious experience; however, it is written like a Newsweek feature piece. It uses broad sweeps and makes broad generalizations, supported by the evidence that suits the author. Meacham's thesis is stereotypically Episcopalian: when confronted with a choice, Americans chose the middle. While it is true that a...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 24, 2013 Bernard A. rated it 5 of 5 stars

In my years as a minister, I came to believe that The United States of America was founded as a Christian nation and, somehow, fell away from the true faith. As most Fundamentalists, I believed that America is the New Israel, chosen by God to be a haven of holiness and a light to the world, the Shining City on a Hill.

It took me years to break out of that mindset. In "American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation," Jon Meacham puts order to what I had put together on my...more In my years as a minister, I came to believe that The United States of America was founded as a Christian nation and, somehow, fell away from the true faith. As most Fundamentalists, I believed that America is the New Israel, chosen by God to be a haven of holiness and a light to the world, the Shining City on a Hill.

It took me years to break out of that mindset. In "American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation," Jon Meacham puts order to what I had put together on my own. America was, in fact, founded as a nation where all religions could exist in peace. Americans would be free to worship--or not worship--as they chose, not as dictated by the government.

Freedom of religion had long been a sticking point in America. Roger Williams and Ann Hutchinson were expelled from Massachusetts because the Puritans had established a colony that granted freedom for their own religion, not anyone else's. Later, Virginia law decreed that parents could have their children taken away if they did not baptize their children in the Anglican religion. These an d other stories showed the Founders that, "civil societies dominated by compulsory religious rigidity were unhappy and intolerant, while religious liberty seemed to produce more prosperous, stable, and popular cultures.

The Founders' own views on religion would not track well with the prevailing conservative view of today's American Church. In the treat with Tripoli, President John Adams wrote that America was not founded on the Christian religion. Franklin and Jefferson did not believe in the divinity of Jesus and, "the Holy Trinity was seen as an invention of a corrupt church more interested in temporal power than in true religion."

In the recent Presidential election, religion again became an national issue, from Romney's Mormonism to the religious objections to contraception. Once again, the myth that America was founded as a Christian nation was proffered as truth by the revisionist history of religious ultra-conservatives. "American Gospel" combats this ignorance with clear, well-researched history. Anyone who is repulsed by what is going on in the American church needs to read this book.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 23, 2012 Bob Price rated it 4 of 5 stars

Talking about religion can get you trouble. Talking about Politics can also get you in trouble. Talking about both of them at the same time can get you killed.

Tackling a difficult subject like the place of religion in the United States is problematic at best and dangerous at worse. And yet, Jon Meacham is able to approach the subject with a critical, yet humble method. American Gospel represents Meacham's attempt to document almost 250 years of American religious history and is a laudable attemp...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 P rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay...as a person with a History degree I have an innate love of books relative thereto. Bearing that in mind, let me say this is a book I think would be a particularly good read for anyone in light of the coming Presidential election. The book is both enlightening and inspiring, reinforcing what we all learned in grade school about our country's origins. Basically, the book discusses the role religion played in creating our form of government and how that came about. Then it chronicles the rol...more

like · see review

Jan 06, 2011 Joe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, religeon

Though you are likely to find this book shelved in the history section of your local library or book seller, this one is not so much a history as an essay expounding the author's vision of a concept of "public religion" rooted in beliefs first put forward by the Founding Fathers. His is a vision of a broad-minded religiosity with room for all faiths, including the most fundamentalist, but also with room for those with no faith at all. This book is an author's plea for mutual respect and understa...more

like · see review

Apr 19, 2010 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have owned this book for about two years and it kept finding its way to the middle of the stack of books waiting to be read. Then it was the selection for a book discussion group, so I pulled it out. Excellent book. Jon Meacham, the managing editor of Newsweek, takes an historical look at religion in the United States, especially the religious beliefs of many of the Founding Fathers to try to discover what place they believed religion should legitimately play in the Revolutionary period and in...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 11, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting reflection on the role of religion in public life and government in the United States. Meacham's basic thesis is that the Founding Fathers "got it right." With respect to Jefferson (sometimes referred to as "Jefferson the atheist" in his own time) (page 4): "Jefferson surveyed and staked out an American middle ground between the ferocity of evangelizing Christians on one side and the contempt for religion of secular philosophes on the other. The right would like Jefferson...more This is an interesting reflection on the role of religion in public life and government in the United States. Meacham's basic thesis is that the Founding Fathers "got it right." With respect to Jefferson (sometimes referred to as "Jefferson the atheist" in his own time) (page 4): "Jefferson surveyed and staked out an American middle ground between the ferocity of evangelizing Christians on one side and the contempt for religion of secular philosophes on the other. The right would like Jefferson to be a soldier of faith, the left an American Voltaire. He was, depending on the moment, both or neither; he was, in other words, a lot like many of us." Meacham goes on to note that (page 5) "Belief in God is central to the country's experience, yet for the broad center, faith is a matter of choice, not coercion, and the legacy of the Founding is that the sensible center holds."

Meacham is quite critical of the Christian political activists, such as Jerry Falwell, who wish to impose their own religious views on the larger public; on the other hand, he speaks admiringly of Billy Graham, after he ceased politicizing religion, as a better role model.

The book begins with the roots of American history, which includes theocracy and religious intolerance in Massachusetts. Meacham is not sympathetic with this wedding of religion and politics. He is more positive about the experience in Pennsylvania. When he examines the development of the Constitution, he is fairly nuanced in noting that the Founders were religious--but did not want to impose their own faith on all. He author notes how Madison's Federalist # 10, by advocating a large republic, justified a system where no single religious grouping could exercise power over the republic, since there were so many different faiths.

He then traces the role of religion and its linkages to politics over American history. He notes the place of religion for a variety of presidents, from Lincoln onward to contemporary times.

He concludes with the following sentiments (page 243): ". . .a true Christian ought to be more interested in making the life of the world gentle for others than he should be in asserting the dominance of his own faith. . . . If the first shall be last and the last first, then who are Christians to exert power over others by the sword or the purse or the polling place?"

This is an interesting work, making one think about the complex linkages between religion and government. The course of American history provides many examples--good, bad, and ugly--of how this has worked. I am not completely satisfied with Meacham's argument. Some of the narrative seems to drift away from the thesis he is advancing. Many examples are so brief that it is not fully clear how they mesh with his thesis. Nonetheless, in the end, this book is thought-provoking and provides a sensible perspective on the religion-government relationship.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Laura LeAnn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Meacham does an incredible job of maintaining a very moderate, middle-of-the-road perspective and explanation of the place of religion in the United States. He uses a wide variety of historical records to show the founders, presidents, and others were complex individuals with regards to their political ideals and religious views. As the author writes, this is not really a history of religion in the United States or a history of its founding, but is really an essay covering vast periods of US his...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 08, 2013 Colleen Browne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although by no means an exhaustive review of the subject, Meacham's book does a great job of explaining the difference between what he calls the public God and the private God. The public God is the god of nature referred to by Jefferson, Lincoln, TR, FDR, and most of the leaders in our history. It refers to kind of a generic god that is not specific. It can be Christian or non-Christian, or even atheist. He also discusses the Evangelicals of the last 40 years or so who have attempted to push th...more

like · see review

Sep 10, 2012 Keith Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Meacham argues that while the Founders deliberately created a secular state they also created a "public religion". American public religion is a sort of generic religion without any creed or troublesome details. It reveres a creator God who is just but merciful and who guides events with a vaguely defined Providence. It allows for public piety without establishing a particular sect as the official state religion. Public religion seems a lot like Protestant Christianity with the Christ part left...more

like · see review

Apr 25, 2013 Jimmy added it

This is an interesting book on the relationship and influence of religion upon the founding fathers in the political sphere. It is written by a capable author on American history. The author’s thesis is contrary to the opinions of twentieth first century secular humanists and atheists, since he argues that historically there has been a place for religion in the public square. He also balances this view by challenging the views adopted by some Conservative Christians that the United States’ found...more This is an interesting book on the relationship and influence of religion upon the founding fathers in the political sphere. It is written by a capable author on American history. The author’s thesis is contrary to the opinions of twentieth first century secular humanists and atheists, since he argues that historically there has been a place for religion in the public square. He also balances this view by challenging the views adopted by some Conservative Christians that the United States’ founding fathers were thoroughly Christian or sectarian as it is expressed in the political realm. His view is approximately that of my current stance: No doubt Christianity has been influential in the lives of individuals who were involved with the American independence and the new United States government but there were other ideological influences as well such as the Enlightenment, rational theism, etc. I was eager to read this book to learn more about the non-Christians among our Founding Fathers and to see where they stood theologically. Since my undergraduate studies I have concluded that Benjamin Franklin was not quite the ideal Deists as some propagandists makes him out to be especially concerning the issue of God’s providence. The book reinforces my view when it quoted Franklin saying, “I have lived sir a long time, the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affair of men.” Though he was not a Christian, Franklin was far from being the modern militant secularist today since he wrote, “He that spit against the wind, spit in his own face” against someone who was going to publish a tract against Christianity. Concerning Thomas Jefferson I thought it was ironic that as he was approaching his death Jefferson would comfort himself with the portion of the Gospel of Luke that he edited out of his own Bible version from the Song of Simeon. I also found it intriguing that the No Establishment Clause in the Constitution, seemed to be interpreted contrary to the current interpretation today when we read of instances such as the case of a Jew name Jacob Henry whose attempt to enter into state political office was challenged, indicating that the First Amendment was not invoked or understood historically as implying that there must be a ban against religious test for office at the state level. I also enjoyed reading in the book John Jay boldly stating he believed in Jesus Christ at a party in France before philosophers mocking the faith. Over all a good, informative and captivating read. The title was a bit misleading since it went beyond the founding fathers to talk about the role of public religion in the lives of later presidents such as Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Kennedy, Nixon and Ronald Regan. I was surprised to read that Eisenhower would pray in every cabinet meeting. One criticism I did have was the author’s wrongful assumption that the Bible teaches Earth was the center of the universe. While one gets the sense that the author leans more left especially with his treatment of Christian conservatives, nevertheless I think discerning readers who are Christian conservative can learn from this book that yes, there is an influence of Christian heritage among America’s founding fathers. There’s plenty of ammo here against the New Atheists types and Brights concerning the nature of America’s public religion. However, the book rightly points out that the public religion in America’s political landscape is not thoroughly Christian and is quite ecumenical. I believe Christians ought to be careful of ecumenicalism lest it changes and compromises the Christian faith and the Gospel message with this Americanized public religion.(less)

like · see review

Mar 29, 2009 Todd Martin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

American Gospel looks at the history of religion in the US focusing particularly on the country's founders. The main theme of the book reinforces the fact that the founders never intended the US to be a christian (or any other religious denomination) nation, but that religion has always played a role in public life. He also discusses the idea of a wall of separation between church and state and that it is never perhaps as clear as we might like.

Unfortunately this analysis is not a terribly deep...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 06, 2013 Jeffery rated it 3 of 5 stars

I need to finish this book. I began this one a while ago and eventually put it down around Roosevelt. I like the discussion of historical fact in it, but Meacham's discussion of a "public faith" that America has seemed kind of boring and wanting to me. From looking at the numbers, America has been a nominally Protestant Christian country, and overall a Protestant Christian culture since it's beginning. That's beginning to change, but the growing tide of Catholics, Non-Religious and Wiccans in th...more

like · see review

Nov 06, 2009 Fred Grinstein rated it 3 of 5 stars

A little dense but a well-argued book that makes some pretty cases against both extremes of the religion debate in America.

On the one hand its clear that the Founders worked pretty hard to keep religion out of the defining documents of our country. They were incredibly tolerant and pluralistic by any standards in history, and were by and large more concerned with shrewd politics than they were worried about which God was on America's side.

That said, we're not an atheist nation and from Lincoln...more

like · see review

Aug 21, 2007 Gwynne rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was one of the worse histories of religion and politics that I've read (and I have a lot to go on). The narrative meandered, evidence was unconvincing, and the argument was somewhat tortured. If you're interested in the subject, you're better off with books on religion and God that deal with specific periods.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 24, 2009 Cynthia Karl rated it 4 of 5 stars

So often one hears "we need to return to the faith of our Founding Fathers" or words to that effect. This book is well worth reading to remind us that the Founding Fathers were a diverse group of men who wisely refrained from overt references to a particular religion - the Constitution does not mention a creator or god at all; the Declaration refers to a creator but there is no mention of Christ. (I did not know that there were Jewish people in the US as early as the 17th century.) I like the ph...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Listened to this in the car and really enjoyed it. It is basically a tour of American history as it has interacted with faith, religion and government. It argues that the key to American success in the area of the separation of church and state is to honor the wall of separation but keep it low and somewhat porous. A somewhat vague but deist public religion has allowed America to praise piety and faith without getting embroiled in the sectarian violence and divisions which come with established...more

like · see review

Sep 12, 2012 Kevin Press rated it 5 of 5 stars

It probably won't come as a surprise that I found Meacham a bit dismissive of aetheism, but this book is very worthwhile just the same. It explains the misperceptions many of us have about the notion of a separation of church and state in the U.S. Meacham argues convincingly that it is practically impossible to separate the two. The Founding Fathers' notion of God-given, or natural rights are fundamental to our understanding of the U.S.

But it is just as incorrect to describe the U.S. as a Christ...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2013 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a must-read for everyone who thinks this country was founded as a Christian nation...if you don't want to read and analyze what the founding fathers actually wrote, American Gospel is a nice shortcut. Also explains the history of the idea of separation of church and state, which is often used in the wrong context.

Deftly explains the difference between "public religion" (the mention of non-specific God) vs "private religion," which is what you practice at home, in whichever way you pleas...more

like · see review

Feb 17, 2010 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book's value is summarized in a quote from the author, "Democracy is easy, rpublicanism is hard. Democracy is fueled by passion; republicanism is founded on moderation." Moderation can feel less fulfilling to many of us, but it also leads to more endurance.

The Founding Fathers (Jefferson and Madison principally) wisely thought of the checks and balances on a system in order to neither promote any one religion nor exclude any religion or set of beliefs. And while the nation has a majority of...more

like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Current politicians and all Americans should read this book before stating that the founding fathers established a Christian Nation. They were, for the most part, Christians, but the God of whom they reference in the founding documents of this country is more expansive - Nature's God - allowing the right of religious freedom to be secured by all religions. But for those Americans who believe God or religion should not be part of public discourse, this book isn't going to lend them ammunition to...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 07, 2011 Bank rated it 5 of 5 stars

The separation of church and state is explored throughout American history , starting with the Work of Jefferson , Franklin , John Adams , and others who were there at the beginning and continues through 200+ years of Supreme Court decisions , political movements , etc. For some reason , I thought I understood the reasons and origins of this part of the Constitution ; and I must confess I had some prejudices ( Webster : pre judgments ) post 9/11 as to what it should mean . With all that said, th...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Adam Sommer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very nice middle of the road examination of the real role of Christianity in our Nations most powerful office and its influence on the founders.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 26, 2010 Nicole Marble rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an examination of our Founding Fathers and their religious views and how those views influenced what became the U.S.; the way they designed our government. The FF knew that the U.S. began with religious INtolerance - especially the Puritans - and understood that religious governance was despotic. Because of that knowledge, they chose to separate government and religion. They appreciated religion in public life, but created a secular government. After that information, the book wanders th...more

like · see review

Dec 31, 2008 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, 2008

Neil and I listened to this on the way home for the Holidays. It was boring. And I disagree wtih Meacham's thesis that American's (including the founding fathers) want to have a generic God who will be there when we need Him and will "bless America", but will not be specific enough to endorse a state church. I am "religious", but think that with the plurailty of relgious and agnostics in the US, a secular approach would be better. But besides my disagreement with his thesis, the book was way too...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Valerie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't give too many 5 star ratings, but American Gospel was most deserving. This scholarly and thoughtful book about religion in American is a good refresher course in the American history and includes many facts not commonly taught. Starting with the colonists at Jamestown and ending with September 11, Meacham discusses how faith and religion played a part in the founding and development of our country. The last chapter is one of the best essays on the place of religion in America that I have...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 08, 2011 Magila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religious, non-fiction

this book is very well written. now, i listened to it and thus tuned some pieces of it out, but it moved at a reasonable clip. the author appears to have done a good amount of research and compiled the book in a fairly logical (mostly chronological) fashion.

i can't say i agree with everything, but it's worth a read. and thought provoking. one of the most entertaining subplots is that the author, through mostly just presenting facts, depicts the highly religious of these days as somewhat "too ho...more

like · see review

Sep 01, 2010 Judy Vastine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this a little difficult(one reviewer said dense, and I agree) to read but am glad I did and believe more people should read the book. It's always better to get your information from source documents and not popular culture entertainment figures.

The United States was was meant by the founders to be a nation of religious tolerance, end of story.

My favorite passage: "Will you drive from your shores and from the shelter of your constitution all who do not lay their oblations on the same alta...more

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 51 52 next »

Non Fiction

46 users

Religion

38 users

History > American History

16 users

Politics

15 users

Religion > Christianity

9 users

Religion > Theology

5 users

Spirituality

5 users

Literature > American

3 users

Sociology

2 users

See top shelves...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About American Gospel: ...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation
avg rating	preview: American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation Goodreads rating: 3.66 (723 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4405.American_Gospel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1165432853l/4405.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4405.American_Gospel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham[/url]

American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (10)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Jon Meacham

Books by Jon Meacham

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About American Gospel: ...