Randall Herbert Balmer je významný historik amerického náboženství, který se zaměřuje na hluboké pochopení duchovních proudů a jejich dopadu na americkou společnost. Jeho práce proniká do složitých témat víry, identity a společenského vývoje, přičemž si udržuje poutavý a pronikavý styl. Balmerův přístup kombinuje historickou analýzu s teologickým vhledem, čímž osvětluje trvalý vliv náboženství na americkou kulturu a politiku.
Balmer debunks some of the cherished myths surrounding this distinctly American movement while prophetically speaking about its future contributions to American life.--Bradley J. Longfield Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology
Concluding with a manifesto directing where evangelicalism must go from here forth, Balmer's The Making of Evangelicalism will interest every reader-- evangelical, mainline, secular--who wants to better understand evangelicals today.--Lauren F. Winner, author of Girl Meets God and Mudhouse Sabbath Congressional Libraries Today
Balmer, a Dartmouth University religion professor, delivers a reassessment of "the alliance between white evangelicals and the far-right precincts of the Republican party." Balmer says that the court case that galvanized Evangelical political action was not the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion, but the 1971 decision in Green v. Connally, which threatened the tax-exempt status of religious institutions that discriminated on the basis of race. Evangelicals emerged as a political force in the 1970s after decades of retreat from secular society following the 1925 Scopes trial, according to Balmer, who details how opposition to state interference in "segregation academies" such as Jerry Falwell's Lynchburg Christian Academy and Bob Jones University (which had its tax-exempt status revoked in 1976) sparked the formation of the "religious right." Paul Weyrich and other political activists then "brilliantly shifted public perception of the movement away from racism toward a more high-minded defense of religious freedom," setting the stage for conservative Christians, further galvanized by the abortion issue and fears of "secular humanism," to turn against Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election.
Few Americans would deny that Christianity in America is in crisis, its credibility diminished by everything from sex scandals to close identification with extremist politics. Saving Faith examines this crisis and argues that recovering a prophetic voice entails learning from history and listening to Jesus.
Solemn Reverence vividly portrays both the history of the separation of church and state and 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, Balmer shows that previous episodes and ongoing efforts indicate its future is by no means assured.An unprecedented experiment in church-state relations, 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 and salubrious religious culture unmatched anywhere in the world. At various times throughout American history, however, and continuing to the present, special interests have sought to whittle away at the wall of separation between church and state—by seeking to declare that the United States is a “Christian nation,” by installing religious symbols in public spaces, by allowing tax-exempt entities to engage in partisan politics, or by diverting taxpayer funds for the support of religious schools.
A History: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush
The book explores the evolution of religion's influence in American politics, tracing the shift from John F. Kennedy's stance on the separation of church and state to George W. Bush's public declaration of divine guidance in his presidential ambitions. It examines key moments, figures, and societal changes that have shaped this transformation, highlighting the increasing intertwining of faith and political identity in contemporary America. Through this lens, the narrative delves into the implications for democracy and governance.
How the Religious Right Distorts Faith and Threatens America
The book explores the historical shift of evangelicalism from its progressive roots, which included support for abolition and suffrage, to its current alignment with conservative politics. Randall Balmer, an evangelical Christian and historian, uses ethnographic research and theological insights to analyze the Religious Right's entrenchment in partisan politics. He calls on liberal Christians to reclaim the rich, noble traditions of their faith, highlighting the need for a return to the original values of evangelicalism.