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One Nation Under God
Book

One Nation Under God

How Corporate America Invented Christian America

Basic Books, 2015 plus...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Analytical
  • Eye Opening

Recommendation

This detailed, eye-opening history of religious nationalism in the United States may shock and upset some readers. However, Princeton University history professor Kevin M. Kruse offers a clear reporting path in his exploration of almost a century of lies, manipulation, and hypocrisy among some of America’s business elite, star preachers, and presidents in pushing a religious agenda for profit and power. Kruse details the role of an eager populace in allowing what he sees as false religion to reach into all aspects of life, including schools. He argues that, if not for the Supreme Court and the resistance of ordinary pastors, priests, and rabbis, the United States might now resemble a Christian theocracy.

Take-Aways

  • Since the 1930s, religious nationalists have perpetuated the myth that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and have tried to leverage religion for political influence.
  • Supporters of religious nationalism needed a president who would further their mission; they hoped Dwight David Eisenhower would be that president.
  • Eisenhower was born and raised in a religious household, but he lacked a strong personal commitment to religion.

About the Author

Princeton University history professor Kevin M. Kruse is also the author of The Division: John Doar, the Justice Department, and the Civil Rights Movement; White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism and Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974. He is the co-author with Julian E. Zelizer of the New York Times bestseller Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies about Our Past. He won a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship and is known for his social media posts offering historical context for current events.