LITERARY SPIRIT\ Religion in the media

“God in the White House” by Randall Balmer (HarperOne, 243 pages, $24.95): John Kennedy, in his successful 1960 bid to become the first Roman Catholic president, urged that religion not be considered when deciding for whom to vote. Nearly a half-century later, the author notes in his survey of religion and the presidency, that is indeed a quaint notion. After the bitter 1960 struggle, religion receded into the background. Other than perfunctory nods to the Almighty and occasional visits to the White House by Billy Graham, Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford did not worry much about religion. That changed when Jimmy Carter awakened evangelical Christians in his astonishing and successful 1976 bid. But the same group turned against him four years later and changed presidential politics forever. The religious right welcomed Ronald Reagan to the White House despite his being a divorced and remarried man who seldom attended church. Leaders of the religious right were always welcome at the Reagan White House but were disappointed by his failure to gain the things they wanted most: an end to legal abortion, prayer back in schools, a halt to increasing gay rights. Although the group’s support was crucial to Republican successes in 1988, 2000 and 2004, its leaders never felt properly rewarded. Dwight Eisenhower is reported to have said, “Our form of government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don’t care what it is.” Balmer says that’s how most Americans feel about their presidents. The author, a professor of American religious history at Barnard College and Columbia University who terms himself a left-leaning evangelical, argues that American voters have done a poor job of matching candidates and religious outlooks. He contends that the electorate should pay more attention to character and less to what candidates profess.

“Revolutionary Spirits” by Gary Kowalski (Bluebridge, 196 pages, $22): If you’re looking for a good read, “Revolutionary Spirits” by Gary Kowalski may not fit the bill. The writing is more academic than it is pleasurable. But if you’re looking for a history lesson, it might be the book for you. Kowalski, a Unitarian-Universalist minister, unveils a conjecture about our Founding Fathers. His book isn’t breaking new ground, but it does explore a concept that is unknown to many. His argument is simple: The faith of America’s founders is more complex, and perhaps more controversial, than many history books let on. For instance, he says that Benjamin Franklin rewrote the Lord’s Prayer because it made the worship service last too long and that Thomas Paine, whose ideas resonated in the Declaration of Independence although he was not among the signers, believed the Bible to be nothing more than “poetry and hearsay.” It’s hard to determine what’s research and what’s opinion in this publication. But it provides decent insight into the lives and personae of the men who aided in the establishment of America.

McClatchy Newspapers