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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Read, February 1, 2010
This review is from: The Divided States of America?: What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match! (Hardcover)
I wore out my highlighter on this book. I was fortunate enough to hear Dr. Land at a church in our area and bought this book there. I ordered another for my Father-in -law from amazon because he asked me what I thought was going on with our country. Dr. Land says it better than I could.
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12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Insightful and Informative...a MUST READ, March 16, 2009
This review is from: The Divided States of America?: What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match! (Hardcover)
As a younger reader I definitely found this book a refreshing breath of fresh air as I have only really experienced in my lifetime the "state" at which the separation of church/state debate is today along with the shouting matches that have ensued. It was truly enlightening to read of the faith of many of our most prominent presidents and to see how they envisioned freedom of religion and balanced their personal faiths with the running of our country. I never knew so many of presidents had such a strong faith and to hear the prayers, speeches, and addresses given by so many of them was enlightening to me. I wondered why I never learned of these things in public school. What a difference of opinion our founding fathers had on this topic...definitely worth reading.
Recommend to ppl who:
- want to know a constitutionally acceptable, faith affirming position on church/state issues.
- want to learn new things you probably never knew of our American presidents and our history.
- enjoy reading informative book on a hard issue...i learned a lot.
Thanks
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book to read and use as a reference, April 3, 2011
Dr. Land graduated magna cum laude from Princeton and received his PhD from Oxford. I've always appreciated his willingness to take on the difficult issues and provide a Christian Statesman response. If you want to find well reasoned arguments for a number of difficult issues we face when we venture outside our churches, check out his book "The Divided States of America."
He presents a convincing model of Steering clear of religious "avoidance" on the left and religious "acknowledgement" on the right. He presents a workable view of "accommodation" for individual religious rights.
His views are peppered with anecdotes that are only accumulated by someone who is active in the Culture Wars.
I think he occasionally gives too much credence to what the liberal left wishes were true about the conservative right. He also presents the liberal viewpoint of a "Christian America" and the caricature the left has molded it into. It almost seems as if he's willing to cede ground to eliminate future unpopular battles.
As a former school board chairman I read with great interest his chapter dealing with religious accommodation in public schools. His proposal allows for accommodation of a religiously diverse student body. I can't imagine it ever becoming a reality, but it sure would be fun to watch.
I can't say I agree with every one of his opinions, but his book will certainly make you think through an issue's pros and cons.
I would give it an A- and thoroughly recommend it be added to your bookshelf.
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