Customer Reviews

What if America Were a Christian Nation Again?

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I enjoyed the book thoroughly. In spite of reviews to the contrary (obviously written by people with an axe to grind), history was reviewed thoroughly. Christians were a very major factor in this country becoming what it is. They were also the reason other religions are freely practiced here - more than any other country. If you wonder about that, go to Muslim countries and view how many Christian churches are allowed to operate. There is no doubt our Founders intended a freedom to practice religion, and that the vast majority of them practiced Christianity.

Kennedy does not advocate an establishment of religion, merely a recognition of our heritage and the understanding that the country is better off with moral principles, particularly those found in the bible. If you haven't studied American history and wonder if Christianity had a part - read this book. An honest assesment of history, spoken through a Christian world view, is offered here.

Patriot Bible University uses this book for their class: America--Christian Nation or Not (listed under "Science and History").

The phrase 'nuff said comes to mind.

Dr. Kennedy analyzes American history using the Bible. However, his research and conclusions are flawed. I will admit that I agree with some of the points he makes, as I am a Christian.

However, I do not believe for one second that America ever was a Christian nation. Having read several books on the subject, including Kennedy's, I came to the conclusion that the founding fathers wanted the freedom to practice religion in the privacy of their homes and churches, and not to have the state dictate to them what they could and could not believe. Jon Meacham's excellent book "American Gospel" is a much better researched book than Kennedy's fundamentalist views on what America should be like.

Don't bother with those who have criticized this book. The reviews have obviously been written by malicious, non-Christians (perhaps even atheists) who only want to stir up trouble.

This book, like so many others by D. James Kennedy, is filled with historic references, philosophical ponderings and solutions to the problems that have crippled America today.

He does NOT advocate discrimination of any kind -- especially not intellectual discrimination. Too bad those who have given this book such poor reviews can't say the same.

Read it and decide for yourself.

First Amendment
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."

John Adams, Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11
"The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."

John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson
"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved--the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"

James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance
"Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects?"
Thomas Jefferson, "The Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom"
"Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, more than on our opinions in physics and geometry. . . ."

Thomas Jefferson, "Notes on the State of Virginia"
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg..."

Thomas Jefferson, "Statute for Religious Freedom"
"...no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise.. affect their civil capacities."

Thomas Jefferson, autobiography
"(When) the (Virginia) bill for establishing religious freedom, the principles of which had, to a certain degree, been enacted before, I had drawn in all the latitude of reason & right. It still met with opposition; but, with some mutilations in the preamble, it was finally passed; and a singular proposition proved that it's protections of opinion was meant to be universal. Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantel of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohametan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination."

Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Short
"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition [Christianity] one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythology."

James Madison, "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments"
"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution."

Benjamin Franklin (from his autobiography)
Some books against Deism fell into my hands....It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quote to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations, in short, I soon became a thorough Deist."

Benjamin Franklin, "2000 Years of Disbelief" by James Haught
"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one."

In his book, What if America Were a Christian Nation Again, D. James Kennedy seems less concerned with spreading or accurately portraying the Christian religion than he is reinforcing the group solidarity of the right-wing conservative Christian demographic and motivating them into political action. While claiming to be interested in re-creating a Christian nation, he makes several assumptions, not the least of which being that such a nation existed, and aims his efforts at social change not at the social problems that most would say degrade the quality of life in the United States, but upon individual lifestyle choices that he claims are the reason for the other ills plaguing the country.

At the very outset of his book, Kennedy asks us to assume a great deal. His most basic assumptions, the accuracy of the Christian religion and that its values are the ideal values to live by, are likely controversial to a significant number of people, but still largely a matter of faith. But his later assumptions, that the country was at one point a model of Christian values, that Christianity is what made America prosperous, that the country's past was better than its present, and that what the founders of the country desired for its future is relevant to the country today, are all highly arguable. Counter examples for all of these abound. The abuses that occurred throughout the country's history toward racial and economic minorities, and the suffering of such groups shows the idea of a golden age of Christianity, and of a `better' past to be but myths. The prosperity of the country, largely attributable to foreign policy decisions and the availability of resources, had little to do with the religion, and the productivity of the workforce owes thanks to the puritan work ethic, a cultural phenomenon rather than a tenet of Christianity. Even the idea that the country's founders should still influence the course of the country's politics is specious, as their words are a product of their times that cannot hope to cope with the cultural changes of over two centuries.

But despite the many poor assumptions, Kennedy provides a compelling argument for those already of a mind to agree with them, and his message has a great deal of political value. Kennedy shows his readers a black and white morality, and holds up a past that never was, the product of the postwar 1950's attempt to return to an exaggerated version of the cultures ideal of family that could only sustain itself for a mere decade before collapsing into the rebellion of the 1960's. Kennedy holds up a carrot to his readers; he offers a better world, one made achievable by the `fact' that it once existed, a world governed by clear moral choices and a homogeneous culture living in accord with one another. Kennedy, once he has established the lure, goes on to give a plan of action to obtain his mythical world, a plan which carefully avoids gray areas and hard to deal with social problems, but instead focuses on things such as family values, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, and abortion.

Of the issues identified as problems, only the breakdown of family holds any relevance to the majority of social problems facing the country, and while many studies have shown that the abundance of divorces, and the lack of primary caregivers, are negatively affecting today's youth, the causes of the breakdown of the family have been shown to be less involved with the breakdown of Christian values and more due to the changes brought about by economics, the empowerment of women to have a say in their own lives, and the requirements of postindustrial society. Promiscuity, not a problem in itself unless it contradicts ones religious doctrines, is only problematic in that it results in undesired pregnancies and diseases, and ironically a large body of research exists showing that the Christian right, to whom Kennedy speaks, is actually at fault for exacerbating these negative consequences through a culture of ignorance and abstinence `education'. Homosexuality and abortion are simply moral or religious issues, and the few correlations Kennedy bothers to draw between them and America's social problems are weak at best, with the loss of members of the workforce being the best he can come up with.

But, though his arguments are objectively weak, they have a great deal of appeal to a large portion of the population. They provide easy answers and a scapegoat to attack, allowing the Christian right to continue its own ideology indefinitely, for they will never be forced to confront the accuracy of their ideas until their goals of a Christian and `moral' society come to be, a thing unlikely to occur due to the resistance of the rest of society, allowing the Christian right a constant source of group cohesion and an enemy to blame for society's ills.

Further, Kennedy offers something even more appealing than ideas that can never be proven wrong. He offers readers the feeling of privilege and sanction that they no longer have in today's pluralistic society. At the same time he criticizes the population as a whole for their `license' and for acting at the expense of the rights of Christians, Kennedy speaks of creating a country ruled by Christian values, a country in which varying viewpoints are weeded out and those things at odds with Christian ethics expunged.

This is a great book. I am 16 years old and I find this book simply true. Christians living in America need to wake up and speak up!We need to stop worrying about if we are going to hurt someones feelings or not by metioning the word "God" in public places(need I remind you we Christians also have the right of freedom of speech as well). We also as Christians need to say to the atheist who are taking down the ten commandments, crosses, and etc, hey that offends me. Whether people believe it or not ATHEISM IS A RELIGION, it is what someone personally believes in which is what any other relgion is, something you believe in.

As is typical of all of D. James Kennedy's writings and speeches, this one is full of poppycock too. To come to the conclusions that he has come to in this book, one would have to totally and completely ignore the facts of history.
That,sadly, is what the so called Christian Reconstructionists, of which the "Rev" Kennedy is a member, do all the time. To the rest of us, that is referred to as being a Liar for Jesus. That is not what real Christians should do however, but Kennedy shows no conscience when it comes to that however and that is truly the sad part.

This is a great book. Dr Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe have done a wonderful job. I hope that their message touches many and that America will get back on track to her Christian roots. Infused with many great facts about our founding fathers as well as our country of which I was not aware(being I was the product of public education). Thanks for a wonderful and spirit moving book Dr Kennedy!!