The Theme is Freedom: Religion, Politics, and the American Traditions
That there is conflict over the accepted place of religion in our public life and institutions goes without saying. Journalist Evans argues that we have erroneous notions about the origins of our country, institutions, and freedoms. He finds many of these mistakes to be the product of an accepted "liberal history lesson." For example, Evans opposes the common belief that there must be a "wall of separation" between church and state. Like Stephen Carter in The Culture of Disbelief (LJ 9/1/93), Evans believes that religion is wrongly subordinated to other elements of modern American culture and that religion and religious faith should be significant parts of our public life. Carter's book is the more scholarly and principled, Evans's the more polemical. Recommended for public libraries.Jerry Stephens, U.S. Court of Appeals Lib., Oklahoma CityCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.