The Baptizing of America
The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The Baptizing of America: Politics, Piety, and the Coming Theocracy exposes the systematic campaign by Christian fundamentalists to co-opt and take over every "room" of American society from the bedroom to the school room, hospital room, operating room, courtroom, work room, reading room and newsroom. This book focuses on the aggressive war currently being led by fundamentalist Christians to "baptize America." It is a battle that will determine whether the United States remains a spiritually vital country but without an officially established religion, or whether it will become "Christianized," a "faith-based nation" in which fundamentalist Christianity will be the sole legal dominant religion throughout the land. The war will decide whether America follows the path of many other nations and becomes a theocracy not unlike Iran and the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Political controversies ranging from same-sex marriage to the Terry Schiavo case have brought increased public attention to the agenda of the religious right. Rudin, a syndicated columnist and board member of the American Jewish Committee, believes the efforts of Christian conservatives to turn their moral philosophy into law are an "immediate and profound threat to our republic." He unleashes much impassioned rhetoric in rebutting critics who find his totalitarian vision of a Christian police state excessive, but repetitive use of the term "Christocrats" to describe his political opponents becomes off-putting, if not downright offensive. For sure, Rudin isn't the only one for whom recent Harry Potter book burnings are a chilling reminder of the Nazis, but even the mere existence of Christian-themed cable networks fills him with dread. There is a significant political debate to be discussed here, and Rudin occasionally hits upon it, but too often his argument trickles away with vague warnings. What comes across as a personal distaste for conservative evangelicals derails a much-needed discussion of the consequences of religion-based political advocacy.
