God's Name In Vain

by Stephen L. Carter

Stephen Carter argues that American politics is unimaginable without America's religious voice. Using contemporary and historical examples, from abolitionist sermons to presidential candidates' confessions, he illustrates ways in which religion and politics do and do not mesh well and ways in which spiritual perspectives might make vital contributions to our national debates. He also warns us of the importance of setting out some sensible limits, so that religious institutions do not allow themselves to be seduced by the lure of temporal power, and offers strong examples of principled and prophetic religious activism for those who choose their God before their country.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Politics, Cultural

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Stephen L. Carter is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale where he has taught since 1982. He has published seven critically acclaimed nonfiction books on topics ranging from affirmative action to religion and politics. His first novel, The Emperor of Ocean Park (2002), was an immediate national best seller. His latest novel is New England White (Knopf, 2007). A recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature-Fiction, he lives near New Haven, Connecticut."

Also writes under the pen name A.L Shields.

Reviews

[Chrisanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book. But would you expect anything less than that from the author of Invisible, Integrity, and Civility?

Carter's book is much more legal than the former 3, yet he explains much of the legal jargon clearly and succinctly as only he can. Again, he is refreshingly open about his bias, but still willing to explore other sides and he does so, quite well I think.

Written in 1999, his warnings regarding the mixture of religion and political power were sorely needed last October and would have been quite useful prior to a certain photo op. At the same time, he offers many thoughts on when it is appropriate to mix the two, as well as some interesting byproducts of religious discrimination and avoidance.

Anyway, it's late at night and I'm beginning to ramble. But I appreciate the constant quality of thought and research that Carter provides. Here's hoping I can get my hands on more of his non- fiction. Unfortunately, because of his legal background, a lot of his stuff is ensconced in legal libraries.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, Carter has proffered up a fascinating engagement with the debate over the presence of religion in politics. One of his overarching arguments is that those who clamor for no religion in politics fail to perceive the reality of religion, that true religion impacts all aspects of one's life. If one is truly religious, that changes who they are and what they value, which, in turn, impacts how they vote and what they believe should be done.

 He takes to task the misconception surrounding the church and state, very concisely establishing that the forefathers better conceived of this "wall" as protecting the church from the state, rather than vice versa. He points towards Roger Williams (17th Century) concept of the garden and the wilderness, wherein religion is the garden and the wall protects the purity of the garden from the encroachment of the wilderness (75-76). This is key for Carter's handling of religion's role in politics, for he points out that when the wilderness attempts to breakdown the wall of the garden, it is the responsibility of those in the garden to venture into the wilderness and spread the life of the garden abroad.

An underlying theme throughout the book is the importance of the prophetic voice of religion in politics. 'Prophetic' in the sense of calling leaders to account for their straying from the moral center which religion binds us to. He argues two primary theses, that the nation needs the voice of religions in its politics, and that when religions go too far and bind themselves too tightly to the partisan elements of politics, the religions begin to lose their voice and their efficacy.

 Stephen Carter definitely knows his stuff and he argues persuasively, noting trends and even cases which bear out the proofs of his argument. To me, the tenth chapter wherein he discusses measurism was phenomenal and has repercussions beyond the political discussion he was engaging. Overall, his style of writing was conversational and not quite linear. I found it quite accessible and a very engaging read.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtfully presented and evenly argued, Carter details an inherent enmity between politics and religion. He collapses the prevailing doctrine of separation, and using historical examples, argues that faith must relentlessly, yet cautiously, engage in the political wilderness.

[Kati Higginbotham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent book. I don't agree with all of his conclusions (that Christians wouldn't use the government for their own purposes on a mass scale), but an easy read and easy to follow and understand.

[RJ]

Haven't finished this book yet, but so far, it's valuable for anyone who wants to understand the mindset of the christian right. The contortions of logic and ethics required to arrive at the worldview that the christian right appears to hold are clearly evident in this book, written by a devout "christian" who is also a professor at Yale. It's illuminating, but also extremely frustrating, because it truly illustrates the fact that christian extremists in this country don't apply the same standards of logic that progressives do, which makes having a reasonable debate seem like an utter impossibility. How do you discuss evolution with someone when your source of authority is science and theirs is the bible? How do you have a reasonable conversation about the fact that it's hypocritical to call yourself pro-life and support a preemptive and unjustified war when they can point to passages in a book that they believe tells them to destroy their enemies, and use that as total justification? It's ridiculous and frustrating and mind-boggling. But the author does make a lot of interesting points about the role of religion in public life and politics - although he pushes these arguments towards the establishment of a de facto theocracy even though he shies away from coming right out and saying it.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read this it seemed quite relevant because Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee were both in the race for president. I found the book to be quite balanced and a great introduction to the arguments for and against mixing religion with politics.

I especially loved the garden and wilderness metaphor originally written by Roger Williams, the 17th-century Baptist leader. In a nutshell: The garden is the domain of the church, where the people of God congregate and try to build their lives. The wilderness is the world lying beyond the garden wall. The wilderness is uncivilized and potentially threatening. The wall separates the two...to protect the garden from the wilderness. Not the other way around. Interesting.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensible, legally knowledgable, and religious himself, Carter shows that not having an establishment of religion does not mean that all reference to or practice of religion must be removed from the public sphere, but it does take careful thinking to come up with the proper balance of things.

[Pat Ennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Carter presents a very compelling argument for the role of a religious voice in American politics. He also provides a warning as to how the important prophetic voice of religion can be compromised or lost.

[Trice]

Picked up a hard copy of this shortly after college but never quite got around to it, and now it's secreted away in one of my various book boxes in my parents' attic in the US. Excited just now at the discovery of a downloadable ebook version at my US library - love that.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good argument about when religious people should be willing to enter into politics, and when it's too dangerous. This will appear a lot in 'The Paper.'

[Jean Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective of Religion and Politics.

[Kosta Kutay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is intended for a more religious crowd however i do recommend having younger kids read it because it will help them formulate their own opinions on the subject.