God in the Obama Era: Presidents' Religion and Ethics from George Washington to Barack Obama

Election 2008 turned out to be a watershed contests, looking to crucial decisions of policy change about the war in Iraq, the international economy, global warming, social security and immigration. God in the Obama Era is written for general readers and is designed to help give objectivity and perspective on debated issues. Its approach is narrative and chronological, not dogmatic. Its premise is that the contemporary presidency stands in a longer historical tradition, which conditions both philosophical, and value judgments. A scholar, who has written in both the history and philosophy of religion, the author is interested in the long term moral values and religious symbols that motivate both voters and public officials. Of course, he is not so naïve as to suppose that truth is always on one side of the election divide. Clearly, the U. S. Constitution guarantees both freedom of worship and the non-establishment of religion. But faith convictions remain a powerful ideological force in American politics.