Returning to his origins as a historian, the author presents an important argument for the role of god in American life, not only in the life of the home but in public life. What this books shows very convincingly is that god was very much on the minds of the founders. Even the most secular revolutionary founders such as Jefferson wrote about the 'creator' and many of the founders and signers of the declaration were deeply religious. When they spoke of Freedom of Religion they spoke in terms fo freedom from the church of England and by extension the English government extending its control over America. The people who wrote the constitution were descendants of non-conformists who fled religious persecution in England. Later those fighting against too much religion in schools would be protestants opposing catholic schools using public money. But there was not an intention to strip the cross out of public life or to pretend like Christmass isnt an integral part of AMerican life where 90% of the people celebrate it.

The book shows us that throughout the monuments in Washington, right down to the archives there is a deep attachment to god in the United States, not an attachment to a certain god, but a beleif that god grants equality and freedom and rights and that is why dictatorship and tyranny are wrong, becuase of the natural rights granted by god. It was beleif in god that led abolitionists to fight against slavery, secularism didnt end slavery or inspire John Brown or Fredrick Douglas or Lincoln. It was always god and in particular christianity that laid behind many of the great campaigns for freedom, democracy and human rights, of which the U.S was a pioneer. Those like George Crook who fought against the oppression of the Native Americans, were influenced by the 'creator'.

So here we have a very important work that shows why the Ten Commandments and 'under god' and 'in god we trust' are all integral to America. It also shows why America has always been so tolerant of other faiths. But it dares to show that athiesm is not tolerant of all faiths and atheism would strip america of religious diversity in order to impose its will.

Seth J. Frantzman

At the end of Wilski's review he quotes (misquotes) our founding fathers.
For example, his first quote on John Adams is "This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it." But actually it is a deceitful misquote of Adams. Now Wilski is probably just repeating what others have told him or he read somewhere and never really read what John Adams had to say. But you will find this quote of Adams given as a classic example of deceitfully misquoting by taking something out of context which totally distorts its meaning. Here is Adam's quote in context...

"Twenty times, in the course of my late reading, have I been on the point of breaking out, 'this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!!' But in this exclamation, I should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in public company-I mean hell."

Reminds me of a famous misquote from the bible - "There is no God". Maybe Wilski would like to use this quote as well. Yes, that is in the Bible but ... let's look at the full context.

"The fool has said in his heart there is no God."

The secular left would like to silence all public religious expression ... unless it supports their left-wing causes. Thus, Democratic candidates routinely campaign from liberal pulpits, while conservative churches are attacked for allowing Republican candidates to appear.

The secular left seeks a radical purging of politics from the pulpit, and of God from politics. However, that is not how our nation was founded.

On the religious side, political sermons were common during the American Revolution. They were crucial for its success, providing much of the moral clarity required to sustain the long war for independence. See e.g. Ellis Sandoz, Political Sermons of the American Founding Era.

On the political side, Newt Gingrich's book takes the reader back to monuments and documents that cannot be ignored. It is almost startling to read the strongly theistic public statements by our nation's "secular" founders. The book does an excellent job of highlighting those religious statements, and explaining their original significance.

Our Founders did not simply refer to God as an accomodation to a religious culture. Instead, as the Speaker demonstrates, the Founders were ardent theists, who sought to bring God and faith directly into government. The most obvious example is the Declaration of Independence -- the entire legal basis for our new government. The Declaration makes no intellectual sense without Jefferson's argument about human rights coming from the Creator. A secularized Declaration is an incoherent document. Mr. Gingrich demonstrates this with interesting quotes from other Founders, who tracked and expanded upon Jefferson's argument.

A highly recommended book in a day when the liberal elites are encouraging people of faith to withdraw from politics.