Every now and then a book appears that redefines a field. This is one of those occasions. Despite the reservations detailed below, Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith qualifies as a masterful work of history. In the course of his comprehensive exploration of the relationship between religion and American statecraft, Andrew Preston makes one point above all abundantly clear: th (...)
July 13, 2012
Books
Lapel-Pin Christianity
Sword of the Spirit, Shield of FaithReligion in American War and DiplomacyAndrew PrestonKnopf, $37.50, 832 pp.
The remainder of this article is only available to paid subscribers. If you’re not currently a Commonweal subscriber in print or online, an online-only subscription costs just $34 a year. Click here for immediate access.
Many thanks for this detailed and informative review. I'm inclined to agree that the influence of religion on the policy-making end is slim and getting slimmer -- but what would be the impact of a Mormon president? Mutatis mutandis, Romney is under comparable pressures to what JFK encountrered, and is therefore more likely to sound and act llike him (when will we get the Mormon equivalent of the Houston ministers conference address from the 1960 election?). than someone eager to bring his faith into the public square.
Speaking of the public square, a phrase Neuhaus brought into use back in 1984, I wish you'd let us know what Preston has to say about the neo-con clutch that has used First Things as its bully pulpit. Those people have something to answer for in baptizing our war of choice in Iraq. Though we saw how much (dissenting) religious opinion mattered when the bishops and the Vatican resisted presiding at the chistening.