I found this a little difficult(one reviewer said dense, and I agree) to read but am glad I did and believe more people should read the book. It's always better to get your information from source documents and not popular culture entertainment figures.

The United States was was meant by the founders to be a nation of religious tolerance, end of story.

My favorite passage: "Will you drive from your shores and from the shelter of your constitution all who do not lay their oblations on the same altar, observe the same ritual, and subscribe to the same dogma? If so, which among the various sects into which we are divided shall be the favored one?" Jacob Henry, 1808, statesman from N. Carolina

Summer bingo - backlist from an author you read for another square (The Soul of America). Wow! Meacham is now one of my favorite non-fiction authors. Incredibly readable, well-researched, thoughtful and thought-provoking.

It's also remarkably relevant for right now (it was written in 2006 - before Obama. before Trump.) and, I think, hopeful. I highlighted so many passages, it's hard to choose one. But this, from page 232, is a favorite:

n  A grasp of history is essential for Americans of the center who struggle to decide how much weight to assign religious consideration in a public matter. To fail to consult the past consigns us to what might be called the tyranny of the present -- the mistaken idea that the crises of our own time are unprecedented and that we have to solve them without experience to guide us. Subject to such a tyranny, we are more likely to take a narrow or simplistic view, or to let our passions get the better of our reason. If we know, however, how those who came before us found the ways and means to surmount the difficulties of their age, we stand a far better chance of acting in the moment with perspective and measured judgment. Light can neither enter into nor emanate from a closed mind.
n

(emphasis mine)

I have the highest expectations for Soul of America and I don't think I'll be disappointed!

Meacham is no historian and this is abundantly clear after reading this book. The content is interesting, but as a journalist Meacham does little more than document the major instances where God/religion appears in American political life and provides a slight exposition on the context and complexity of that appearance. With a misleading title, the 250 pages (before the appendices) of this book cover from the Jamestown settlement to September 11th, Meacham gives only a cursory glance at topics that could take up an entire book on their own and is basically a literature review rather than original research. Overall, perhaps an interesting read for someone unacquainted with the subject and only interested in an overview, but incredibly disappointing for someone looking for actual analysis of the place of God within the origins of the American political system.

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Growing up the American history I learned included the pre-history of religious persecution. Puritans, baptists, Catholics,Quaker, Jews and numerous others came here looking for safety. I remember reading diaries and other written accounts of the persecutions they had faced and the safety they hoped to find in this new land.

The founding fathers, well aware of that history and the long history of horror that religious persecution had left on Europe sought to form a nation based on religious freedom. No longer would an Anglican need to fear he would be tortured by a Catholic monarch. No longer would a Catholic priest need to fear he would be killed by a protestant king.

Mr. Meacham's book revisits that history, ponderously quoting the founders to show that mentions of God were deliberately oblique and inclusive. This was meant to be a nation governed by a secular constitution which permitted men to worship God how they saw fit or to not worship him at all. The last was an especially bold stance since in that day and age social pressure essentially forced everyone to attend some kind of church. It wasn't till the 1920s that atheism became a growing norm and not until the 1960s that it became socially acceptable to attend church only if you wish to. The result? A massive drop in church attendance. People actively practicing their faith in this country make up approximately 20% of the population. (40% often cited in polls contains the "halo effect" where people tell pollsters they attend church. Church head counts show the 20% number.https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pas...) The much touted idea of biblical principles mattering to Americans is debunked by the fact that less than 25% of them have actually read the bible, less than 9% of them more than once, and less than 20% of them read it regularly in any way shape or form. https://lifewayresearch.com/2017/04/2... They no more know biblical principles than they do Greek mythology. This is actually great news for Christians as our pews used to be filled (and in part still are) by moral people who like to claim a kinship with faith. They are not Christians and form a serious danger to our congregations, so this change which has them removing themselves from spiritual life is wonderous. Hopefully, it will enable us to reach out to them from an honest position and give us an opportunity to reach them with the gospel. The churched are almost impossible to save: they sit on lies, call them truths and are resistant to Christ. I've found the unchurched much more likely to respond positively to the gospel because any interest they express is genuine and isn't rooted in a false image of their own moral superiority or pieced together knowledge of God. I should add that people were not more religious in the times of the founders. Any study of the actual faith practiced by the people of the time shows that they were no closer to the truth of the gospel than someone NOT practicing Christianity was. They were, however, forced to espouse a piety they didn't believe due to social pressure. Having that leave our churches is much like draining a wound of infection; it hurts initially but we feel so much better after it's over.

Meacham's book was among the best that I've read on this subject because it was balanced. It showed a public where some deeply passionate folks wished to follow their faith and a government that has wisely said "practice it personally, not corporately as a nation". Refreshing to hear when so many books try to claim deists (George Washington) as Christians and reorder the early years of America as being times of godly piety and America as some sort of new promised land.

This book serves as an effective survey on the role of religion not only in the founding, but in the stewardship of our government and national character. Given that this covers hundreds of years with innumerable actors, it would be too much to expect this to be a comprehensive treatment, nor does it pretend to that claim.

Some of the more negative reviews complain of an overabundance of quotes and paucity of commentary, but I think the balance suits the subject matter. As we navigate from colonial times through the founding, the tumults of a young nation finding its way, and into the myriad issues which are still contemporary, the author does well in hearkening back to the words from which our nation was forged.

As expected, there are criticisms from the religious and irreligious alike, pleading alternately that the picture that emerges from the narrative over or under stresses the role of faith and religion in our shared histories. I would counter by saying that author merely reflects the inherent ambiguity of the relationship between faith and politics in this country.

It is incontrovertible that our founding documents demand a measure of religious liberty, and we have hewn to that ideal, albeit imperfectly, through the tenure of our existence. It is arguable this was a function of the confederation; we are a nation built of a plurality of states, and as such our federal character was pluralistic by necessity. If one church or denomination had dominated the body politic in all of the colonies, the likelihood the nascent government would have been likewise dominated is high. (Indeed, it is only in the last sixty years that Torcaso v. Watkins formally eliminated religious tests for state offices.)

But it is also incontrovertible that the very conception of our government recognized a transcendent creator, and that the principles rest on recognition of at least transcendent and immutable principles. Our politicians and leaders have, throughout history, been informed and animated by their faith, often employing explicitly religious rhetoric.

The author clearly respects the difficulty of this balance, acknowledging that excessive constraint of religion and tacit endorsement of religion are both real perils. The very fact of American pluralism demands an ongoing debate on the interpretation of our laws and the proper role of faith in the public sphere, both from a moral and a practical standpoint.

Though a little repetitive at times, I really enjoyed Meacham's historical discussion of how "religion shapes our public life without controlling it."

My favorite aspect of the book was the amount of actual quotations from the founding fathers (as well as numerous American leaders down on to the present), so that you can read for yourself the delicate balance it took for them to acknowledge the importance of our most cherished & personal beliefs without favoring any one group, ultimately allowing room for the truly pluralistic society we enjoy today.

Meacham did a remarkable job navigating the spectrum of American ideology from secularism to religious conservatism without feeling the need to critically snipe any one point on that spectrum.

Almost gave this four stars but I didn't really get into it until about a third of the way in when Meacham started addressing the founding fathers and religion. The main point I got from this book is that there never has been a single religion that has predominantly guided our country. Rather, it's the concept of religion (Catholic, Christian, Protestant, etc.) that has provided an important compass to the country's success. The author purports that God, however people construct Him, has been a constant element from the founding of our country. Some (Washington, Reagan, FDR) leaned more Christian and weren't afraid to publicly state as much in their addresses. Others (Jefferson) were more in the middle, certainly giving a nod to the importance of a divinity but trying to maintain a balance between secular and religious matters. I certainly enjoyed hearing quotes from some speeches (Reagan in particular) which contained no apologies about saying how they felt and what they believed about God. The author at the end illustrated the danger of going to either extreme (secular vs religious) with a post-9/11 interview between Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell which was a bit shocking. The author ended with a call to action for us to meet in the middle and strive for civility and respect toward each other's beliefs.

A surprisingly enjoyable read, Meacham doesn’t try to argue the case for or against America as a Christian nation but instead studies how various historical figures, from the founding fathers to Martin Luther King Jr. and Ronald Reagan, navigated private and public religion.

A pithy, enjoyable examination of the role of public religion in American history, Meacham's work strikes a consistently moderate tone as he deftly examines the theological and political beliefs of pivotal American figures.

In the Notes and Acknowledgments, the author states that he wanted "...to give readers a sense of the scope and nature of a debate that is even older than the Republic. After a thorough reading of "American Gospel," I have to say that he succeeded. Jon Meacham has taken a difficult topic, and despite a slip or two where he seemed to slide toward personal opinion, the overwhelming majority of the book is a balanced view of religion in America. The book encompasses events from the Founding of America through President Reagan.

As we turn another corner and head into 2017, the question of how religion should be interpreted in the context of the issues of present day continues to be debated. Mr. Meacham invokes what he calls the Beschloss Rule (named for historian Michael Beschloss), an opinion that 20-30 years must pass to allow the heat of the moment to cool and enough information become available to make informed judgments. For those looking for how the Founders might apply their logic to 21st century issues, this would not be the book to read.

However, the author reminds us that the notion of following the lead of "...dead white men from the eighteenth century..." is neither "...quaint or unconvincing...The founders...were on the mark about much, including religion and politics." Paragraphs later, he quotes George Washington: "The bosom of America," Washington said, was to be "open to receive...the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges...They may be Mohometans, Jews or Christians of any sect, or they may be atheists." This is certainly an open view that may be applied today.

Mr. Meacham presents that the Founders separated religion into two entities, the public religion and the private religion. Public religion referred to any religion's God, while private religion was protected and up to the belief of each and every American. Traveling through the years, the author presents many examples of presidents who have struggled to maintain this delicate balance.

Whenever I read a book like this, I am extremely interested and feel it is a prerequisite for extensive research to be performed, and Mr. Meacham does not disappoint. Appendix A has selected documents on religion in America, allowing us to read in context exactly what some of our leaders had to say on the subject. Presidents' choices of inaugural Bible verses are featured in Appendix B. The next section, "Source Notes," lists not only the author's sources but his own comments on some of the items he read. Lastly, this is followed by a vast bibliography of manuscripts, books, and articles the author used to create "American Gospel." In the Afterward, he acknowledges that his desire that this book will encourage readers to continue to search out knowledge in the other books on the subject.

Overall, a balanced look at an explosive subject, one I have to confess gave me deeper insight into this issue and definitely began to nudge my thought patterns into new and different directions. Five stars.

"It is error alone that needs the support of government. Truth can stand on its own."
-Thomas Jefferson

Jon Meacham has officially surpassed David McCullough as my favorite historian and biographer. Meacham masterfully threads a theme through his books. American Lion and The Art of Power were incredible and I'm glad I went back and found American Gospel.