Thursday, March 23, 2006
American Theocracy: Recipe for Disaster
NPR has posted a long excerpt from Kevin Phillips new book American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century in which he argues that argues that the Republican Party -- and the country -- are headed for disaster.
Here's a sample from NPR's excerpt from chapter four, "Radicalized Religion, As American as Apple Pie."
Here's a sample from NPR's excerpt from chapter four, "Radicalized Religion, As American as Apple Pie."
The evangelical, fundamentalist, sectarian, and radical threads of American religion are being proclaimed openly and analyzed widely, even though bluntness is frequently muted by a pseudo-tolerance, the polite reluctance to criticize another's religion. However given the wider thrust of religion's claims on public life, this hesitance falls somewhere between unfortunate and dangerous. Charles Kimball, a North Carolina Baptist and professor of religion, speaks very much to the point: "Although many of us have been taught it is not polite to discuss religion and politics in public, we must quickly unlearn that lesson. Our collective failure to challenge presuppositions, think anew, and openly debate central religious concerns affecting society is a recipe for disaster."You can also listen to Phillips' interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
