Steven K. Green is Director of the Willamette Center for Religion, Law, and Democracy, and the Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of History at Willamette University.
As Green explains, myth is not fable or fantasy but a comforting interpretation of the past that we create to make the discomfort of today more tolerable and explicable. -- John H. Barnhill, Historical Journal of Massachusetts Green's book is admirably clear, disciplined, and short. It should be required reading for anyone trying to comprehend the perennial Christian America story. --Journal of American History Steven Green's Inventing a Christian America is that rare book where scholarship and sensitivity can calm one of America's most volatile issues. Its breadth and fairness allow understanding and perspective to run ahead of simply inaccurate notions about America's 'Christian foundations.' The result is a marvelously readable account of the fascinating ways religious freedom actually emerged in America and uplifted nation and religion together. --Jon Butler, Howard R. Lamar Professor Emeritus of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies, Yale University With impressive command of both historical and legal sources, Steven K. Green debunks the durable myth that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. At a time when Baptists have largely abandoned their historic task of patrolling the wall of separation, when Americans pine for what the author characterizes as 'a grand, and uncomplicated, story about the nation's beginnings,' Inventing a Christian America demonstrates that the myth of Christian origins was nineteenth-century invention. In a conversation that typically generates more heat than light, Inventing a Christian America stands out for both its irenic tone and its judicious scholarship. --Randall Balmer, author of Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter Inventing a Christian America is the most thorough critique of Christian nationalism available today. Steven Green approaches this controversial subject with scholarly insight, a generally irenic spirit, and a comprehensive analysis of the literature produced by those who defend the idea that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. Anyone interested in this subject must read this book. --John Fea, author of Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction Green helps retrace the steps of an enduring idea to the present day. Highly recommended. --M.S. Hill, CHOICE