I’ve recently received to review from a publisher a new book, “The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America”, by Ray Suarez. It’s another one of the recent wave of books looking at the Red-Blue state divide and the liberal hysteria over the “rise” of religion into politics.
I put rise in scare quotes because I think it’s a bit silly to speak about religion in the public square as if it were a new thing. Religious people have always been in the public square, the only difference being that when they spoke of how their faith motivated their actions or beliefs it was not remarkable.
What happened is that a few decades ago, religion became taboo and then during the 90s there was a push back. Does anyone remember the Christian Coalition?
I haven’t read the book, but I can guess where Suarez is coming from based on that fact that he is a former NPR reporter and a current PBS Newshour reporter, and is described in a blurb on the back as “the anti-Limbaugh.” If you can judge a book by its cover, you can guess where it’s going.
When I’ve read it, I’ll let you know what I think and what he says.
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