Book Review: God's Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right

A Remarkable Narrative of Christian Involvement in Politics (and vice versa)

Wow! A history of hope, a history of despair. A history of victory, a history of defeat. A story of people with character rising up in great courage and conviction, and a story of people with few principles giving up and giving in. And as these histories and stories occur on both the political and religious sides, Daniel K. Williams writes a remarkable, well-documented narrative of the birth and rise of Christian involvement in politics in the 20th and 21st centuries in America.

Showing a mastery of historical facts in the political realm and even being able to distinguish between a fundamentalist and an evangelical in the Christian realm, Williams is clearly qualified to write about this subject with authority. And along with that authority he brings an amazing writing ability to continually engage the reader.

Regardless of your views of the Democratic or Republican party (or even if you have a distaste for a two-party system), this book will certainly educate you on American history with regards to Christian fundamentalism, Evangelicalism, and the political strategies employed by both Democrats and Republicans as they begin to recognize the importance of the Christian vote in today's America.

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Some things in this book you may already know. Some things are sure to surprise you! Either way, Williams well articulates to all whether for good or for ill how the Grand Old Party became "God's Own Party" as the majority of born-again Christians have at some point (whether out of conscious choice or out of necessity) adopted the Republican party as their own, and how the Republican party (whether out of conscious choice or out of necessity) has adopted the "Christian Right" as their own(!).

Whatever the case, this is a compelling read for understanding the issue, and it deserves to be read by all those interested in this fascinating subject.