With God on Their Side: How Christian Fundamentalists Trampled Science, Policy, and Democracy in George W. Bush's White House

From Publishers Weekly
This well-written, fast-paced and engaging book scores points for style, though its decidedly liberal slant will most appeal to readers who already share Kaplan’s view that George W. Bush’s cozy relations with evangelical Christian activists represents a grave threat to the future of America. Kaplan, a journalist and former editor at The Nation, rehearses how Bush’s evangelical Christian faith has dictated his decisions on international issues, such as his determination to invade Iraq, and domestic ones, including his anti-abortion stance, promotion of abstinence, silence on the AIDS epidemic and conservative court appointments. The book is best when Kaplan discusses the "holy war" mentality that she feels is prevalent in the Bush administration, whether in Attorney General John Ashcroft’s stark approach to the war on terror or Karl Rove’s machinations in promoting judicial appointees who would be accepted by both corporate and religious conservatives. Kaplan writes vividly of the people involved and offers memorable human-interest stories, such as a day in the life of two Tennessee abstinence activists. But in many places, she veers away from her focus on the Bush administration to castigate the "Religious Right" more generally. She also fails to appreciate the ideological nuances of American evangelicalism. For example, she dismisses Intelligent Design Theory as "pseudoscience" and incorrectly claims that its proponents believe the earth is only a few thousand years old, thus conflating it with biblical creationism.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tony Kushner
A truly shocking dossier of recent religious fundamentalist incursions into the machinery and soul of American democracy.

Book Description
The unholy alliances that have placed America in the hands of a messianic Christian elite. For four years, Americans have lived under an administration that holds twice-weekly Bible classes in the White House and daily prayer meetings at the Department of Justice. The Christian right is no stranger to Washington's corridors of power. But a combination of a born-again president, a burgeoning family-values movement, and the canny political strategies of Karl Rove has delivered unprecedented influence to today's Christian fundamentalists. As Esther Kaplan shows in this fast-paced investigation, no condom fact sheet or obscure drug advisory panel is too small to escape the roving eyes of Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, or the many other political advocacy arms of the evangelical right. While organizations that promote family planning and sex education are the targets of relentless audits, church groups receive hundreds of millions in federal dollars for programs promoting sexual abstinence and marriage training, especially for the poor. Religious considerations even shape the government's foreign aid policies and its war on terror. And while much of the Christian right's influence could be quickly reversed with a change in administration, Bush's crusading makeover of the federal courts will undermine women's and gay rights —and bolster a corporate agenda —for decades to come. Under pressure from Christian fundamentalists, the National Park Service has approved the display and sale of a creationist book that claims the Grand Canyon was formed by the flood that launched Noah's ark. To sell his faith-based initiative to Christian conservatives, President Bush allowed religious groups receiving federal funds to legally refuse to hire Jews, gays, unmarried mothers, or anyone who fails to meet their moral code. The administration has collaborated with states it considers sponsors of terror, such as Libya and Iran, to forward an anti-abortion agenda at the UN. Meanwhile, doctors sent to restore social services in Iraq were vetted to make sure they were anti-abortion.

About the Author
Esther Kaplan is a radio and print journalist and a community activist. She was acting senior editor at The Nation, and has written for The Village Voice, Out, and The Nation. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.


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This well-written, fast-paced, and engaging book scores points for style, though its decidedly liberal slant will most appeal to readers who already share Kaplan's view that George W. Bush's cozy relations with evangelical Christian activists represents a grave threat to the future of America. Kaplan, a journalist and former editor at The Nation, rehearses how Bush's evangelical Christian faith has dictated his decisions on international issues, such as his determination to invade Iraq, and domestic ones, including his anti-abortion stance, promotion of abstinence, silence on the AIDS epidemic, and conservative court appointments. The book is best when Kaplan demonstrates the "holy war" mentality prevalent in the Bush administration, whether in Attorney General John Ashcroft's stark approach to the war on terror or Karl Rove's machinations in promoting judicial appointees who would be accepted by both corporate and religious conservatives. Kaplan writes vividly of the people involved and offers memorable human-interest stories, such as a day in the life of two Tennessee abstinence activists. But in many places, she veers away from her focus on the Bush administration to castigate the religious right more generally. She also fails to appreciate the ideological nuances of American evangelicalism. For example, she dismisses Intelligent Design Theory as "pseudoscience" and incorrectly claims that its proponents believe the earth is only a few thousand years old, thus entirely conflating it with biblical creationism.


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