How the Republicans Stole Religion

July 11, 2005
In this readable piece of punditry, Press, who happens to be not only a pundit but also a former seminarian, preaches to the Democratic Party choir, addressing such topics as abortion, separation of church and state, homosexuality and stem cell research. While impassioned, entertaining and sure to please loyalists, Press's arguments do not always bear much scrutiny. For example, when discussing abortion, he resorts too often to the extreme cases of rape and incest, although (as he ultimately acknowledges) only a tiny percentage of abortions are performed for those reasons. More compelling is his argument for the separation of church and state, which thoughtfully reminds readers how and why religion and government need to be protected from each other in order to flourish. After spending most of the book arguing against the political positions of the religious right, Press ends with suggestions to the Democratic Party for taking back religion from the small band of evangelical Christians that now wields power. Though somewhat uneven, this interesting book joins the recent work of Jim Wallis, John Shelby Spong and Charles March in articulating alternative visions of Christianity that are consonant with progressive values.