Prayer in America - by James P Moore (Paperback)

About the Book

This work of tremendous breadth and depth offers a new and revealing look at how Americans throughout history have viewed themselves, their place in the world, and their relationship with God.

Book Synopsis

A stirring chronicle of the spiritual life of a nation, Prayer in America shows how the faith of Americans--from the founding fathers to corporate tycoons, from composers to social reformers, from generals to slaves--was an essential ingredient in the formation of American culture, character, commerce, and creed.

Prayer in America brings together the country's hymns, patriotic anthems, arts, and literature as a framework for telling the story of the innermost thoughts of the people who have shaped the United States we know today. Beginning with Native Americans, Prayer in America traces the prayer lives of Quakers and Shakers, Sikhs and Muslims, Catholics and Jews, from their earliest days in the United States through the aftermath of 9/11, and the 2004 presidential election. It probes the approach to prayer by such diverse individuals as Benjamin Franklin, Elvis Presley, Frank Lloyd Wright, J. C. Penney, P. T. Barnum, Jackie Robinson, and Christopher Columbus. It includes every president of the United States as well as America's clergy, immigrants, industrialists, miners, sports heroes, and scientists.

Prayer in America shows that without prayer, the political, cultural, social, and even economic and military history of the United States would be vastly different from what it is today. It engages in a thoughtful, timely examination of the modern debate over public prayer and how the current approach to prayer bears deep roots in the philosophies of the country's founding fathers, a subject which remains distinct from the debate over church and state.

Review Quotes

Praise for Prayer in America

"In this day and age we need to be reminded of what unites us as Americans rather than divides us. Jim Moore's Prayer in America speaks uniquely and eloquently to the resounding spiritual life and common heritage that we share as a people. I am convinced that this book will be discussed in America's churches, town halls, and coffee shops for a very long time to come."--Senator John McCain, Arizona

"I am enormously impressed with the scholarship and research that has gone into this book. I am convinced that it will have a resonance like few other works for many years to come."--Stephen Ambrose (1936-2002) late author and historian

About the Author

JAMES P. MOORE, JR., teaches at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. A former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce, he sits on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards. He resides in Washington, D.C.