The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America

by David Domke and Kevin Coe

Book Overview

This volume offers a timely and dynamic study of the rise of religion in American politics, examining the public messages of political leaders over the past seventy-five years. The authors show that U.S. politics today is defined by a calculated, deliberate, and partisan use of faith that is unprecedented in modern politics. Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, America has seen a no-holds-barred religious politics that seeks to attract...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199746745
• ISBN13: 9780199746743
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A Timely Book

Absolutely brilliant, absolutely fascinating, absolutely timely,and absolutely of great importance. This is an excellent and extremely informative book for those participating in the upcoming elections. After having read The God Stragegy, the reader will be able to listen to the candidates with a more informed ear and will be able to make more informed choices on their ballots. David Domke and Kevin Coe have done their homework in researching this book. Their ideas aren't just off the tops of their heads; they can back up every statement they make, and do so. The God Strategy is definitely a book for both readers of faith and non-believers alike. For those with religious beliefs who might tend to shy away from the title alone, David Domke is a self-professed Christian. The God Strategy is a must read for those who are concernced about making America a strong and compassionate country. By Carol White, Tacoma, Washington

Religion and Politics through a New Lens

"The God Strategy" is a well-written, meticulously researched, and eye-opening examination of how U.S. politicians (particularly our four most recent presidents) use religion to win votes. It's also a genuinely interesting read. If you're at all curious about just how influential religion has become in today's political arena, you need to read this book. David Domke and Kevin Coe provide clear and varied examples that show how campaigns have increasingly capitalized on the use of religious messages (the God strategy) to get their candidates elected. Once you have read this book you will view the current presidential campaign in a whole new light; I have been amazed at how many times in the past couple months I've noticed politicians using this strategy in political ads or during debates. It is as if the authors predicted exactly what is now occurring. Clearly, this is a testament to the strength of the research that informs this book. "The God Strategy" should be a part of every thinking person's library.

Using God -Oh My

If you read David Domke's last book, "God Willing", (a must read for every one) which exposed the myth of a Free and Independent Press during the current Bush administration following 9/11, and the calculated steps taken by Bush and his staff to craft a framework to grow support for the president's policies and his growing reliance on the ideology of Political Fundamentalism, then you will really enjoy this new book. You will also come to understand how politicians, thru a strategic communication approach grounded in a conservative religious worldview, "The "God Strategy" were able to achieve the two tasks listed above. This new book traces the growth of the God Strategy in American politics from the days of President Franklin Roosevelt to the current George Bush and how both the Republicans and the Democrats have embraced the joining of religion and politics. Domke and co-author, Kevin Coe lay out in great detail how politics and religion came together and how both sides, to push agendas and win elections with results that often threaten the very foundations of American Democracy, have used this wedding In reading the" God Strategy" I have come to understand some of the how's, why's, and so what's involved in the rise of religion in American politics. I am surely more aware of the subtleties used by both sides in their efforts to shape a new America. I am even more aware of the misguided and often angry methods used by the followers of the God Strategy in achieving their end results and of the price America as a nation might be called on to pay for those methods Thanks Domke and Coe for this interesting, insightful and well-researched view of religion in America politics.