Try free for 30 days

Preview
  • Solemn Reverence

  • The Separation of Church and State in American Life
  • By: Randall Balmer
  • Narrated by: Randall Balmer
  • Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Solemn Reverence

By: Randall Balmer
Narrated by: Randall Balmer
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $16.99

Buy Now for $16.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

"A slender but thoroughly argued case for reinforcing the wall between church and state.... A stern warning that those who push for the intrusion of religion into public life do so at the peril of both." (Kirkus Reviews)

The First Amendment to the US Constitution codified the principle that the government should play no role in favoring or supporting any religion, while allowing free exercise of all religions (including unbelief). More than two centuries later, the results from this experiment are overwhelming: The separation of church and state has shielded the government from religious factionalism, and the United States boasts a diverse religious culture unmatched anywhere in the world. In Solemn Reverence, Randall Balmer, one of the premier historians of religion in America, reviews both the history of the separation of church and state as well as the various attempts to undermine that wall of separation. Despite the fact that the First Amendment and the separation of church and state has served the nation remarkably well, he argues, its future is by no means assured.

©2021 Randall Balmer (P)2021 Truth to Power

Critic Reviews

"Who needs this book? Pastors, professors, and all those who want to preserve one of the great distinctions of America." (Scot McNight, in Christianity Today)

"Balmer puts his skill as a historian on display as he makes well-resourced arguments, but he also excels here as a storyteller." (Los Angeles Review of Books)

“A thoroughly argued case for reinforcing the wall between church and state.... A stern warning that those who push for the intrusion of religion into public life do so at the peril of both.” (Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about Solemn Reverence

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.