Scan barcode
joshmillernj's review
5.0
Upon laying eyes on this book in a Barnes & Noble bookstore earlier this year, I knew I had to purchase it and read it. Being blessed that a book with this much truth was being sold in a Barnes & Noble blessed my heart and I wanted to support the author and his work. However, after reading the book, I was blessed to the nth degree!
This compendium of short stories of how the Bible influenced our nation (before, during, and well after its founding up to today) encouraged my heart and solidified what I have always believed re: the Bible and its influence in the United States of America. God's Word has influenced my family to a great degree. However, to read how much of a place it has held in our country strengthened my commitment to make sure it continues to influence our nation.
I read this in a manner differently than I would read most books. After acquiring the book and realizing that each of the 100 entries/stories of How the Bible Made America were 3-5 pages long, I decided to read one entry a day for 100 days each morning AFTER I had read the Bible personally. There was nary a day that I closed this book without being blessed, challenged, and strengthened.
To pick one story that resonated above another would be difficult to do as each of the stories were so different and yet excellent. What I will do is quote from the prologue. In it, the author lays out a compelling argument that the Bible stands alone as the main document that has shaped our country more than any other.
"The founders of the United State of America revered the Bible because it reflected their awareness of God's authority over the nations. Washington did not place his hand on the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States, as hallowed as those documents are. Nor did he kiss the pages of any other religious or secular tome. It was the Bible that sanctified the moment. The Bible, he knew, had ushered American history to this point. It is the Bible that made America."
Morgan, quite measured in his approbation of historical figures, makes another sound statement in his prologue:
"I am not commending all those whose stories I tell in these pages, but I am commending the book they held in their hands. Trying to explain American history without the Bible is like trying to understand the human body without its bloodstream. Had there been no Bible, there would be no America as we know it. The nation would not have been born as it was. Perhaps it would not have been born at all."
The author goes on in his prologue to give quote after quote of presidents, supreme court justices and other notable figures from our country's history.
He then makes a poignant and possibly a prescient quote: "The Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; when it burns low, our culture grows dark."
My prayer & hope for America is that we would turn back to the Book that has helped to guide us and shape us to become one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen. It is books like this that will help steer people back to the Bible.
As he comes to the last page of his prologue, the author makes this statement:
"I'm writing from a conviction that the Bible is unique in human literature: a Book breathed out by god, recorded by those who were borne along by the Holy Spirit, and remains unerring in its teachings. Its message can change your life - your emotions, your situation, your mind, your heart, your family, and your future. The Scriptures can make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ."
I loved this book and I HIGHLY recommend it!
This compendium of short stories of how the Bible influenced our nation (before, during, and well after its founding up to today) encouraged my heart and solidified what I have always believed re: the Bible and its influence in the United States of America. God's Word has influenced my family to a great degree. However, to read how much of a place it has held in our country strengthened my commitment to make sure it continues to influence our nation.
I read this in a manner differently than I would read most books. After acquiring the book and realizing that each of the 100 entries/stories of How the Bible Made America were 3-5 pages long, I decided to read one entry a day for 100 days each morning AFTER I had read the Bible personally. There was nary a day that I closed this book without being blessed, challenged, and strengthened.
To pick one story that resonated above another would be difficult to do as each of the stories were so different and yet excellent. What I will do is quote from the prologue. In it, the author lays out a compelling argument that the Bible stands alone as the main document that has shaped our country more than any other.
"The founders of the United State of America revered the Bible because it reflected their awareness of God's authority over the nations. Washington did not place his hand on the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States, as hallowed as those documents are. Nor did he kiss the pages of any other religious or secular tome. It was the Bible that sanctified the moment. The Bible, he knew, had ushered American history to this point. It is the Bible that made America."
Morgan, quite measured in his approbation of historical figures, makes another sound statement in his prologue:
"I am not commending all those whose stories I tell in these pages, but I am commending the book they held in their hands. Trying to explain American history without the Bible is like trying to understand the human body without its bloodstream. Had there been no Bible, there would be no America as we know it. The nation would not have been born as it was. Perhaps it would not have been born at all."
The author goes on in his prologue to give quote after quote of presidents, supreme court justices and other notable figures from our country's history.
He then makes a poignant and possibly a prescient quote: "The Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; when it burns low, our culture grows dark."
My prayer & hope for America is that we would turn back to the Book that has helped to guide us and shape us to become one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen. It is books like this that will help steer people back to the Bible.
As he comes to the last page of his prologue, the author makes this statement:
"I'm writing from a conviction that the Bible is unique in human literature: a Book breathed out by god, recorded by those who were borne along by the Holy Spirit, and remains unerring in its teachings. Its message can change your life - your emotions, your situation, your mind, your heart, your family, and your future. The Scriptures can make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ."
I loved this book and I HIGHLY recommend it!
jbrooxd's review
3.0
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
3.5 stars. I am rating this book on what it IS rather than on how it shapes up based on what I was EXPECTING. That title made me believe I was going to read a book about 100 Bible verses that were chosen and used to build and shape America in the early days of the country.
Instead, this is 100 stories of historical figures and Bible verses either they referenced specifically (in a speech or a story or a letter) or one that the author chose to sum up the story. I could see someone who loves history, or someone interested in the intersection between history and faith using this as a 100 day devotional. The individual entries aren't long and there are some fascinating stories included. But I'm not sold that these are all "defining moments" or convinced of the author's assertion that these examples mean the Bible is a "cornerstone" of American history. One hundred stories hardly scratches the surface of 400+ years of history or the full range of even one historical figure's life and choices and how the Bible either was or was not reflected.
In recent years I have become skeptical at best - cynical at worst - when it comes to the intersection of faith and politics. So I approached this with that sort of eye. I wanted to see how the author sourced the stories he shared, and how he dealt with the darker parts of American history that we like to ignore. It didn't help the author that at the same time I read this I was also reading a book about how the Church was complicit in slavery and other racial/white supremacy/civil rights issues in America (The Color of Compromise). I brought all of that baggage to my reading. To the author's credit, this held up pretty well under all of that scrutiny.
The stories are sourced in the notes. The author was careful to spell out at the beginning that just because he shared a story of an individual, it didn't mean he endorsed the person or every decision the person made. And he included stories of individuals who, because of their faith, stood in opposition to slavery and to the early settlers' treatment of indigenous people. While this isn't something I would necessarily buy for myself or read on my own, I wouldn't hesitate to pick this up for someone with an interest in history and faith. I will be curious to read other reviews to see if any other readers, especially BIPOC readers, bring a different perspective to the stories.
3.5 stars. I am rating this book on what it IS rather than on how it shapes up based on what I was EXPECTING. That title made me believe I was going to read a book about 100 Bible verses that were chosen and used to build and shape America in the early days of the country.
Instead, this is 100 stories of historical figures and Bible verses either they referenced specifically (in a speech or a story or a letter) or one that the author chose to sum up the story. I could see someone who loves history, or someone interested in the intersection between history and faith using this as a 100 day devotional. The individual entries aren't long and there are some fascinating stories included. But I'm not sold that these are all "defining moments" or convinced of the author's assertion that these examples mean the Bible is a "cornerstone" of American history. One hundred stories hardly scratches the surface of 400+ years of history or the full range of even one historical figure's life and choices and how the Bible either was or was not reflected.
In recent years I have become skeptical at best - cynical at worst - when it comes to the intersection of faith and politics. So I approached this with that sort of eye. I wanted to see how the author sourced the stories he shared, and how he dealt with the darker parts of American history that we like to ignore. It didn't help the author that at the same time I read this I was also reading a book about how the Church was complicit in slavery and other racial/white supremacy/civil rights issues in America (The Color of Compromise). I brought all of that baggage to my reading. To the author's credit, this held up pretty well under all of that scrutiny.
The stories are sourced in the notes. The author was careful to spell out at the beginning that just because he shared a story of an individual, it didn't mean he endorsed the person or every decision the person made. And he included stories of individuals who, because of their faith, stood in opposition to slavery and to the early settlers' treatment of indigenous people. While this isn't something I would necessarily buy for myself or read on my own, I wouldn't hesitate to pick this up for someone with an interest in history and faith. I will be curious to read other reviews to see if any other readers, especially BIPOC readers, bring a different perspective to the stories.
More...