(Manchester Center, VT) On Friday, June 12th at 6 pm, Balmer, a historian and ordained
Episcopal priest, will discuss his book – which offers everything you need to know for shaping
and defending your own beliefs on the role of religion in American life.
The 1st Amendment to the US Constitution codified the principle that government should play
no role in favoring or supporting any religion, while allowing free exercise of all religions
(including unbelief). More than 200 years 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 in the world.
But changes have been taking place at an accelerating pace in recent years. The current Supreme
Court has shifted away from excluding the influence and practice of religion at public institutions
and in our laws and policies, and moved dramatically toward protecting the inclusion and
promotion of religion in publicly funded undertakings. Moreover, adherents to a Christian
Nationalism ideology have grown more vocal and emboldened, and are increasingly moving into
positions of power.
Randall Balmer, one of the premier historians of religion in America, reviews both the history of
the separation of church and state and various attempts to undermine that wall. Despite the fact
that the 1st Amendment and the separation of church and state has served the nation remarkably
well, he argues, its future is by no means assured.
“An engaging, timely, and quick read.” — reviewed by Northshire bookseller Erin Lindsay
RANDALL BALMER is the John Phillips Professor in Religion at Dartmouth College. He is
the author of more than a dozen books, including Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter, God in
the White House: A History: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George
W. Bush, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in
America, which is now in its fifth edition and has been made into an award-winning three-part
series for PBS, and most recently, Bad Faith: The Rise of the Religious Right.
If you have questions about this or any other Northshire event, please write us at
events@northshire.com.

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For more information on this or other events, email events@northshire.com, or visit the
Northshire Bookstore website at www.northshire.com.
Northshire Bookstore, originally founded in 1976, has locations in Manchester, Vermont and
Saratoga Springs, NY as well as at Northshire.com. Our large but intimate general bookstores
carry the largest selection of categories and genres including new & used fiction, history,
cooking, arts and rare author-signed editions. We also have entire floors devoted to Children’s
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foods and many fine gifts from clothing to jewelry. Open to the public daily from 10:00 AM to
7:00 PM and 24/7 online with free shipping at www.northshire.com