The Culture of Co-Opted Belief?

Terry Mattingly

God's Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of Religion in Politics
Stephen L. Carter Basic, 288 pages, $26

During the 1992 Republican Convention, Vice President Dan Quayle shouted this question to a room full of delegates: "Who do we trust?"

The assembly yelled, "Jesus!"

Quayle had expected to hear, "George Bush!"

This anecdote appears early in God's Name in Vain by Yale law professor Stephen Carter. The question, of course, is whether this is a parable about Christians (a) selling their souls for a place at a worldly table or (b) bluntly confessing that eternal authority is more important than a political endorsement. The answer seems to be--both.

For the complete article go to the Terry Mattingly website.