AmP Report: Onward Christian Soldiers book launch

On Wednesday I attended an official book launch hosted by InsideCatholic of Deal Hudson's new book "Onward Christian Soldiers," in downtown Washington DC, and which featured a short speech by Senator Sam Browback.

About the book:

Many books have been written about the so-called Religious Right in American politics. Deal Hudson's new book, Onward, Christian Soldiers: The Growing Political Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States, published by Simon & Schuster, documents the surprising role of Catholics in the creation of the religious conservative movement. Hudson conducted dozens of interviews with religious and political leaders to explore the history and significance of Catholics in the conservative movement. He looks not only at Catholic contributions beginning in the 70s but also the specifically Catholic controversies that arose along the way.

Bill Donohue's endorsement:

Hudson has written an insider's jewel on the political and cultural dynamics that have affected presidential politics over the past several decades. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding the intersection of politics and religion in the twenty-first century. Professors and pundits alike will repair to this book for years to come."

The event was recorded by C-SPAN, and I'm told that the video will be aired as part of their Book TV series in the next 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, here is a short video of Hudson answering a question about John McCain and the religious right:

I've uploaded a few photos from the event to the AmP Flickr page.

For the response to a question I posed to Senator Browback during the Q&A session about John McCain's continued support of embryonic stem cell research, click here.

Deal reports on the IC blog that they sold all the books which were available for purchase and signing. I hope to read the book once I get some spare time from classes and preparations for the pope's visit.