Wednesday's editorial at Patheos: Thou Shalt Not Say 'Jesus'

How can judges forbid anyone, even elected officials, from saying certain religious words?

http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Thou-Shalt-Not-Say-Jesus-Thomas-Kidd-08-31-2011.html

Michele Bachmann and the Providence of God

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'" said Michele Bachmann yesterday. As Stephen Prothero notes, providential readings of storms, earthquakes, and other disasters truly have been marginalized due to the rise of the scientific, secular mentality. Evangelical politicians and pundits should stop offering such providential interpretations unless they take time for theological reflection on God's role in the fallen natural world. I know this is asking a lot, but there are intelligent ways to talk about God's providence beyond saying that disasters reveal God's anger toward our policies and politicians. Crass providentialism feeds the worst stereotypes of evangelical thoughtlessness.   
UPDATE: Bachmann says she was just joking to make a point. Video of the speech here. 

Endorsement for Patrick Henry bio

Richard Beeman, John Welsh Centennial Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania, and author of Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution, says of my Patrick Henry bio:


“Thomas Kidd’s account of the life of Patrick Henry combines first-rate scholarship with a lively and elegant gift for story-telling. It makes a powerful case for the Virginia orator’s pre-eminent role in the fight to limit central government power during the era of the Revolution and early republic.”

Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots will be out in November with Basic Books.

Document reader on faith and the Founding

The Founding Fathers and the Debate over Religion in Revolutionary America: A History in Documents, co-edited by me and Matthew Harris (Colorado State) will be out in November with Oxford University Press.