Praise


The New York Times

"The Party Faithful," by the respected political journalist and progressive Baptist Amy Sullivan, is a kind of sophisticated self-help manual for Democrats who are looking for a way "of leveling the praying field." Sullivan provides a brisk history of Democratic miscalculations, along with a running commentary.
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Publishers Weekly

"Senior Time editor Sullivan says 'trying to understand American politics without looking at religion would be like trying to understand the politics of the Middle East without paying attention to oil.' Her fresh look at the 'God gap' reveals the chasm's depths and offers a bridge across. Sullivan, an evangelical, discusses party process as the Catholic and white evangelical vote for Democrats declined sharply in the 1980s. The story of this shift is as fascinating as it is timely. Starting in the 1960s, she traces the Second Vatican Council's impact on Catholics and the rise of Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, and the effects of these changes upon politics. Sullivan focuses with special sharpness on John Kerry, 'a case study in how to mishandle religion during a political race' and challenges the conventional wisdom 'that the right was religious and the left wanted religion scrubbed from the public square.' Evangelical and political conservatives may be related, but they are not synonymous, says Sullivan; Clinton, after all, is 'a genuine Southern evangelical.' Sullivan's account argues persuasively and optimistically that 'politically liberal and theologically orthodox' evangelicals can be brought back to the Democratic Party. Must reading for Democrats." (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Washington Post

"During John Kerry's 2004 presidential race, young, gung-ho Catholic campaign workers planned to hand out leaflets in Ohio parishes — until a field director stopped them cold. "We don't do white churches," the party official said. Amy Sullivan tells that story as an example of how, until recently, Democratic candidates simply gave up on many religious voters, particularly Catholics and evangelicals. Sullivan is "angry with Republicans for claiming a monopoly on faith," but she is even more "disappointed with Democrats for giving it to them." Polls show that the more often people go to church, the more likely they are to vote Republican. That "God gap," she writes, "represents a failure of the left as much as it does an achievement of the right." Sullivan's passion derives from the fact that she is both an evangelical and a Democrat. She is convinced that there are plenty of people like her — "liberals because of, not despite, their religious beliefs" — and that the Democratic Party is finally taking notice. Despite her partisanship, her book is an evenhanded account of religion's role in recent elections, concluding with the 2006 midterms in which some Democrats successfully reached out to religious voters."

—Alan Cooperman, The Washington Post

"Amy Sullivan is an exceptional journalist who has become one of our most insightful commentators on the American religious-political landscape. The Party Faithful is filled with discerning reporting, behind-the-scenes stories, and astute analysis. Her history of the evangelical social conscience will be illuminating to many. She shows that faithful voters do not belong to only one party, but are looking to bring their moral passion to politics and are more likely now to hold both sides accountable. She understands the sea change going on in faith and politics in America."

— Jim Wallis, author of The Great Awakening and God's Politics

"Long before most journalists or Democratic activists were paying attention, Amy Sullivan understood that what was happening in the religious world mattered enormously to the political world — and she saw the damage being done to the Democratic Party in the name of God. With empathy, superb reporting, a sense of history, and an ear for the good story, Sullivan describes what went wrong in the party of Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter, and the struggles and strategizing designed to level the religious playing field. The Party Faithful is a fascinating account, brimming with humanity — and hope."

— E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right

"The religious vote is up for grabs in unprecedented ways in 2008, and in this thoughtful and moving book, Amy Sullivan not only explains why but suggests what liberals and Democrats can do to capture it."

— Alan Wolfe, author of Does American Democracy Still Work? and director of
the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College

"Amy Sullivan is one of a small group of political journalists who understand that the phrase 'religious progressive' is not an oxymoron. Her book is the answer to my prayers."

— Paul Begala, CNN political analyst and former counselor to President Clinton

"Lots of people are writing good books on faith and politics these days — Amy Sullivan has written a great one. The Party Faithful is an invaluable romp through the Democrats' often torturous (and regularly tortuous) journey of faith and is essential reading for anyone hoping to understand the presidential race."

— David Kuo, author of Tempting Faith

"The most exciting voice on the religious left. Period. She produces the most interesting, path-breaking writing on religion and politics."

— Steven Waldman, cofounder of Beliefnet

"There is far too little great reporting and sound thinking on the perennial subject of religion and politics in America, but Amy Sullivan is changing that. With intelligence, insight, and grace, she has given us a great gift in The Party Faithful, a new book that sheds light on a question that too often simply generates heat."

— Jon Meacham, author of American Gospel and Franklin and Winston