NEWPORT — Charter Books and the Newport Historical Society will present an evening with historian and author Randall Balmer on Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Richard I. Burnham Resource Center.
Balmer, the John Phillips Professor in Religion at Dartmouth College, will discuss his newly released book “America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State” during the 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. event at 82 Touro St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a complimentary reception.
The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing. Charter Books will have a booth selling Balmer’s books.
Balmer’s latest work examines the history of the separation of church and state and various attempts to undermine that constitutional principle. The book argues that despite the First Amendment’s success in shielding government from religious factionalism, its future is uncertain amid recent Supreme Court shifts and the rise of Christian nationalism.
“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,” according to the book’s description.
The author has written more than a dozen books, including “Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter,” “God in the White House: A History” and “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America.”
Tickets cost $15 to $20, with student discounts available for $10 with valid identification. Tickets can be purchased on the Newport Historical Society website at newporthistory.org.
