One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America has been in the offing for seven years. No book like it has ever been written - ever.  Utilizing resources spanning archives from the Library of Congress to the rare book rooms of seminary and university libraries across the United States and around the world, James P. Moore, Jr. meticulously has turned to thousands of sources that have included original and rare letters, diaries, and manuscripts.  In addition some of the country’s most respected and prominent historians, literary figures, and spiritual leaders have provided invaluable support to the project.

Doubleday will publish the hardback edition of One Nation Under God in November 2005, followed by a softbound edition. Concurrently, Random House Audio will produce both the abridged and non-abridged audio versions of the book. The author will serve as narrator while several prominent actors and actresses will join in reading various passages.

In addition to the book and audio productions, the multi-Emmy award-winning team of the Duncan Group will produce a film for airing on public television.  Provided as a companion to the book, the film will include interviews with the author and prominent Americans as well as support from an all-star cast of America’s most prominent actors and actresses. Other projects related to One Nation Under God, including an illustrated history, will also be forthcoming

 

The constant of prayer stands as one of most critical and indisputable factors in the life of America. Not only has it shaped the lives of individual Americans, but it also has influenced the course of history. Without it, the political, cultural, religious, social, and even military annals of the nation would have been radically different from what they are today. Even global history would have been altered in the absence of American prayer.

While it is true that that the United States has developed a strong secular culture, it has not done so to the exclusion of its deeply rooted spirituality. In almost every respect of human life, some element of prayer winds its way throughout the rhythmic beat of the nation. It may be the in the simple recitation of grace at the family table or in the opening sessions of the U.S. House, Senate, Supreme Court, or presidential cabinet meetings. It may be in the incorporation of prayer in the creative arts or as an integral part in the treatment of patients, or in the millions of “prayer hits” made by Americans ever day on the Internet. By every independent measure prayer is a very real presence in the lives of the vast majority of Americans.

It was prayer that stood as the significant element shared by all of America’s original, diverse settlers – Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans. While dogma, ritual, and religious history have had the effect of dividing individuals from one another, it is prayer that always has had the power to unify. In the public discourse over prayer and religion, it must always be remembered that it is religion that needs to be learned. To quote an old Arab proverb, prayer is the pillow to religion. For many it supports a critical threshold throughout life’s difficult course.

That is why an interfaith service at Washington’s National Cathedral or at Yankee Stadium in the aftermath of September 11 even could be held in the first place. While tragedy, grief, and disbelief brought people of great diversity together during those difficult days, prayer, combined with patriotism, raised the country’s nobler sights and allowed Americans to acknowledge yet again their relationship to God and to one another in what has become a part of the country’s powerful, living heritage.

If prayer expresses the most private, innermost thoughts of men and women, then it must tell us something about ourselves and our history that is truly special and extraordinary to the American experience. To that end, One Nation Under God takes its reader on an unforgettable spiritual journey.


 

It bears repeating: nothing like One Nation Under God has ever been produced. This project brings together the prayers, hymns, patriotic anthems, musical compositions, art, and thoughts about prayer as expressed by famous and not so famous Americans. These are the prayers of Quakers and Shakers, Sikhs and Muslims; the prayers of saints and sinners, the victorious and downcast, the newly arrived and the born and bred. One Nation Under God provides a unique historical mosaic through the prism of prayer.

Some of the “firsts” in which prayer is highlighted and where it played a central role in American history includes:

	The first book printed in America – the Bay-Psalme Book – as well as the first songbook.
	The first order of business of the Continental Congress in 1774, a tradition continued by the U.S. Congress to this day.
	The first American poetry, architecture, dance, and symphonies.
	The first commercial phonograph recording, which included “The Lord’s Prayer”
	The first American opera, Porgy and Bess, a work in which George Gershwin spent weeks traveling to church and prayer meetings throughout the South to inspire him and provide special insights.
	The first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, the story of a Jewish cantor.
	The first successful self-help program, Alcoholics Anonymous, used prayer as its central source of support.

Some of the salient features of One Nation Under God include such facts as:

	Prayer was the one common thread among the diverse first settlers of the North American continent – Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans.
	Among the very diverse nations and tribes of early Native America, it was prayer where some of the strongest similarities could be seen.
	Prayer was used as a discipline tool by the early explorers to chart unknown waters and lands.
	For those Founding Fathers who attended college, prayer was a large part of their education as they began and ended their day in attending mandatory prayer services.
	Every major patriotic anthem, including the “Star Spangled Banner,” invokes God in prayer in some way.
	All presidents of the United States, including Jefferson and Madison who eschewed public prayer in their writings, invoked prayer at pivotal moments during their administrations whether doing so during their inaugural addresses or when the nation was facing a particular crisis.
	Today, as in the past, the country’s most senior officials, representing all three branches of government, invoke prayer. In the case of the Supreme Court each daily session opens with the words “God save the United States and this Honorable Court.”
	The ability to pray became one of the most critical spiritual and psychological forces in sustaining African Americans during the days of slavery.
	In the outgrowth of American spirituals, based wholly on prayer, other genres of original American music emerged, including jazz, blue grass, rhythm and blues, country western, and even hip hop.
	The U.S. Government and commanders in the field have used prayer throughout every American war and conflict as a means to inspire and unify soldiers as well as  the public.
	During the Civil Rights Era, prayer became one of the most significant tools used by African American leaders to forge nonviolent protest, beginning with the Prayer Pilgrimage of 1957, which brought Dr. Martin Luther King into national prominence, and continuing into the freedom songs of the era.

Prayer became the means by which Americans of all faiths and creeds joined together in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 to confront the tragedy and reaffirm their resolve together for their common future.