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Did you ever see the movie The Blob starring Steve McQueen?

The blood-curdling threat of The Blob.

Well, way back when, Eric had a small part in that film,

but they had to cut his scene because the blob was supposed to eat

him.

But he kept spitting him out.

Oh, the whole thing was just a disaster.

Anyway, here's the guy who's not always that easy to digest.

Eric the Texas!

Welcome back talking to the author of Lincoln's God, how Faith Transformed a President in a Nation, Joshua Zites.

So I sort of asked it in the beginning, but what led you to this topic specifically?

I don't know where you stand on the faith issue or in politics.

You're an historian. What led you to say,

I want to write a whole book on this subject? You know, I think that religion is a singularly

important force, you know, historically in American politics and culture, both in the 19th and 20th

century. And, you know, like when I was teaching, I probably wouldn't have answered the question, how about you?

What's your faith? What are your politics? I would have just said, I'm here to teach you history, which is pretty much my line in this book.

But you don't have to be religious or a believer to appreciate the central role of religion in American public life.

And certainly if you're looking in that

...