Religion and American Politics: From the Colonial Period to the 1980s - Softcover

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9780195058819: Religion and American Politics: From the Colonial Period to the 1980s

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019505881X ISBN 13: 9780195058819

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1989

How do religion and politics interact in America? Why is it that at certain periods in American history, religious and political thought have followed a parallel course while at other times they have moved in entirely different directions? To what extent have minority perspectives challenged the majority position on the religious and political issues that impinge on each other? These are among the many important and fascinating questions examined in this book, the first thorough historical survey of the multi-layered connections between religion and politics in the United States.

This unique collection presents previously unpublished essays by seventeen of America's leading historians and social scientists, including John Murrin, Harry Stout, John F. Wilson, Daniel Walker Howe, Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Robert Swierenga, Martin Marty, Robert Wuthnow, and George Marsden. Together, these distinguished contributors provide comprehensive coverage of the historical interaction between religion and politics in America, from the colonial and Revolutionary periods, with intense commitments to and disagreements over religion, through the evangelical Protestant ascendancy that marked the nineteenth century, to the growing pluralism and heightened antagonism between liberal and conservative factions that typify our own era.

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About the Author:

Mark A. Noll is a Professor of History, Wheaton College.

Review:

"A fine collection of essays by experts in the field,...an excellent introduction to the subject....[A]s a study of the relationship of Christianity to American life the book is excellent...a valuable book that will prove useful to many."--Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

"The articles discuss the place of religious conviction in a pluralistic democracy characterized by an institutional separation of church and state....They contribute a wealth of scholarly bibliographic material. Readers interested in the subject will enjoy the text."--Grace Theological
Journal

"This volume of essays...sets a high standard for further interpretation of the interaction of religion and politics in American history....Prescriptions are avoided. Surprises and insights abound. This volume marks a point from which further discussion must begin."--Journal of Religion

"An ideal example of a type of theological conversation which should be much more widely practiced."--Owen C. Thomas, in Anglican Theological Review

"Draws on an extraordinary range of social historical work--including work in the history of the professions and of women....A sophisticated view of religion informed by reflection and politics sensitized to theological issues."--Journal of Southern History

"A distinguished work by a distinguished group of collaborators."--Church History

"Provides a good selection of essays in the area--effective length and challenging quality."--Christopher J. Viscardi, Spring Hill College

"This volume is now the place to begin one's reflections on the relationships between religion and politics in America. Few collections have done a better job of laying out the issues."--Presidential Studies Quarterly

"...Rich and stimulating...An invaluable guide to a broad range of issues."--Journal of The Early Republic

"These comparative essays round off and enhance what is in any case a valuable and useful collection."--The Catholic Historical Review

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