American Apocalypse : A History of Modern Evangelicalism / Matthew Avery Sutton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sutton, Matthew Avery, author.

Series:

SUNY series, praxis, theory in action.

SUNY Series, Praxis Theory in Action

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Evangelicalism--History.

Evangelicalism.

United States--Church history--20th century.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (480 p.)

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, [2014]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The first comprehensive history of modern American evangelicalism to appear in a generation, American Apocalypse shows how a group of radical Protestants, anticipating the end of the world, paradoxically transformed it. Matthew Avery Sutton draws on extensive archival research to document the ways an initially obscure network of charismatic preachers and their followers reshaped American religion, at home and abroad, for over a century. Perceiving the United States as besieged by Satanic forces-communism and secularism, family breakdown and government encroachment-Billy Sunday, Charles Fuller, Billy Graham, and others took to the pulpit and airwaves to explain how Biblical end-times prophecy made sense of a world ravaged by global wars, genocide, and the threat of nuclear extinction. Believing Armageddon was nigh, these preachers used what little time was left to warn of the coming Antichrist, save souls, and prepare the nation for God's final judgment. By the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan and conservative Republicans appropriated evangelical ideas to create a morally infused political agenda that challenged the pragmatic tradition of governance through compromise and consensus. Following 9/11, the politics of apocalypse continued to resonate with an anxious populace seeking a roadmap through a world spinning out of control. Premillennialist evangelicals have erected mega-churches, shaped the culture wars, made and destroyed presidential hopefuls, and brought meaning to millions of believers. Narrating the story of modern evangelicalism from the perspective of the faithful, Sutton demonstrates how apocalyptic thinking continues to exert enormous influence over the American mainstream today.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Prologue

1. Jesus Is Coming

2. Global War and Christian Nationalism

3. The Birth of Fundamentalism

4. The Culture Wars Begin

5. American Education on Trial

6. Seeking Salvation with the GOP

7. The Rise of the Tyrants

8. Christ's Deal versus the New Deal

9. Reviving American Exceptionalism

10. Becoming Cold Warriors for Christ

11. Apocalypse Now

Epilogue

Abbreviations

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

ISBN:

9780674744790

0674744799

9780674736184

0674736184

OCLC:

893909851