American Prophets : Seven Religious Radicals and Their Struggle for Social and Political Justice / Albert J. Raboteau.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Raboteau, Albert J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civil rights--United States.

Civil rights.

Civil rights--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Civil rights--Religious aspects.

United States--Religion--20th century.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (245 pages) : illustrations, photographs

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2016]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

American Prophets sheds critical new light on the lives and thought of seven major prophetic figures in twentieth-century America whose social activism was motivated by a deeply felt compassion for those suffering injustice.In this compelling and provocative book, acclaimed religious scholar Albert Raboteau tells the remarkable stories of Abraham Joshua Heschel, A. J. Muste, Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Thomas Merton, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Fannie Lou Hamer-inspired individuals who succeeded in conveying their vision to the broader public through writing, speaking, demonstrating, and organizing. Raboteau traces how their paths crossed and their lives intertwined, creating a network of committed activists who significantly changed the attitudes of several generations of Americans about contentious political issues such as war, racism, and poverty. Raboteau examines the influences that shaped their ideas and the surprising connections that linked them together. He discusses their theological and ethical positions, and describes the rhetorical and strategic methods these exemplars of modern prophecy used to persuade their fellow citizens to share their commitment to social change.A momentous scholarly achievement as well as a moving testimony to the human spirit, American Prophets represents a major contribution to the history of religion in American politics. This book is essential reading for anyone who is concerned about social justice, or who wants to know what prophetic thought and action can mean in today's world.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1. Abraham Joshua Heschel, Prophet of Divine Pathos

Chapter 2. A. J. Muste: The Redemptive Power of Nonviolent Suffering

Chapter 3. Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement: Doing the Works of Mercy

Chapter 4. Howard Thurman: In Search of Common Ground

Chapter 5. Thomas Merton: Contemplation in a World of Action

Chapter 6. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement: Religion in US Politics

Chapter 7. "Is This America?" Fannie Lou Hamer and the Voices of Local People

Afterword

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Mai 2019)

ISBN:

9781400874408

1400874408

OCLC:

1100265658