Protestants and American Conservatism
A Short History
Published on 25. October 2019
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-0-19-997741-3 (ISBN)
Description
The rise of the modern Christian Right, starting with the 1976 Presidential election and culminating in the overwhelming white evangelical support for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, has been one of the most consequential political developments of the last half-century of American history. And while there has been a flowering of scholarship on the history of American conservatism, almost all of it has focused on the emergence of a conservative movement after World War II. Likewise, while much has been written about the role of Protestants in American politics, such studies generally begin in the 1970s, and almost none look further back than 1945.
In this sweeping history, Gillis Harp traces the relationship between Protestantism and conservative politics in America from the Puritans to Palin. Christian belief long shaped American conservatism by bolstering its critical view of human nature and robust skepticism of human perfectibility. At times, Christian conservatives have attempted to enlist the state as an essential ally in the quest for moral reform. Yet, Harp argues, while conservative voters and activists have often professed to be motivated by their religious faith, in fact the connection between Christian principle and conservative politics has generally been remarkably thin. Indeed, with the exception of the seventeenth-century Puritans and some nineteenth-century Protestants, few American conservatives have constructed a well-reasoned theological foundation for their political beliefs. American conservatives have instead adopted a utilitarian view of religious belief that is embedded within essentially secular assumptions about society and politics. Ultimately, Harp claims, there is very little that is distinctly Christian about the modern Christian Right.
In this sweeping history, Gillis Harp traces the relationship between Protestantism and conservative politics in America from the Puritans to Palin. Christian belief long shaped American conservatism by bolstering its critical view of human nature and robust skepticism of human perfectibility. At times, Christian conservatives have attempted to enlist the state as an essential ally in the quest for moral reform. Yet, Harp argues, while conservative voters and activists have often professed to be motivated by their religious faith, in fact the connection between Christian principle and conservative politics has generally been remarkably thin. Indeed, with the exception of the seventeenth-century Puritans and some nineteenth-century Protestants, few American conservatives have constructed a well-reasoned theological foundation for their political beliefs. American conservatives have instead adopted a utilitarian view of religious belief that is embedded within essentially secular assumptions about society and politics. Ultimately, Harp claims, there is very little that is distinctly Christian about the modern Christian Right.
Reviews / Votes
Harp's work is an intellectual history in the "history of ideas" tradition, focused on high-level politics and economics. The centuries-long survey is a pleasure to read throughout. The writing and research are compelling, the coverage balanced and thorough, the arguments interesting and productive. * Paul Harvey, University of Colorado, Reviews in American History * Gillis Harp's Protestants and American Conservatism is an admirable attempt to illuminate one of the most confounding alliances in American history * Charles McDaniel, Journal of Church and State * American conservatives still confounded by the election and enduring popularity of Donald Trump among groups describing themselves as conservative will acquire a better historical understanding of the rise of Trumpism by reading Gillis J. Harp's Protestants and American Conservatism.... The book is carefully researched and chock-full of detail. * Journal of Church and State * An effective historical introduction that should stand as a useful way point on the road to a more capacious understanding of the roots of the contemporary religious Right. * Journal of American History * Harps knowledge of American Protestant conservatism is encyclopedic, his prose is clear, his judgments are measured, and his message is sobering. * Christians in Political Science * A fine history indeed, with a great deal of insightful information in, just as promised, a short, brisk volume of 237 pages before the notes and back matter...These well-written chapters will be of interest to students, non-expert readers, and to scholars as well * Political Theology * This is an important book, no matter which side of the religious/secular or progressive/conservative battle lines you occupy...From the founding to the Civil War to now, Dr. Harp makes a compelling narrative of Christian Protestant conservatism. * David Breeden, Medium * Gillis Harp's wide-ranging narrative offers a remarkably innovative perspective on the centuries-long symbiotic relationship between evangelical Protestantism and American conservatism. Its bold (but carefully documented) thesis will change the way we think about politics and religion in America. As Harp demonstrates, the roots of the contemporary Religious Right may lie not only in the 20th century, but in the 17th. * Daniel K. Williams, author of God's Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right * In this ambitious but highly accessible book, Gillis Harp skillfully charts the long, tangled, and consequential relationship between Protestantism and political conservatism in American life, all with a sharp eye for pivot points and secular drifts that have made today's religious right an unorthodox thing. Harp's is an invaluable guide to four hundred years of Christian political thought and action and a timely exegesis of how American believers arrived at their current political moment. * Darren Dochuk, author of Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America * Gillis Harp has taken the long view in showing why an issue at the forefront of contemporary political interest deserves full historical treatment. His carefully researched and clearly argued account of the long-standing inner connections between conservative Protestants and conservative politics illuminates both the nation's past and the contentious present. It is both a word in season and a rewarding reflection on a very long history. * Mark Noll, author of The Civil War as a Theological Crisis * A sweeping yet tightly argued narrative, built on exhaustive research... This is a wonderful book and essential reading for anyone starting their own project on American conservatism or the relationship between religion and politics in any period of American history. It will also be of interest to anyone who just wants a good read in intellectual history. * Barry Hankins, American Historical Review *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
666 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-997741-3 (9780199977413)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2019
OUP eBook
€18.99
Available for download
E-Book
07/2019
OUP eBook
€18.99
Available for download
Person
Gillis J. Harp received his masters and doctorate in American history from the University of Virginia. His is Professor of History at Grove City College. He is the author of Brahmin Prophet: Phillips Brooks and the Path of Liberal Protestantism and Positivist Republic: Auguste Comte and the Reconstruction of American Liberalism, 1865-1920.
Content
Preface
Introduction
Chapter One: The Colonies, 1607-1763
Chapter Two: The Revolution and the Founding Era, 1763-1800
Chapter Three: The Antebellum Era and Civil War, 1800-1865
Chapter Four: The Gilded Age, 1865-1900
Chapter Five: The Early Twentieth Century, 1900-1945
Chapter Six: Post War America, 1945-1970s
Chapter Seven: The Success and Failure of the Religious Right, 1970s-2010
Conclusion
Index
Introduction
Chapter One: The Colonies, 1607-1763
Chapter Two: The Revolution and the Founding Era, 1763-1800
Chapter Three: The Antebellum Era and Civil War, 1800-1865
Chapter Four: The Gilded Age, 1865-1900
Chapter Five: The Early Twentieth Century, 1900-1945
Chapter Six: Post War America, 1945-1970s
Chapter Seven: The Success and Failure of the Religious Right, 1970s-2010
Conclusion
Index