Disentangling Religion from Public Life
Via Maud Newton, this is an excerpt of her excerpt from the introduction to the book Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite, by D. Michael Lindsay, that I found interesting:
Much of the twentieth century was spent disentangling religion from public life. Commerce and piety were once seen as complements to one another. But that connection dissolved with the rise of modern corporations, as the personal was divorced from the professional. Americans embraced pluralism in the workplace, public schools, and civic life, and these institutions worked to minimize sectarian differences among workers and citizens. In the process, religion lost some of its influence, becoming just one of many sources for individual and national identity. Gradually, religion was relegated to the private, personal sphere.
Yet even as this arrangement finally became taken for granted in many quarters of American life, opposing perspectives were emerging. In the 1970s, conservative Christians, many of whom had sequestered themselves in a distinct subculture, began returning to the cultural mainstream. Initially, they met with only limited success, and many observers ignored their entrepreneurial creativity and strong resolve to change America. Also, few connected evangelicals’ activism in politics with activism in other spheres, even though evangelicals regard these as more important.
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on Tuesday, 2 October 2007 at 23.34
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A valid observation, except I'm not so sure about, ". . .few connected evangelicals’ activism in politics with activism in other spheres, even though evangelicals regard these as more important."
Maybe she's referring to what I see as some proactive Christians' "hustling and holiness go hand in hand" approach to bringing in the sheep — and shearing them.
on Wednesday, 3 October 2007 at 17.54
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I don't see any of it.
"Much of the twentieth century was spent disentangling religion from public life."
Mid century was more religious than the two ends (In God We Trust was put on the currency in the 50's).
"In the 1970s, conservative Christians, many of whom had sequestered themselves in a distinct subculture, began returning to the cultural mainstream."
Conservative Christians left the mainstream? Where? Who were they? The Amish? The Hutterites?
on Wednesday, 3 October 2007 at 22.32
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RSF wrote: "Conservative Christians left the mainstream? Where? Who were they?"
They were mostly small-church evangelical Protestants of congregations in the Southeast and across the sunbelt. Up until the 1970's, they mostly asserted themselves in their communities, counties and states. They became much more politicized and active nationally in the 1970's. The rise of televangelists and organizations such as the Southern Baptist Convention were both causes and effects of this.
For specifics, and plenty of them, read Kevin Phillips' excellent book, "American Theocracy."
on Friday, 5 October 2007 at 04.55
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I don't see the case where they left the mainstream. Conservative Christians largely defined the mainstream. They became more politically active as they saw their values becoming replaced, by pop culture, Washington dictates, etc.
on Friday, 5 October 2007 at 23.27
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RSF, the evangelical conservative Christians I describe are notably different in numerous ways from what has been called the Mainline Protestant denominations: Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, Calvinist, Congregational and some Baptists.
From the late 1940s through the mid-1970's, Mainline churches were on many fronts quite progressive. Examples include activism on behalf of the chronically poor, prison reform and support of the Civil Rights movement. Small-church evangelicals and SBC affiliates were MIA on these and other issues.
Most small-church evangelicals didn't leave the mainstream because they had never really been a part of it, in national terms.