Title Inventing a Christian America : the myth of the religious founding / Steven K. Green

Published New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2015

Click on the following:
EBSCO eBooks
Oxford Scholarship Online

Copies

Description 1 online resource (xi, 295 pages) Contents Introduction: The Christian Nation Debate, Methodological Fallacies, and the Role of Myths -- A Haven for Religious Freedom -- A Model for Christian and Civil Government -- The Revolutionary and Constitutional Impulse -- A Government of Men -- The Birth of a Myth -- Conclusion Summary "Among the most enduring themes in American history is the idea that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. A pervasive narrative in everything from school textbooks to political commentary, it is central to the way in which many Americans perceive the historical legacy of their nation. Yet, as Steven K. Green shows in this illuminating new book, it is little more than a myth. In Inventing a Christian America, Green, a leading historian of religion and politics, explores the historical record that is purported to support the popular belief in America's religious founding and status as a Christian nation. He demonstrates that, like all myths, these claims are based on historical 'facts' that have been colored by the interpretive narratives that have been imposed upon them. In tracing the evolution of these claims and the evidence levied in support of them from the founding of the New England colonies, through the American Revolution, and to the present day, he investigates how they became leading narratives in the country's collective identity. Three critical moments in American history shaped and continue to drive the myth of a Christian America: the Puritan founding of New England, the American Revolution and the forging of a new nation, and the early years of the nineteenth century, when a second generation of Americans sought to redefine and reconcile the memory of the founding to match their religious and patriotic aspirations. Seeking to shed light not only on the veracity of these ideas but on the reasons they endure, Green ultimately shows that the notion of America's religious founding is a myth not merely in the colloquial sense, but also in a deeper sense, as a shared story that gives deeper meaning to our collective national identity. Offering a fresh look at one of the most common and contested claims in American history, Inventing a Christian America is an enlightening read for anyone interested in the story of--and the debate over--America's founding"-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL English Online resource; title from PDF title page (Ebsco, viewed April 20, 2015) digitized 2011 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL SUBJECT Umschulungswerkstätten für Siedler und Auswanderer Bitterfeld gnd Subject Freedom of religion -- United States -- History Christianity and politics -- United States -- History Founding Fathers of the United States -- Religious life Church and state -- United States -- History National characteristics, American -- History Collective memory -- United States -- History POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Process -- Political Advocacy. Christianity and politics Church and state Collective memory Freedom of religion National characteristics, American Christentum Geschichtsbild Staat Kirche Religionsfreiheit Zivilreligion Kristendom -- Nordamerika. SUBJECT United States -- Church history. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85139926 United States -- History -- Errors, inventions, etc. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140316 New England -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85091268 United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85140139 Subject New England United States Genre/Form Electronic books Church history History Form Electronic book ISBN 9780190230982 0190230983 9780190231002 0190231009

  Permalink