The Origins of Christian Anti-Internationalism: Conservative Evangelicals and the League of Nations (Religion and Politics series) Rating :
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Measured study of a crucial factor influencing American political science.
By Midwest Book Review
Markku Ruotsila (adjunct professor of American church history, University of Helsinki) presents The Origins of Christian Anti-Internationalism: Conservative Evangelicals and the League of Nations, a close examination of conservative Christian skepticism of international politics. Discussing the historical and theological genesis of evangelical Christian thought on modern-day international organizations as well as American foreign policy, takes a bold stand in depicting a the fierce role that religion plays in American domestic and foreign procedure. Chapters focus on the influence of a number of different religious groups in America's history, including Calvinists, Lutherans, Methodists and Episcopalians, as well as exploring the history of conflict between religion and the League of Nations, and much more. "It was during the League of Nations controversy that conservative Christians first put in systematic terms that doctrinal insistence that the nation's faith should be placed only in the instrumentality of those Christian churches that were engaged in traditional evangelism and trusted God, not humanity, to perfect the world in due time. They taught that America could play a special role in the world only after it had reposed its faith in Christ and had thereby been transformed... they further insisted that America must not be tied to non-Christian nations but must remain a free agent in the world's affairs. Such beliefs... would have a profound impact on American foreign policy for the eighty or so years after the original debates over the League of Nations. In all likelihood, Christian anti-internationalism in its doctrinal and popular forms would last for a long time to come." Notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this measured study of a crucial factor influencing American political science.
Product Description
The roots of conservative Christian skepticism of international politics run deep. In this original work Markku Ruotsila artfully unearths the historical and theological origins of evangelical Christian thought on modern-day international organizations and U.S. foreign policy, particularly in the fierce debates over the first truly international body -- the League of Nations.
After describing the rise of the Social Gospel movement that played a vital, foundational role in the movement toward a League of Nations, The Origins of Christian Anti-Internationalism examines the arguments and tactics that the most influential confessional Christian congregations in the United States -- dispensational millenialists, Calvinists, Lutherans, and, to a lesser extent, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Christian Restorationists -- used to undermine domestic support for the proposed international body. Ruotsila recounts how these groups learned to co-opt less religious-minded politicians and organizations that were likewise opposed to the very concept of international multilateralism. In closely analyzing how the evangelical movement successfully harnessed political activism to sway U.S. foreign policy, he traces a direct path from the successful battle against the League to the fundamentalist-modernist clashes of the 1920s and the present-day debate over America's role in the world.
This exploration of why the United States ultimately rejected the League of Nations offers a lucid interpretation of the significant role that religion plays in U.S. policymaking both at home and abroad. Ruotsila's analysis will be of interest to scholars and practitioners of theology, religious studies, religion and politics, international relations, domestic policy, and U.S. and world history.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #3045167 in Books
- Published on: 2007-12-18
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.86" h x6.50" w x.55" l,.76 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
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