Original Sin and Everyday Protestants

The Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr, Billy Graham, and Paul Tillich in an Age of Anxiety

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Theology, Christianity
Cover of the book Original Sin and Everyday Protestants by Andrew S. Finstuen, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrew S. Finstuen ISBN: 9780807898536
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: December 1, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Andrew S. Finstuen
ISBN: 9780807898536
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: December 1, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In the years following World War II, American Protestantism experienced tremendous growth, but conventional wisdom holds that midcentury Protestants practiced an optimistic, progressive, complacent, and materialist faith. In Original Sin and Everyday Protestants, historian Andrew Finstuen argues against this prevailing view, showing that theological issues in general--and the ancient Christian doctrine of original sin in particular--became newly important to both the culture at large and to a generation of American Protestants during a postwar "age of anxiety" as the Cold War took root.

Finstuen focuses on three giants of Protestant thought--Billy Graham, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Paul Tillich--men who were among the era's best known public figures. He argues that each thinker's strong commitment to the doctrine of original sin was a powerful element of the broad public influence that they enjoyed. Drawing on extensive correspondence from everyday Protestants, the book captures the voices of the people in the pews, revealing that the ordinary, rank-and-file Protestants were indeed thinking about Christian doctrine and especially about "good" and "evil" in human nature. Finstuen concludes that the theological concerns of ordinary American Christians were generally more complicated and serious than is commonly assumed, correcting the view that postwar American culture was becoming more and more secular from the late 1940s through the 1950s.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the years following World War II, American Protestantism experienced tremendous growth, but conventional wisdom holds that midcentury Protestants practiced an optimistic, progressive, complacent, and materialist faith. In Original Sin and Everyday Protestants, historian Andrew Finstuen argues against this prevailing view, showing that theological issues in general--and the ancient Christian doctrine of original sin in particular--became newly important to both the culture at large and to a generation of American Protestants during a postwar "age of anxiety" as the Cold War took root.

Finstuen focuses on three giants of Protestant thought--Billy Graham, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Paul Tillich--men who were among the era's best known public figures. He argues that each thinker's strong commitment to the doctrine of original sin was a powerful element of the broad public influence that they enjoyed. Drawing on extensive correspondence from everyday Protestants, the book captures the voices of the people in the pews, revealing that the ordinary, rank-and-file Protestants were indeed thinking about Christian doctrine and especially about "good" and "evil" in human nature. Finstuen concludes that the theological concerns of ordinary American Christians were generally more complicated and serious than is commonly assumed, correcting the view that postwar American culture was becoming more and more secular from the late 1940s through the 1950s.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Southern Cultures: 2011 Music Issue, Enhanced Ebook by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book The World the Civil War Made by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Uplifting the Race by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Fact and Fiction by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Florynce "Flo" Kennedy by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Fields of Blood by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Roman Imperial Policy from Julian to Theodosius by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Rightlessness by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Nations Before Nationalism by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book The Invention of Free Labor by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Bioethics as Practice by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book From Belloc to Churchill by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book To Be Useful to the World by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Emerson, Whitman, and the American Muse by Andrew S. Finstuen
Cover of the book Economics in the Long Run by Andrew S. Finstuen
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy