Evangelical Global Engagement and the American State after World War II

The resurgence of American evangelicalism since the 1940s unfolded in conjunction with efforts by policymakers to instrumentalize religion for the assertion of empire. Missions and foreign aid are two key areas where these dynamics intersected. They show that evangelicals were both at home in the “A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American studies 2017-11, Vol.51 (4), p.1069-1094
Main Author: SCHÄFER, AXEL R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambiguity
Bibliographic literature
Capitalism
Christianity
Church & state
Cold War
Consciousness
Conservatism
Democracy
Diplomats
Evangelicalism
Foreign aid
Foreign policy
Hegemony
Ideology
Intersectionality
Literary devices
Logic
Missionaries
Morality
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Narrative techniques
National security
Politics
Positioning
Postwar history
Protestantism
Protestants
Publishing
Publishing industry
Religious history
Religious missions
Religious right
Source materials
War
White people
World War II
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Description
Summary:The resurgence of American evangelicalism since the 1940s unfolded in conjunction with efforts by policymakers to instrumentalize religion for the assertion of empire. Missions and foreign aid are two key areas where these dynamics intersected. They show that evangelicals were both at home in the “American century” and deeply critical of global power. Rather than being a weakness, however, these tensions enabled the movement to become a crucial arbiter at a time when the country's new role was not yet firmly legitimized at home. In particular, evangelicalism helped reconcile isolationist, antistatist, and antimilitarist sentiments with hegemonic aspirations, the national security state, and the military–industrial complex.
ISSN:0021-8758
1469-5154
DOI:10.1017/S0021875816001377