Deconstructing Evangelicalism: Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham [Hardcover]

D. G. Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

Millions of Americans identify themselves as evangelicals. But what does the word mean? For author D. G. Hart, twentieth-century evangelicalism centers on Billy Graham-those in sympathy with him and those reacting to him. In Deconstructing Evangelicalism, D. G. Hart provocatively argues that evangelicalism is a concept that has obscured more of Christianity than it has revealed and should be abandoned as a separate religious identity. Instead, he suggests that American Christians rediscover their rich theological heritage rather than continue to struggle along with ''a minimalist account of the Christian faith.''

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Westminster Theological Seminary's Hart is a conservative Presbyterian, but he'd rather not be called an "evangelical." That word, which once upon a time was synonymous with Protestantism in the United States, has come to refer to a broad range of conservative Christianity too broad for Hart's carefully calibrated historical sensibilities. This book is an historical, or more precisely historiographical, argument for the irrelevance of "evangelicalism" as a category of Protestantism in the 21st century. Given new life after World War II by a generation of ex-fundamentalists, the label now is used by scholars and journalists to cover everything from Hart's fellow Orthodox Presbyterians to affluent megachurch attenders and urban Pentecostals. Hart makes a persuasive case that such lumpy thinking obscures as much as it reveals about America's more conservative believers (something similar could be said, of course, for terms like "mainline" and "Catholic"). In a particularly strong chapter on the methods of pollsters, Hart points out that they have set the bar for qualifying as an "evangelical" so low that they undoubtedly exaggerate Americans' devotion to traditional Christianity. Hart's thesis is true as far as it goes, but like some other "deconstructionists" he seems dogmatically unwilling to admit that even imperfect categories can be useful. This book will exhilarate or exasperate readers who have a vested interest in Hart's conclusions; anyone else will wonder what the fuss is about.
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About the Author

D. G. Hart (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University) is director of academic projects and faculty development at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute in Wilmington, Delaware. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801027284
• ISBN-13: 978-0801027284
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,019,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evangelicalism is NOT!, May 28, 2004

By 

C. R Biggs "Biggsman" (Round Hill, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deconstructing Evangelicalism: Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham (Hardcover)

What is an evangelical? Where do we find their confession of faith? If I want to engage in a dialog with an evangelical, where do I find out what they believe? Who are their teachers? How does one get a membership card to join evangelicalism? Who is running this important and influential movement of the twentieth century?

D. G. Hart, elder and historian in the OPC, has written another fine historical study that ought to be considered by pastors and lay people alike. Hart's new book is a work of deconstruction. It is not deconstruction as we tend to think associated with French linguists and literary interpretation. It is a deconstruction of an identity.

It is Hart's important claim that 'evangelical' as a term exists, but that as a true identity within Christ's Church, 'evangelical' might as well be nonexistent. He writes provocatively in his interesting introduction:

"Evangelicalism needs to be relinquished as a religious identity because it does not exist. In fact, it is the wax nose of the twentieth-century American Protestantism?.Despite the vast amounts of energy and resources expended on the topic, and notwithstanding the ever growing volume of literature on the movement, evangelicalism is little more than a construction." (pgs. 16-17).

The book is divided into two parts: Part 1 is entitled "The Making of Evangelicalism" and Hart traces the history of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. Part 2 is entitled "The Unmaking of Evangelicalism" where he argues that evangelicalism is a movement without a creed, but has similiarities in modern worship.

Hart fairly acknowledges the good that evangelicals have accomplished and in no way undermines the good that God has done through the work of twentieth century evangelicals. What he seeks to historically understand is how should we categorize a people who have no confessions, or external denominations to hold them together, but rather are held together by famous teachers (Billy Graham, James Dobson and Tim Lahaye he names as the "parachurch celebrities"), and a few lowest-common-denominator doctrines that allow evangelicals to work without any offense to one another or a threat to their unity.

Hart asserts that evangelicalism cannot exist as a visible part of Christ's Church in historically upholding the three "marks of the church": Right preaching of the Word of God, correct administration of the sacraments, and discipline in order to uphold the first two. Hart writes that evangelical parachurch organizations have different goals (pgs. 123-124)

Hart argues that in the twentieth century, individualistic evangelicalism has envisioned the church as more of a business, where those who benefit from evangelical ministries are the consumers. If they do not like the product, whether it is a radio sermon or a television broadcast, they can merely turn it off.

In contrast to evangelicalism, churches who have identities in the visible church through local church membership, are confessional and submitted to elders. Hart writes:

"Churches, unlike parachurch entities, have creeds that let people contemplating membership know the content of the denomination's faith. Churches also have structures of governance that provide a mechanism of accountability that is very different from that of the market model, which determines which parachurch celebrities are the most popular and therefore authoritative." (pg. 124)

Hart concludes that "Evangelicalism is a seemingly large and influential religious body, but it lacks an institutional center, intellectual coherence, and devotional direction." (pg. 176). What then is the "recipe" for evangelicalism according to Hart? "Combine two cups of inerrancy, one cup of conversion, and a pinch of doctrinal affirmations; form into a patchwork of parachurch agencies, religious celebrities, and churches; season with peppy music professionally performed; and bake every generation." (pg. 183).

Evangelicalism is a term that neither pastors nor lay people ought to use, and especially historians of American Protestantism as Hart carefully writes in his conclusion. For evangelicalism is not; it is no thing; it is nothing. It does not exist as an identity, or as a tradition.

Now we must be reminded that as a historian Hart is as guilty as anyone else for using evangelicalism as an identity (note his book other books such as 'That Old-Time Religion in Modern America', or his collection of historical essays on evangelicalism entitled 'Reckoning with the Past'), but he wisely included an afterword to explain his new conclusions concerning this identity and tradition that is non-existent.

Dr. Hart describes himself as a "victim in recovery", having used the same terms as other historians, he now invites the academic community as well as general readers of his book to reconsider the term evangelical as anything more than an identity constructed and created out of thin air.

What I appreciate about this book, especially for pastors working in evangelical communities, is that Hart reminds us all that the glue that is ultimately holding evangelicalism together is not historic creeds and confessions, but an individualistic ?culture of celebrity which is the flip side of denying of the authority of traditions" (pg. 120).

Anyone concerned with the rampant individualism in today's congregations, as well as the lack of commitment to congregational life and membership needs to read this book and take thoughtful consideration to his remarks. While evangelicals have been used by God for many good things, one being the upholding of the biblical doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture, there is much more to be concerned about than merely the inerrancy of Scripture.

We should also be concerned with the teaching of inerrant Scripture concerning the importance of Christ's visible church given to us equipped with gifted men ordained by God to preach the Word, administer the sacraments, and to exercise discipline and godly concern over the flock of God. The same inerrant Scripture that evangelicalism wholeheartedly defends teaches the importance of being part of a visible church and congregation of Christ's people. What good is affirming an inerrant Scripture and not obeying it and allowing it to create our identity as the people of God?

Evangelicals need to be reminded that the Holy Spirit did not begin working in Christ?s Church when the National Association of Evangelicals was started in 1942, but has been sovereignly active in building Christ?s Church throughout history.

I am convinced by the book's conclusions; I encourage you to read it as well!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Interesting, June 6, 2005

By 

David A. Booth - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deconstructing Evangelicalism: Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham (Hardcover)

"Deconstructing Evangelicalism" is both less and more than the title suggests.

Those readers who are interested in a social and theological critique of evangelicalism will be enlightened by this work which is best read with Ian Murray's "Evangelicalism Divided" and David Wells' "No Place for Truth". The book is somewhat less than it claims to be in that if you don't read these other books it would be rather difficult to evaluate the conclusions that Hart draws.

"Deconstructing Evangelicalism" is clearly aimed at a target audience of seminary students, professors, and professional historians. If you are in that category - this is clearly a text you should read. As one of the finest social-historians of 20th century American relgion, Hart is consistently insightful and the reader can have confidence that the scaffolding of observations is based on a foundation of solid scholarship.

For those who have read other works by D.G. Hart, this book needs no recommendation: Everything Hart writes is worth reading. For those who are unfamiliar with Hart, I would recommend "Defending the Faith" as your introduction to his scholarship.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Read, March 16, 2006

By 

wisdomofthepages.com (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deconstructing Evangelicalism: Conservative Protestantism in the Age of Billy Graham (Hardcover)

What is an evangelical? When the boundaries of a definition are broadened wide enough, eventually the definition collapses in on itself, and the meaning of the movement becomes meaningless.

D. G. Hart writes a great book declaring that "Evangelicalism" is not a real identity, but instead is a well-intended construction of conservative Christians in the post-World War II climate of modernism vs. fundamentalism. Seeking to define a segment of Christianity in opposition to either the Fundamentalism or modernism, a large swath of pastors, theologians, pollsters, historians, evangelists, musicians, etc. worked to create a unified "Conservative Protestantism". The resulting edifice is known as "Evangelicalism".

Fifty+ years later it is painfully obvious that the only "unity" of evangelicalism is a unity that is so devoid of biblical theological substance that... who cares about evangelicalism? In a nutshell, Hart argues that it is time to dump the idea of Evangelicalism.

I have read dozens and dozens of books on the history of American Christianity, with a great number of these focusing on Evangelicalism. I say that because it is hard to tell if this would be an enjoyable book to read if you haven't already consumed a lot on the history of Evangelicalism. For me, the book was a delight. I love discovering new historical insight into key figures such as Carl Henry, Billy Graham, Fuller Seminary, the CCM industry, religious pollsters, etc. I think Hart writes exceedingly well. He is one of those authors that is not afraid to state his strong convictions. He calls it like he sees it - and this makes for good reading.

Here are some quotes from early on in the book:

"This book is about the way neo-evangelicals built the evangelical edifice and how academics have maintained the facade of the building commonly known as conservative Protestantism."(28)

"But the chief aim is to document the construction of evangelicalism as a scholarly tool of analysis and the concomitant deconstruction of evangelicalism as an expression of Christian faith and practice." (29)

"The first part of the book examines the scholarly construction of evangelicalism during the last twenty-five years... The last half of the book explores the way evangelicalism as a post-World War II religious movment has fragmented." (29)

"Without a self-conscious notion about ministry, a common theology, and a coherent understanding of worship, evangelicalism has deconstructed."(29)


One of the best quotes in the book comes in the last paragraph:

Was it actually conceivable that the word evangelical could hold together disparate Protestant beliefs and practices and mold them into some kind of unified whole? Even more basic was whether such an evangelical identity was desirable. The idea to make evangelicalism the conservative version of Protestantism was an interesting attempt to create an alternative religious voice that would counter mainline Protestantism and Roman Catholicism and would beat fundamentalism at the public relations game. But this evangelical movement was simply duplicating work already being done, not to shape a nation but to shepherd God's flock. Before evangelicalism, Christians had churches to hear the Word preached, to receive the sacraments, and to hear sound counsel and correction.Without evangelicalism, Protestant Christianity may not be as unified (when has it ever been?), but it will go one. And without the burden of forming a nationally influential coalition, American Protestants in all their Heinz 57 varieties, from Presbyterian to Calvary Chapel, may even be healthier.

Hart's book is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

One negative thing - why is there only one passing mention of Francis Schaeffer?