That Old-Time Religion in Modern America: Evangelical Protestantism in the Twentieth Century (American Ways Series) [Paperback]

D. G. Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2003 | Series: American Ways Series

Many Americans commonly associate evangelical Protestants with the scoldings of the religious right and solicitations of money by televangelists. Whether or not these associations are particularly flattering, it is true that a concern for preserving a moral social order as well as an unrelenting desire to make new converts are traits that have defined evangelicalism throughout American history. In this cogent account, D. G. Hart unpacks evangelicalism’s current reputation by tracing its development over the course of the twentieth century. He shows how evangelicals entered the century as full partners in the Protestant denominations and agencies that molded American cultural and intellectual life. Although the fundamentalist controversy of the 1920s marginalized evangelicals in America’s largest denominations, their views about the individual, society, and families went virtually unchallenged in American society because of the ongoing dominance of Protestant churches and institutions. After 1960, when the United States entered a period sometimes called “post-Protestant,” evangelicals began to assert themselves more aggressively in politics and culture, seeking to preserve a Christian society. These evangelical responses to Protestantism’s waning influence in America reveal a curious feature of twentieth-century life: despite its conformity to American ideals, since the 1970s evangelical Protestantism has been perceived as alien to other Americans. Mr. Hart’s illuminating study offers an explanation for this change in evangelicalism’s fortunes by showing the success and limitations of this popular religious movement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Not until the 1960s however, did evangelicals start to engage culture. They, did so D.G. Hart explains, in respons to well-known secularizing trends. (Terry Eastland Washington Times )

No one understand the history of evangelicalism better than D. G. Hart, and no one offers a more balanced analysis of the key issues. (Ribuffo, Leo )

A mature historical account of a subject as rich as it is complex. The book is carefully learned, authoritatively balanced, and yet entirely accessible to a wide audience. (Noll, Mark )

Well-informed, tightly written and provocative. (Wall Street Journal )

Art has written a concise and insightful history of evangelicalism's rise, decline, and resurgence in the 20th century. (F. Arriola CHOICE )

Fascinating...clearly coherent.... Hart's warnings...should be welcomed. (Weekly Standard )

Compelling...sweeping in reach, erudite in research, and driven by an admirable appreciation for his subjects. (David E. Harrell )

Compact, instructive and well-argued. (Chicago Sun-Times )

An excellent survey which provides much focus on 20th century evangelical effects on modern society. (Midwest Book Review )

Hart delivers a wonderfully readable narrative of twentieth-century evangelicalism...a rich and thoughtful introduction to a fertile religious tradition. (Journal Of Presbyterian History )

Hart's text is wonderfully researched and historically illuminating in its blending of theological, social, and emotional experiences into a remarkable American odyssey. Even those who view Evangelicalism with skepticism or worse will find That Old-Time Religion a compelling journey to take. (New York Resident )

…A nice job of explaining evangelical political positions…. Suggests that the common understanding of evangelicalism...needs some revision. (Religious Studies Review )

…An excellent introduction to modern evangelicalism. (The Historian )

…Both well written and intellectually substantial…. Hart has written a masterful account of modern evangelicalism. (Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr. Anglican Theological Review )

A persuasive assesment of evangelicalism's traditionalist yet innovative pressence in America. (George Westerlund Library Journal )

From the Publisher

In this cogent history, D.G. Hart unpacks evangelicalism's current reputation by tracing its development over the course of the twentieth century --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee (July 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566634598
• ISBN-13: 978-1566634595
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Exile and Back, December 7, 2006

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Labarum (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: That Old-Time Religion in Modern America: Evangelical Protestantism in the Twentieth Century (American Ways Series) (Paperback)

The growth and vitality of Evangelical Protestantism and its ascendancy into positions of political influence has come as a great shock to many in the secular culture. It is as if this seemingly backward and insignficant group came out of nowhere and siezed the reigns of the nation against its will. This attitude, shared by many on both coasts, is largely a myopic one born in a period when Evangelical Protestantism had withdrawn into a self-imposed exile and slid into an isolated subculture where it built up walls between itself and other Americans. Now that Evangelicals are again exerting their influence, there is shock on the part of many who assumed their beliefs had been relegated to a tiny rural minority. Yet in many ways, Evangelicals are attempting to reassert a dominance once unchallenged in American society.

Historian D. G. Hart has undertaken a thorough study of the withdrawal and reemergence of Evangelicalism in American culture in That Old Time Religion in Modern America. Hart begins by pointing out Evangelicalism's once dominant position in American culture, it's loss of that position, and speculates that much of the reason Evangelicals tend to feel out of place in contemporary American society is the loss of their once privelaged position in American society.

Hart divides his study of modern Evangelicalism into two parts. The first, stretching from the period of roughly 1920-1960, details the construction of the Evangelical subculture within a self-imposed ghetto when Evangelicals separated themselves from the larger culture and had little interaction with the larger culture. The second period, covering the period of roughly 1960-2000, covered the reemergance of Evangelical Protestants from their cultural withdrawal and their recent attempts to retake the culture for Christian ideals as they perceived them.

Moving effortlessly between the Evangelical response to theological, social, political, and academic controversies, Hart never forgets the importance of the personal conversion experience to Evangelicals. Thus, he is able to understand the Evangelical position on their terms and not just that of an outsider or an antagonist.

The Evangelical movement is reaching a crossroads as many in the movement are now beginning to question its allegiance to conservative politics, its compromises with the popular culture, and its ahistorical approach to theology and worship. In order to judge where Evangelical Protestantism might go in the future, we must first understand its past. D. G. Hart has provided a masterful guide and for those who seek to understand the Evangelical movement, That Old Time Religion in Modern America is essential reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tackles the history and concepts of evangelicalism, February 8, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That Old-Time Religion in Modern America: Evangelical Protestantism in the Twentieth Century (American Ways Series) (Hardcover)

In That Old-Time Religion In Modern America, religious historian Hart tackles the history and concepts of evangelicalism, tracing its development over the 20th century in America from its roots in Protestant faiths and agencies to its more modern insertion into politics and culture. An excellent survey which provides much focus on 20th century evangelical effects on modern society.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hart traces evangelicalism's current reputation, October 5, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That Old-Time Religion in Modern America: Evangelical Protestantism in the Twentieth Century (American Ways Series) (Paperback)

Hart traces evangelicalism's current reputation by tracing its development over the last hundred years, from its part in the Protestant denominations that modeled American religious thought to its controversies of the 1920s which marginzalized evangelicals in American denominations. An intriguing survey of the course of evangelical Protestantism in this century in America.