Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism Reprint Edition

by Molly Worthen (Author)

45 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0190630515

ISBN-10: 0190630515

Why is ISBN important?

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers

from

Other Sellers

See all 11 versions

Used: Good | Details

Sold by HPB-Red

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

$3.00 delivery: Nov 19 - 29

Fastest delivery: Nov 18 - 23

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

List Price: $25.95 Details

Save: $2.00 (8%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Friday, Nov 19 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Wednesday, Nov 17
Order within 5 hrs and 13 mins Details

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

Evangelical Christianity is a paradox. Evangelicals are radically individualist, but devoted to community and family. They believe in the transformative power of a personal relationship with God, but are wary of religious enthusiasm. They are deeply skeptical of secular reason, but eager to
find scientific proof that the Bible is true.

In this groundbreaking history of modern American evangelicalism, Molly Worthen argues that these contradictions are the products of a crisis of authority that lies at the heart of the faith. Evangelicals have never had a single authority to guide them through these dilemmas or settle the
troublesome question of what the Bible actually means. Worthen chronicles the ideological warfare, institutional conflict, and clashes between modern gurus and maverick disciples that lurk behind the more familiar narrative of the rise of the Christian Right. The result is an ambitious intellectual
history that weaves together stories from all corners of the evangelical world to explain the ideas and personalities-the scholarly ambitions and anti-intellectual impulses-that have made evangelicalism a cultural and political force.

In Apostles of Reason, Worthen recasts American evangelicalism as a movement defined not by shared doctrines or politics, but by the problem of reconciling head knowledge and heart religion in an increasingly secular America. She shows that understanding the rise of the Christian Right in purely
political terms, as most scholars have done, misses the heart of the story. The culture wars of the late twentieth century emerged not only from the struggle between religious conservatives and secular liberals, but also from the civil war within evangelicalism itself-a battle over how to uphold the
commands of both faith and reason, and how ultimately to lead the nation back onto the path of righteousness.

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Anthea Butler
386
Hardcover
49 offers from $15.94
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
2,312
Paperback
in Protestantism
57 offers from $11.00
Molly Worthen
14
Paperback
28 offers from $6.80
George M. Marsden
77
Paperback
52 offers from $4.61
Matthew Avery Sutton
60
Paperback
21 offers from $14.57
Andrew L. Whitehead
232
Hardcover
30 offers from $21.89

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Kristin Kobes Du Mez
2,312
Paperback
in Protestantism
57 offers from $11.00
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
2,312
Hardcover
66 offers from $13.98
Anthea Butler
386
Hardcover
49 offers from $15.94
Randall Balmer
46
Hardcover
19 offers from $9.97
Christian Smith
127
Paperback
47 offers from $11.87
Noll
116
Paperback
35 offers from $16.94

Special offers and product promotions

Create your FREE Amazon Business account to save up to 10% with Business-only prices and free shipping.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mary Worthen s Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism is an accessible yet meticulously researched addition to our understanding of our religious history. It should be of great interest to scholars of religion and American culture."--The Journal of American
Culture

"Molly Worthen makes a significant and provocative contribution to the rich recent literature on American evangelicalism Worthen offers an impressive survey and analysis of modern American evangelicalism and the challenges that have confronted it."--Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and
Theology

"The author of this book has brought a sharp intelligence to the ongoing battle for control of evangelicalism. Her insights are as clear as her prose and her reporting is rigorous. An excellent book that ... tells (evangelical history) with vigor, depth and nuance. An excellent addition to any
religion reporter's shelf." -Religion Newswriters' Association

"Particularly impressive is Worthen's ability to weave the story of American evangelicalism back into the narrative of mainstream American history and, perhaps more importantly, to make it appear to matter. Anyone interested in recent American history will profit from reading Apostles of
Reason."--Journal of Southern Religion

"Beautifully written and compellingly argued it should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand American evangelicalism or the broader religious tension between head and heart."--American Historical Review

"[A] remarkable and textured study." --Randall Balmer, The Christian Century

"Worthen's a beguiling portraitist." --Slate

"Pathbreaking and gracefully narrated." --The Nation

"Apostles of Reason turns intellectual history into page-turning drama, highlighting the flesh-and-blood personalities behind academic debates... the most exciting history of evangelical intellectual life to appear in decades." --Books & Culture

"Lively and story-filled... In locating Christian world view and biblical inerrancy at the heart of evangelicals' travails, and in bringing to light myriad little-known personalities, organizations, campaigns, and quarrels, Worthen has done scholars of twentieth-century history a great service."
--Journal of American History

"This is a book to be reckoned with. In terms of its comprehensive grasp of the evangelical movement, its detailed research, and its serious approach to understanding the evangelical mind, Apostles of Reason stands nearly alone... Any serious-minded evangelical should read it." --R. Albert Mohler
Jr., The Gospel Coalition

"Molly Worthen has written a truly important book. Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism is the kind of highly ambitious intellectual history that requires thorough familiarity with the sources, a keen eye for discerning intellectual undercurrents, a gift for telling
a complicated, many faceted story, and, perhaps most importantly, an editorial aptitude for weaving it all together." --National Catholic Reporter

"[An] impressively wide-ranging account." --George M. Marsden, Commonweal

"Apostles of Reason brings a new level of sophistication, as well as sparkling prose, to the study of modern American evangelicals. A combination of empathetic understanding and critical acumen makes this an unusually humane, as well as unusually insightful, book." --Mark Noll, author of America's
God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln

"Molly Worthen's account of the evangelical imagination across the past seventy years is both sympathetic and critical. She captures the diversity of American evangelicals, their hopes and anxieties, and the nuances of their strategies for cultural influence." --Daniel Walker Howe, Pulitzer
Prize-winning author of What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848

"Ambitious in its analytical breadth, at once incisive and playful in presentation, and utterly convincing, Molly Worthen's Apostles of Reason is first-rate in every sense. This is a path-breaking book about a quintessentially modern movement. Readers of all persuasions will welcome it." --Darren
Dochuk, author of From Bible Belt to Sunbelt

"Molly Worthen's Apostles of Reason is an important contribution to the ongoing debate within evangelicalism about how to get along as a family of churches... Reading Worthen's account of evangelicalism is a breath of fresh air in many ways." --First Things

"This book's virtues are many. The prose alone-consistently clear and vigorous, and sparkling with memorable turns of phrase-is worth the price of admission... It is a singular accomplishment." --Christian Century

"Apostles of Reason represents a synthetic and interpretive triumph... It is difficult to overstate how witty her writing is, which is quite an accomplishment given how potentially dry a study of evangelical intellectualism could be. Moreover, Worthen grounds her sparkling prose in impeccable
research." --David R. Swartz, Asbury University, The Mennonite Quarterly Review

"Worthen's telling of this narrative is gripping. It is difficult to overstate how witty her writing is, which is quite an acomplishment given how potentially dry a study of evangelical intellectualism could be. Moreover, Worthen grounds her sparkling prose in impeccable research." --The Mennonite
Quarterly Review

"...Worthen's historical account of American evangelicalism over the past seven decades is fair, enlightening, and unsettling... I recommend the book highly especially to evangelicals who desire a cogent explanation of why evangelicalism still holds promise--theologically, socially,
politically--even though it remains fractured movement." --Religious Studies Review

"Worthen offers an engaging road map through evangelical thought. Almost encyclopedic in nature, her book ably captures its richness and variety- and polarization as well."-- Justus Doenecke, Anglican and Episcopal History

"Worthen has written a volume that will permanently enrich the academy's understanding of American evangelicalism, offered up in a playful, humorous style that her readers will find approachable, if not entertaining. Any student of American religion will read it with profit."-- Review & Expositor

About the Author

Molly Worthen is Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of The Man on Whom Nothing Was Lost: The Grand Strategy of Charles Hill and is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Slate, Christianity Today, and other publications.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (October 1, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 376 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0190630515
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0190630515
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.33 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.1 x 1.3 x 6.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #619,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #438 in Ecclesiology Christian Theology (Books)
- #459 in Christianity (Books)
- #718 in Sociology & Religion

Customer Reviews:
45 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Molly Worthen

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

5 star		54%
4 star		23%
3 star		16%
2 star		2%
1 star		5%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Apostles of Reason is an intellectual history of conservative Christianity in America

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019

Verified Purchase

I first saw Molly Worthen teaching a history class on religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,. Worthen was being taped for a C-Span segment. As a graduate of the liberal Louisville Presbyterian Seminary and a Presbyterian pastor of over forty years in the Presbyterian Church USA I am fascinated by religion in the United States. Worthen's book explores conservative intellectual history in the last century up to the present day. In this book we learn all about such germane topics as:
a. Liturgical reform and innovation in conservative evangelical culture.
b. A brief history of Bible Colleges and anti-intellectualism on the religious right
c. The founding of Christianity Today magazine and the life of its founder L. Nelson Bell and his son-in law Billy Graham is given attention as well as other conservative periodicals and books.
d. A look at the modernist-fundamentalists battles of the century.
e. Trends in ecumenical movements
f. A look at how world missionary activities have changed over the years.
g. Several pages are devoted to the controversies surrounding the inerrancy of the Bible.
The book is written like a textbook and is somewhat dry though it is apparent Dr. Worthen is an expert on religion. I found the work useful in crafting my understanding of the current religious scene in America.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Derek Elkins, Author of "Life Unworthy of Life"

A Misunderstanding of Authority

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

First of all, the author is sarcastic. I like that. But it wasn't really a funny sarcastic but a mean, old man sarcasm of someone writing about a subject that causes them genuine distaste: like a vegan forced to write an article about the choicest steak.
Definitely had a dearth of information and most of the stories were interesting. Again, the author has a delightful style. But one thing the author doesn't understand is the Evangelical mind. More than likely this is because she approaches her subject as an outsider. I know she would disagree, so I'll explain (probably not to anyone's satisfaction).
First, she approaches the subject with several presuppositions firmly in place. She assumes that only what agrees with current secilar intellectual thought can be considered intellectualism. Current intellectual thought considers all miracles impossible. Now, if all miracles are not possible, then Christianity is just another opinion. In fact, it's less than any other opinion because it's based on the lie that miracles are possible. Remove the miracles from Christianity and it's just a set of platitudes based on a story of historical make believe. It purports to be a religion based on historical interactions between a Creator and His creation, culminating in the advent of the Creator Himself reducing Himself to one of the created so He can repair the rift caused by the creation. Without sin, without redemption, God's love and sacrifice is castrated.
And that's primarily why the authority of the Bible is of such importance. The Bible is the record of God's interactions with His creation. Tradition isn't the record. Modern intellectual thought doesn't shed any additional light on the record because the record is already completed. The record is the authority. Because without the record as a guide, then tradition or further revelation from God cannot be gauged as being from God and not man. Evangelicals believe in miracles because they believe the Bible is a direct revelation from God. The Bible is the driving force, the only reason that Christianity exists at all. Thats why it must be authoritative.
There is also the presupposition that the loudest voice is the most representative of evangelicals. Biola, which you have referred to several times, currently has 2 philosophy professors in attendance which were named as part of the 50 most influential modern philosophers. And those 2 achieved that feat, not by bowing to current ideals of intellectualism but by providing exemplary scholasticism while remaining true to their evangelical roots.
So, in conclusion, I can say this book was interesting and loaded with information, but, I don't know-how I can trust the quality and that the view is unbiased when it is written by one whose every sarcastic comment betrays where her ultimate loyalty lies.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Important and informative but some flaws

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a most interesting survey of issues to do with American evangelical Christianity. It seemed to me intelligent and very well-informed, but at the same time to end up on a somewhat indecisive note.

What I thought was good, was the combination of well-informed argument, and useful references to a range of important literature.

What seemed to me less good, was her treatment of certain of her key themes. First, she noted the key role played by Reformed scholarship in American evangelical thought. But this is surely because, after the defeat of the conservatives at the Princeton Theological Seminary, there has - despite occasional aspirations - been no serious attempt to develop the kind of approach which, say, Machen developed. She notes, in consequence, the influence of presuppositionalism. This can be strengthened, as an analysis of knowledge, by reference to Kuhn, to Popper's emphasis on 'metaphysical research programmes', and to what MacIntyre has written about 'research traditions'. The problem, however, is that what is missing is an account of how work within such traditions can be rationally appraised: something which is needed, given that those in the Calvinist tradition who take such a view note the existence of different and in some sense competing traditions. (And where, clearly, whatever initially attracts someone to a particular such tradition, cannot in itself guarantee that the approach is in fact intellectually cogent and that it will be a fruitful way of making sense of the world.) What is needed, here, is an acceptance of our fallibility, but also the aspiration for truth: postmodernism is simply hopeless as a partner for evangelical Christianity, as it does not offer a cogent account of what its claims to truth might amount to.

Two further points. The author seems to me unnecessarily hard on Schaeffer. His later political interventions are indeed poor - and might seem to owe a lot to the less than positive influence of his son. But his earlier intellectual work is interesting - although in my view far from successful. It is, however, inevitable that any such writing would have a very broad brushstroke character, given the range of issues that it is trying to address. And clearly, there is a need for debate at such a level, as distinct from that of more detailed scholarship, just because we all need to look at things in broad terms as well as undertaking more detailed work. What Schaeffer did in his early writings (and the tapes on which they were based) was of a very different character to the work of some more recent figures with whom she groups him.

Finally, it seemed to me that, in a work which was concerned with the mainstream of American evangelical thought, the (limited) time that she gave to Methodists and Anabaptists, and to the evangelical left, was something of a distraction, and her largely uncritical view of the people with whom she dealt here seemed to me to contrast with the much better balance between description and critical appraisal in the rest of the book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

stevebishop

A fascinating picture of evangelicalism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2015

Verified Purchase

Worthen, assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, paints an interesting picture of North American evangelicalism.

Surprising in a history of evangelicalism there is no mention of Bebbington’s quadrilateral as the defininition of evangelicalism, so then how does Worthen define evangelicalism? In a sense she doesn’t. She presents a wide-ranging consortium of views and these include anabaptists, methodists and pentecostals. She rightly notes that defining it has produced more debate than agreement (p 3) and she sees history as being the best too for ‘pinning down’ evangelicals (p 4).

She attempts to answer three questions (p 6) which evangelicals seem obsessed with: how to reconcile faith and reason; how to know Jesus; and how act publicly on faith in an increasingly secular public square. An intellectual civil war!

She focuses both on institutions - for example Wheaton College, Fuller Seminary, Biiola, Bob Jones University, Christianity Today - and individuals - J. Gresham Machen, Carl Henry, Francis Schaeffer, Billy Graham, Howard Ockenga, John Howard Yoder and George Eldon Ladd, James Dobson and Hal Lindsey, Harold Lindsell all get largish parts.

Surprisingly Gordon Clark has more than a bit part. Wheaton College’s (1936-43) Clark is mentioned along with Cornelius Van Til regarding presuppositionalism, which Worthen maintains they developed from Abraham Kuyper (p 30), but also as a mentor for Carl Henry and Edward Carnell, and in relation to the development of the notion of Weltanschauung (world- and life-view)among (neo)evangelicals. See shows how worldview has become a powerful rhetorical strategy; we have worldview academy, worldview initiative, worldview curriculum, worldview studies, for most of them their understanding of worldview is a far remove from the espoused by Kuyper.

Worthen, as an evangelical outsider, draws a fascinating picture of evangelicalism, her book will help evangelicals see themselves from another’s perspective and help them better contemplate what of evangelicalism is God-given and what is cultural fluff.

2 people found this helpful

See all reviews

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Anthea Butler
386
Hardcover
49 offers from $15.94
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
2,312
Paperback
in Protestantism
57 offers from $11.00
Molly Worthen
14
Paperback
28 offers from $6.80
Frances FitzGerald
217
Paperback
71 offers from $6.35
Susan L. Trollinger
29
Hardcover
19 offers from $6.39
George M. Marsden
77
Paperback
52 offers from $4.61

Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism Reprint Edition

Buy used: $19.75

Buy new: $23.95

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers who bought this item also bought

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

About the author

Molly Worthen

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Buy used:

$19.75

Buy new:

$23.95