Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism - Softcover

Worthen, Molly

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0190630515 ISBN 13: 9780190630515

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2016

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

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)

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0190630515
• ISBN 13: 9780190630515
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 376