Description
Book SynopsisThis volume explores the many ways in which conflicts between secular worldviews and religions shaped the history of the twentieth century. It introduces the notion of ''apologetics'' to highlight a common feature of these conflicts: both secular and religious groups employed a mixture of learned argument and popular propaganda to defend their faith, but also to come up with new forms of outreach and mission. By bringing the dynamics of religious and secular apologetics into a comparative perspective, and drawing on examples from Western Europe, the USSR, the USA, North Africa and Asia from the 1920s to the present, the volume offers important historical perspectives on current debates over the place of religion in contemporary politics.
Trade ReviewThe book conforms to the chronological boundaries 1917-1989 of the "short 20th century". Its tripartite organization starts from the European hearth, approached in the five articles of the first part, "Apologetics in Europe between the two wars" (p. 17-116). * Cornelius Crowley, Archives de sciences sociales des religions *
Indeed, the volume as a whole will stimulate much useful thought and discussion. For those in scholarly circles, it offers much food for thought on subjects from the Cold War and decolonization to American evangelicalism and world religions. It also has much potential for use in university courses. * Erik Benson, Fides Historia Review *
The book is distinctive in extending the notion of apologetics to include non-Christian and even anti-Christian contentions. * David Bebbington, The English Historical Review *
scholars and students of religion and politics in the twentieth century —especially those interested in thinking comparatively, theoretically,and internationally — will find this collection of essays a valuable addition to their libraries and classrooms. * Matthew S. Hedstrom, Church History *
Defending the Faith nicely captures much of the variety and complexity of 20th century religious conflicts, and its use of apologetics to facilitate meaningful comparison is intriguing. * Graham G. Dodds, Politics, Religion & Ideology *
The book presents a great variety of contributions... * Arie L. Molendijk, University of Groningen, NTT JOURNAL FOR THEOLOGY AND THE STUDY OF RELIGION 76.1 *
It would be invidious to pick out particular chapters for praise: they all open interesting doors and make for worthwhile reading. * Andrew Chandler, Modern Believing *
After reading this conceptually stimulating volume, there can be no question about the fact that religion and secularism formed a powerful pair of concepts in the 20th century and the conflicts between the two influenced contemporary politics and decisively shaped culture. * Eveline G. Bouwers, Historische Zeitschrift *
After reading this conceptually stimulating volume, there can be no question about the fact that religion and secularism formed a powerful pair of concepts in the 20th century and the conflicts between the two influenced contemporary politics and decisively shaped culture. * Historische Zeitschrift *
Table of ContentsNote on Contributors IntroductionHUGH MCLEOD and TODD H. WEIR: Part I: Apologetics in Interwar Europe 1: TODD H. WEIR: The Apologetics of Modern Culture Wars: The Case of Weimar Germany 2: PETER BOWLER: Ideology and Futurology in Early Twentieth-Century Britain: Wells, Haldane, Bernal and their Critics 3: JOHN POLLARD: Vivat Christus Rex! The Cult of Christ the King, Vatican Apologetics, Catholic Action and the Far Right 4: BENJAMIN ZIEMANN: Between Rome and the Godless. Martin Niemöller's apologetic moves, 1930-1950 5: UMAR RYAD: British and Muslim? British Converts and their Apologetics for Islam in the Interwar Period Part II: Transnational Apologetics during the Cold War 6: UDI GREENBERG and JENNIFER MILLER: From Mental Slavery to Brainwashing: Anti-Catholic Legacies in Anti-Communism Polemics 7: UTA BALBIER: "Communism is a religion that is inspired, directed and motivated by the Devil himself": Billy Graham's apologetics and the Cold War West 8: CLEMENS SIX: The apologetics of decolonisation: Defending religion in South and Southeast Asia after the Second World War 9: VICTORIA SMOLKIN: Atheism as a Vocation: Soviet Communism, Religious Apostates, and Atheist Apologists Part III: Apologetics since the 1960s 10: ALMA HECKMAN: "Sacred Values": Islam, Communism, and Moroccan Nationalism in the Long 1960s 11: VLAD NAUMESCU: 'A World to be Transfigured': Shaping a Cold War vision of Orthodoxy from the South 12: MIRI FREUD-KANDEL: Louis Jacobs, Revelation, and the Ongoing Battle to Defend Jewish Orthodoxy 13: PETER ITZEN: Recognising secularisation: The Church of England and its struggle for a political role (1960-90) Afterword: Apologetics as a seismograph of social changeMONIKA WOHLRAB-SAHR: Index
