Description
Book SynopsisIt is now a common refrain among liberals that Christian Right pastors and television pundits have hijacked evangelical Christianity for partisan gain. The Politics of Evangelical Identity challenges this notion, arguing that the hijacking metaphor paints a fundamentally distorted picture of how evangelical churches have become politicized. The boo
Trade Review"Bean's work is refreshing. Not only does she offer a persuasive alternative to prevailing theories on the relationship between evangelicals and politics, she does so in a clear and compelling way, drawing on a trove of original evidence obtained via diligent, on-the-ground research. The Politics of Evangelical Identity is required reading for anyone looking to make sense of the connection between evangelicals and politics in North America and should be part of this conversation for the foreseeable future."--Daniel Bennett, Journal of Church and State
Table of ContentsTimeline vii Preface and Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Comparing Evangelicals in the United States and Canada 20 Chapter 2 The Boundaries of Evangelical Identity 45 Chapter 3 Two American Churches: Partisanship without Politics 62 Chapter 4 Two Canadian Churches: Civil Religion in Exile 88 Chapter 5 Evangelicals, Economic Conservatism, and National Identity 112 Chapter 6 Captains in the Culture War 133 Chapter 7 The Boundaries of Political Diversity in Two U.S. Congregations 166 Chapter 8 Practicing Civility in Two Canadian Congregations 193 Conclusion Politics and Lived Religion 221 Methodological Appendix: Ethnographic Methods 227 Notes 235 Bibliography 275 Index 307
