American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism

In the first comprehensive history of American evangelicalism to appear in a generation, Matthew Sutton shows how charismatic Protestant preachers, anticipating the end of the world, paradoxically transformed it. Narrating the story from the perspective of the faithful, he shows how apocalyptic thinking influences the American mainstream today.

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface Prologue Chapter 1. Jesus Is Coming Chapter 2. Global War and Christian Nationalism Chapter 3. The Birth of Fundamentalism Chapter 4. The Culture Wars Begin Chapter 5. American Education on Trial Chapter 6. Seeking Salvation with the GOP Chapter 7. The Rise of the Tyrants Chapter 8. Christ’s Deal versus the New Deal Chapter 9. Reviving American Exceptionalism Chapter 10. Becoming Cold Warriors for Christ Chapter 11. Apocalypse Now Epilogue Abbreviations Notes Acknowledgments Index

About the Author :
Sutton Matthew Avery : Matthew Avery Sutton is Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor of History at Washington State University.

Review :
Gives us our first good account of how and why evangelical political views developed the way they did.--Michael S. Hamilton"Christian Century" (10/15/2014) "American Apocalypse" is a work of impressive erudition as well as a work of beauty. Arguing for the centrality in the American evangelical tradition of ideas about how the world will end, Sutton embeds the narrative in twentieth-century U.S. and international political history in a way that few American religious historians have been able to do.--Grant Wacker, author of "America's Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation" Sutton s ambitious book refocuses the history of twentieth-century evangelicalism on apocalypticism, offering a vivid account of how preoccupation with the end times provided the conceptual framework for evangelical political activism and stoked its emotional fervor. "American Apocalypse" shows brilliantly how a terror of impending doom was translated into politics on issues ranging from support for Israel to anti-abortion activism.--Robert A. Orsi, author of "Thank You, St. Jude" and "The Madonna of 115th Street"" "American Apocalypse" will quickly become the definitive general account of evangelicalism s spectacular growth as a political and cultural force in the twentieth century. It is a brilliant book, sophisticated and compelling yet also lively and entertaining. With religion continuing to play a major role in American politics and culture, "American Apocalypse" is a must-read that will shed new light on the nation s past, present, and future.--Andrew Preston, author of "Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy""