Before The Religious Right : Liberal Protestants, Human Rights, And The Polarization Of The United States : (Intellectual History Of The Modern Age Series)

When we think about religion and politics in the United States today, we think of conservative evangelicals. But for much of the twentieth century it was liberal Protestants who most profoundly shaped American politics. Leaders of this religious community wielded their influence to fight for social justice by lobbying for the New Deal, marching against segregation, and protesting the Vietnam War. Gene Zubovich shows that the important role of liberal Protestants in the battles over poverty, segregation, and U.S. foreign relations must be understood in a global context. Inspired by new transnational networks, ideas, and organizations, American liberal Protestants became some of the most important backers of the United Nations and early promoters of human rights. But they also saw local events from this global vantage point, concluding that a peaceful and just world order must begin at home. In the same way that the rise of the New Right cannot be understood apart from the mobilization of evangelicals, Zubovich shows that the rise of American liberalism in the twentieth century cannot be understood without a historical account of the global political mobilization of liberal Protestants. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Note on Translation 10 Introduction. Global Gospel, American Politics 14 Part I. One World 30 Chapter 1. Protestant Political Mobilization in the Great Depression 32 Chapter 2. The Coming War and the Pacifist-Realist Split 69 Chapter 3. The World Order Movement 102 Chapter 4. “A Non-Segregated Church and a Non-Segregated Society” 133 Chapter 5. The Anti-racist Origins of Human Rights 163 Part II. Two Worlds 188 Chapter 6. Beyond the Cold War 190 Chapter 7. Segregation Is a Sin 226 Chapter 8. The Responsible Society 261 Chapter 9. Christian Economics and the Clergy-Laity Gap 288 Epilogue. Global Gospel, American Fault Lines 315 Notes 326 Index 386 Acknowledgments 402 "For much of the twentieth century it was liberal Protestants who most profoundly shaped American politics. Leaders of this religious community wielded their influence to fight for social justice by marching against segregation, lobbying for the New Deal, and protesting the Vietnam War. In the same way that the rise of the New Right cannot be understood apart from the mobilization of evangelicals, Gene Zubovich shows that the rise of American liberalism in the twentieth century cannot be understood without a historical account of the global political mobilization of liberal Protestants"-- Provided by publisher