Cold War Christians and the Spectre of Nuclear Deterrence, 1945-1959 (Histories of the Sacred and Secular, 1700–2000)

Offering a new interpretation of early Cold War history, this book demonstrates how Christian agency played a pivotal role in the creating of space for the logic of nuclear deterrence and nuclear war, showing a balanced examination of Christians as enablers but, more provocatively, as resisters of nuclear prohibitions. This book offers a new and provocative interpretation of early Cold War history by demonstrating how Christian agency played a pivotal role in the creating of space for the logic of nuclear deterrence and nuclear war fighting in the years 1945-59. Cold War chroniclers have traditionally placed great emphasis on threats of mutually assured destruction to explain the puzzle of nuclear non-use since 1945. Here nuclear deterrence is conceived as a realm of absolute necessity with no room for morality. More recently the idea of 'nuclear taboo' has generated immense interest by challenging conventional wisdom with a compelling argument regarding the conceptual (normative rather than material) bases of nuclear restraint. These accounts narrate the emergence of a distinctive ethical order with a particular premium placed on the role of (Anglo-American) Christian activists in giving rise to anti-nuclear sentiment at a formative stage 1945-59. Yet such a reading elides or obfuscates the fact that Christians were deeply divided in their imaginings. Gorry invites a reassessment of assumptions by offering a balanced examination of Christians as enablers but, more provocatively, as resisters of nuclear prohibitions in the early years of Cold War This book offers a new and provocative interpretation of early Cold War history by demonstrating how Christian agency played a pivotal role in the creating of space for the logic of nuclear deterrence and nuclear war fighting in the years 1945-59. Cold War chroniclers have traditionally placed great emphasis on threats of mutually assured destruction to explain the puzzle of nuclear non-use since 1945. Here nuclear deterrence is conceived as a realm of absolute necessity with no room for morality. More recently the idea of 'nuclear taboo' has generated immense interest by challenging conventional wisdom with a compelling argument regarding the conceptual (normative rather than material) bases of nuclear restraint. These accounts narrate the emergence of a distinctive ethical order with a particular premium placed on the role of (Anglo-American) Christian activists in giving rise to anti-nuclear sentiment at a formative stage 1945-59. Yet such a reading elides or obfuscates the fact that Christians were deeply divided in their imaginings. Gorry invites a reassessment of assumptions by offering a balanced examination of Christians as enablers but, more provocatively, as resisters of nuclear prohibitions in the early years of Cold War.-- Provided by Publisher Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-12 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 Presumptions against War....Pages 15-32 Prophecy and Diplomacy at a New Frontier....Pages 33-54 Front Matter....Pages 55-55 Christians in the Atomic Age....Pages 57-79 The Churches and the Thermonuclear Revolution....Pages 80-101 Front Matter....Pages 103-103 The Moral Aspects of Deterrence....Pages 105-124 Strategies for Survival....Pages 125-144 Redacting Just War....Pages 145-170 Conclusion....Pages 171-184 Back Matter....Pages 185-216