Faith and War : How Christians Debated the Cold and Vietnam Wars

Throughout American history, Christianity has shaped public opinion, guided leaders in their decision making, and stood at the center of countless issues. To gain complete knowledge of an era, historians must investigate the religious context of what transpired, why it happened, and how. Yet too little is known about American Christianity’s foreign policy opinions during the Cold and Vietnam Wars. To gain a deeper understanding of this period (1964-75), David E. Settje explores the diversity of American Christian responses to the Cold and Vietnam Wars to determine how Americans engaged in debates about foreign policy based on their theological convictions. Settje uncovers how specific Christian theologies and histories influenced American religious responses to international affairs, which varied considerably. Scrutinizing such sources as the evangelical __Christianity Today__, the mainline Protestant ,__Christian Century__, a sampling of Catholic periodicals, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the United Church of Christ, __Faith and War__ explores these entities' commingling of religion, politics, and foreign policy, illuminating the roles that Christianity attempted to play in both reflecting and shaping American foreign policy opinions during a decade in which global matters affected Americans daily and profoundly. Settje (history, Concordia U. Chicago) ends this book with a series of questions for further study regarding whether Americans look to their churches for guidance regarding foreign policy, whether policy makers look to religious leaders, and whether churches reflect or shape attitudes--these days concerning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the War on Terror. In the preceding chapters the author details these issues with regard to the Cold and Vietnam Wars, finding that the stances of churches were as wide ranging as the attitudes of the American public itself. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) David E. Settje. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.