Christian America and the Kingdom of God /

" ... Hughes reviews the myth of Christian America from its earliest history in the founding of the republic to the present day. Extensively analyzing the Old and New Testaments, Hughes provides a solid, scripturally-based explanation of the kingdom of God, a kingdom defined by love, peace, pat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hughes, Richard T. (Richard Thomas), 1943-
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [2009]
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Online Access:Connect to this title online (unlimited users allowed)
Description
Summary:" ... Hughes reviews the myth of Christian America from its earliest history in the founding of the republic to the present day. Extensively analyzing the Old and New Testaments, Hughes provides a solid, scripturally-based explanation of the kingdom of God, a kingdom defined by love, peace, patience, and generosity. Throughout American history, however, this concept has been appropriated by religious and political leaders and distorted into a messianic nationalism that champions the United States as God's "chosen nation" and bears little resemblance to the teachings of Jesus. Pointing to a systemic biblical and theological illiteracy running rampant in the United States, Hughes investigates the reasons why so many Americans think of the United States as a Christian nation despite the Constitution's outright prohibition against establishing any national religion by law or coercion. He traces the development of fundamentalist Christianity throughout American history, noting especially the increased power and widespread influence of fundamentalism at the dawn of the twenty-first century, embodied and enacted by the administration of President George W. Bush and America's reaction to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001"--
Physical Description:1 online resource
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references ([187]-203) and index.
ISBN:9780252091544
025209154X
1283044013
9781283044011
9786613044013
6613044016