Description
A penetrating account of the religious critics of American liberalism, pluralism, and democracy-from the Revolution until today
"A chilling consideration of persistent mutations of American thought still threatening our pluralist democracy."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
The conversation about the proper role of religion in American public life often revolves around what kind of polity the Founders of the United States envisioned. Advocates of a "Christian America" claim that the Framers intended a nation whose political values and institutions were shaped by Christianity; secularists argue that they designed an enlightened republic where church and state were kept separate. Both sides appeal to the Founding to justify their beliefs about the kind of nation the United States was meant to be or should become.
In this book, Jerome E. Copulsky complicates this ongoing public argument by examining a collection of thinkers who, on religious grounds, considered the nation's political ideas illegitimate, its institutions flawed, and its church-state arrangement defective. Beholden to visions of cosmic order and social hierarchy, rejecting the increasing pluralism and secularism of American society, they predicted the collapse of an unrighteous nation and the emergence of a new Christian commonwealth in its stead. By engaging their challenges and interpreting their visions we can better appreciate the perennial temptations of religious illiberalism-as well as the virtues and fragilities of America's liberal democracy.
About the Author
Jerome E. Copulsky is a research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
"American Heretics is an account of the Christian far right, of those who believe that the U.S. Constitution was diabolically inspired and that American democracy is a betrayal of America's destiny."-Philip Gorski, Yale University
"The struggle to manage and marshal the complexities of religion and politics in America must begin with a sober, fair-minded, and clear-eyed understanding of the perennial issues at stake. In his study of several of the cacophonous voices that have contested the nature of God, democracy, and the American project, Jerome Copulsky has given us just that. This is a compelling work."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America
"Copulsky's deft historical narrative and lively incisive prose take us on an important journey through the 'heretical ideas' that shaped these dissenters and their cause to change the course of American politics."-Anthea Butler, University of Pennsylvania
"Churches and individual believers have always made their views known within the confines of American democracy. But, as Jerome Copulsky shows, there have been other strands of American religious opinion-far more than I had thought-that eventually turned against liberal democracy itself, in the name of a more theocratic view of political authority. Given that their 'heretical' views are again gaining credence on the religious right, this book could not be more timely."-Mark Lilla, author of The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West
"Copulsky's readable, accessible book traces the tradition of American religious rejection of constitutional liberalism from the eighteenth century to the present. Anyone who cares about why we hold fast to the fundamental rights of liberty and equality should read this book to learn about those who believe we should jettison them in favor of God's rule."-Noah Feldman, author of To Be a Jew Today
"This judicious study is simultaneously a celebration of democratic virtue and a cautionary tale."-Randall Balmer, author of Solemn Reverence
"Jerome Copulsky's brilliant and lively exploration of the deep intellectual and historical roots of the Christian right is essential-for our moment, and for the future."-E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Our Divided Political Heart
Book Information
ISBN 9780300241303
Author Jerome E. Copulsky
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
"A chilling consideration of persistent mutations of American thought still threatening our pluralist democracy."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
The conversation about the proper role of religion in American public life often revolves around what kind of polity the Founders of the United States envisioned. Advocates of a "Christian America" claim that the Framers intended a nation whose political values and institutions were shaped by Christianity; secularists argue that they designed an enlightened republic where church and state were kept separate. Both sides appeal to the Founding to justify their beliefs about the kind of nation the United States was meant to be or should become.
In this book, Jerome E. Copulsky complicates this ongoing public argument by examining a collection of thinkers who, on religious grounds, considered the nation's political ideas illegitimate, its institutions flawed, and its church-state arrangement defective. Beholden to visions of cosmic order and social hierarchy, rejecting the increasing pluralism and secularism of American society, they predicted the collapse of an unrighteous nation and the emergence of a new Christian commonwealth in its stead. By engaging their challenges and interpreting their visions we can better appreciate the perennial temptations of religious illiberalism-as well as the virtues and fragilities of America's liberal democracy.
About the Author
Jerome E. Copulsky is a research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
"American Heretics is an account of the Christian far right, of those who believe that the U.S. Constitution was diabolically inspired and that American democracy is a betrayal of America's destiny."-Philip Gorski, Yale University
"The struggle to manage and marshal the complexities of religion and politics in America must begin with a sober, fair-minded, and clear-eyed understanding of the perennial issues at stake. In his study of several of the cacophonous voices that have contested the nature of God, democracy, and the American project, Jerome Copulsky has given us just that. This is a compelling work."-Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America
"Copulsky's deft historical narrative and lively incisive prose take us on an important journey through the 'heretical ideas' that shaped these dissenters and their cause to change the course of American politics."-Anthea Butler, University of Pennsylvania
"Churches and individual believers have always made their views known within the confines of American democracy. But, as Jerome Copulsky shows, there have been other strands of American religious opinion-far more than I had thought-that eventually turned against liberal democracy itself, in the name of a more theocratic view of political authority. Given that their 'heretical' views are again gaining credence on the religious right, this book could not be more timely."-Mark Lilla, author of The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West
"Copulsky's readable, accessible book traces the tradition of American religious rejection of constitutional liberalism from the eighteenth century to the present. Anyone who cares about why we hold fast to the fundamental rights of liberty and equality should read this book to learn about those who believe we should jettison them in favor of God's rule."-Noah Feldman, author of To Be a Jew Today
"This judicious study is simultaneously a celebration of democratic virtue and a cautionary tale."-Randall Balmer, author of Solemn Reverence
"Jerome Copulsky's brilliant and lively exploration of the deep intellectual and historical roots of the Christian right is essential-for our moment, and for the future."-E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Our Divided Political Heart
Book Information
ISBN 9780300241303
Author Jerome E. Copulsky
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
