DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

God and Race in American Politics

A Short History

Mark A Noll author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Princeton University Press

Published:16th Apr '10

Should be back in stock very soon

God and Race in American Politics cover

This book examines the complex interplay between religion and race in American politics, highlighting historical triumphs and failures. God and Race in American Politics offers profound insights.

In God and Race in American Politics, Mark Noll explores the intricate relationship between religion and race throughout American history. He highlights how these two powerful forces have shaped political landscapes, producing both remarkable achievements and profound failures. By examining the intertwining of religious belief and racial issues, Noll provides a comprehensive narrative that spans from the era of slavery to contemporary debates surrounding civil rights.

Noll's analysis reveals how both proponents and opponents of slavery utilized biblical texts to justify their moral stances, showcasing the complexities of religious interpretation. He traces the evolution of these ideas through significant historical moments, including the Nat Turner slave revolt, the Reconstruction era, and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Noll argues that the interplay of race and religion has created a rich tapestry of contradictions and moral dilemmas that continue to influence American society today.

The book also addresses current controversies, such as stem-cell research and abortion, linking them back to the historical roots of race and religion in American politics. God and Race in American Politics is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding how these intertwined forces have shaped not only political discourse but also the broader narrative of American identity and social justice.

Winner of the 2009 Award of Merit in History/Biography, Christianity Today "Mark A. Noll is one of our leading historians of religion... [God and Race in American Politics] tells us a lot about how we talk about God in politics, yesterday and today. As he does so often, Noll here writes serenely about volatile subjects."--Martin E. Marty, Chronicle of Higher Education "[Noll] has produced yet another admirable synthesis of a huge body of American history and historiography... [T]houghtful Christian readers will find this work indispensable in understanding the big picture of race, religion, and politics in American history."--Paul Harvey, Christianity Today "Noll's incisive history offers a significant introduction to the tangled relationship of race, religion, and politics in America."--Henry L. Carrigan, Jr., Foreword "[T]his work is just the sort of introduction that those unfamiliar with the contours of politics, race and religion need... Concerning the struggle for civil rights, Noll makes a powerful argument. While acknowledging the importance of the courts and community organizing, he aptly points out that religion was the indispensable foundation of the civil rights movement. The conviction that God was on the side of the black freedom struggle was powerful."--Randall J. Stephens, Christian Century "[Noll's] work will be a must read for scholars of U.S. religious and political history."--Choice "With the self-assurance of a skilled painter, Noll applies a series of brushstrokes that define five political alignments, each influenced by the comparative strength of the state, the market, and religion... Noll's is a tragic vision but one that nevertheless brings welcome clarity to the nation's primary moral dilemma."--Andrew Rojecki, Journal of Church History "God and Race in American Politics offers an in-depth view of the way religion has influenced politics and discourse on race and social justice throughout U.S. history. Based on a series of lectures he gave at Princeton in 2006, Noll supports his thesis with a very large body of relevant work and deftly elucidates the notion that opposing appeals to Biblical truth have created complex and, in some cases, contradictory religious and moral ideas."--Peter Lamal, The Humanist "In this important book, Mark Noll, one of the most influential historians of American religion writing today, traces the explosive political effects of the religious intermingling with race."--Spartacus Review "God and Race in American Politics contributes an enlightening historical analysis... It is written with forceful yet well-balanced argument fully achieving its main objective... It serves as a generous, informative guide for a wide readership, finding an audience in the general public as well as culture and religion historians and political scientists."--Adriana Neagu, American, British and Canadian Studies "Noll's book is ... a useful and astutely informed reading of foundational issues and themes that are essential to understanding historic and contemporary race and politics in American religion."--Sylvester A. Johnson, Journal of American History "Mark Noll's brief but incredibly insightful survey of God and Race in American Politics offers one of the most significant analyses of race and religion in American political history... Knoll's analysis of these most complicated issues in American history reveals a narrative of often contradicting religious and moral complexities. He wrestles with his subject, not shying away from this difficult assignment, with moral dexterity, skillful analysis, and solid historic research. Knoll has provided much food for thought."--Trevor O'Reggio, Andrew's University Seminary Studies "The book succeeds admirably as a study of the parallels between religious opinions, electoral strategies, and orientations to state power. Its successes invite further consideration of the messy, embodied modes by which religio-racial identities are enacted and destabilized, and of the role of churches as counterpublics... To acknowledge this is not to overlook the book's power as historical narrative. Rather, that Noll's book gives rise to such questions is an indication of its suggestiveness."--Jason C. Bivins, Journal of Religion

  • Winner of Christianity Today Book Awards: History/Biography Category 2008

ISBN: 9780691146294

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 28g

224 pages