The Old Faith in a New Nation: American Protestants and the Christian Past

The Old Faith in a New Nation challenges the notion that nineteenth-century American Protestants relied solely on common sense and the Bible by demonstrating their engagement with Christian history. Evangelicals studied religious historiography, reinterpreted the history of the church, and debated its implications for the present, even when they appeared to scorn tradition. Paul J. Gutacker's book draws from hundreds of print sources to show how ordinary educated Americans remembered and used Christian history, shaping the nation and interrogating the meaning of biblicism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 24 March 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The prevailing notion holds that nineteenth-century American Protestants, who placed great emphasis on common sense and the Bible alone, accorded little significance to tradition and history. However, The Old Faith in a New Nation challenges this portrayal by highlighting the evangelical engagement with the Christian past. Despite their apparent disdain for tradition, optimism, and confidence in their biblical understanding, evangelicals found themselves continually returning to Christian history. They delved into the study of religious historiography, reevaluated the history of the church, and engaged in spirited discussions about its implications for the present. During the period between the Revolution and the Civil War, American Protestants exhibited a keen interest in unraveling the meaning of the Christian past. Paul J. Gutacker, drawing from a vast array of print sources, including sermons, books, speeches, legal arguments, and political petitions, presents a compelling account of how ordinary educated Americans recollected and applied Christian history. While professing to rely solely on the Bible, antebellum Protestants frequently sought guidance from the Christian past on crucial matters such as the relationship between the government and religion, the assimilation of Catholic immigrants, the rights and opportunities available to women, and the treatment of African Americans. Across various denominations, Protestants approached these questions not only with the Bible but also with historical references. By reclaiming the ways in which American evangelicals remembered and utilized Christian history, The Old Faith in a New Nation sheds light on how religious memory shaped the nation and prompts us to contemplate the significance of biblicism.

Weight: 450g
Dimension: 154 x 236 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197639153