Review - American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism

pg. 272, Please don't try this at home.

American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism, Matthew Avery Sutton, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2014, 459 pages.

About 10-11 years ago, I underwent a major theological shift from Arminianism to Calvinism and eventually becoming confessionally reformed (if LBC 1689 counts.) Because of this change, I felt compelled to find the answer to this question, "Why did I believe what I used to believe?" So I began to read church history specifically of the late 19th and 20th centuries. But the more I read, I realized that other forces shaped the formation of American Christianity. So my reading broadened beyond the history of the church to the history of the nation. American Apocalypse is the latest of these books that I have fondly categorized as - grimly fascinating. 

Different historians have looked at the rise of fundamentalism and evangelicalism from different angles such as the Scopes trial¹ or the intersection of capitalism, conservative politics, and religion². Matthew Sutton has another angle - the effect of premillenialism and its apocalyptic view of the world's end on American politics and vice versa.

Sutton is a historian and not a theologian so he doesn't distinguish between historical premillenialism and premillenial dispensationalism, but he is referring to the latter. This view of the end times, which began with John Nelson Darby and took hold in the US thanks to Charles Scofield, filled a niche in the American mind because it appeared to give an explanation to what was going on in the world. It took off like wildfire with the growing popularity of "prophecy" conferences predicting the imminent end of the world. If this was the case, ministers felt compelled to prepare the nation for what was to come or even stave off the inevitable, which poses a number of theological questions. Some of these pastors had the ear of Woodrow Wilson and movers and shakers in D.C., and they used that influence to lobby for policies that they felt were in keeping with the coming apocalypse.

Interestingly during and after WWI, liberal theologians like Harry Emerson Fosdick were actually more patriotic in trying to rally the faithful around the flag. This camp fully supported Wilson's League of Nations and other policies unlike the conservative side. But this flipped during and after WWII. Also the party affiliation of conservatives shifted from the Democrats to the Republicans, which was heavily steered by their leaders. This eventually led to the blending of religion and politics and the belief that America has a unique role in the end times that we are familiar with today, which also raises a number of theological questions. Both Darby and Scofield would not have endorsed this affiliation.

This was a fascinating read, but the quotes and attitudes made me wince at times. This movement especially in the early days was clearly whites-only. Thus issues like racism, segregation, interracial marriage, and even the rights of women were off the table. I shouldn't have been surprised given the time period, but it still bothered me. It was also ironic that several of the leaders had antisemitic leanings even though they believed Israel had a unique place in God's plan. Some of the suspicions about the influence of Jewish Americans on politics were reminiscent of conspiracy theory literature that I recall seeing as a child about a cabal between this particular ethnic group, Wall Street, and Moscow. I kid you not.

One interesting account is of an American couple that went to Italy before WWII broke out in full to talk to Mussolini to ascertain if he intended to rebuild the Roman Empire. He had never heard of such things, so they walked him through Daniel and Revelation and their belief that the Anti-Christ would carry this out. Rather than being convicted and repenting, apparently Mussolini was rather taken with the idea. Of course, when the ties between prophecy and world events fizzled out, those connections were couched in such a way to avoid the charge of false prophecy.

This was a page-turner, but it was a lot to digest. I had difficulty keeping the many names of the cast of characters straight. But I also read quickly because I was on a deadline since I borrowed the book via interlibrary loan. I will probably get my own copy for my collection of grimly fascinating resources. This wasn't a critique per se but a thoroughly documented account of a religious movement in American history. The people from the past speak for themselves, which is needed in my opinion as we often "heroify"³  our past. I would rather know the good and the bad. Therefore, I recommend American Apocalypse.

The following are a few notable quotes:

"Pentecostal Frederick Childe summarized the various theories offered by his fellow premillenialists. "This great nation that has taken such a prominent part in the world politics in the past, and who is apparently destined to play a tremendously important part in world affairs to come... Surely such a nation should be found in the Word of God!"... He further believed that the United States' support of a Jewish homeland in Palestine was evidence of Americans' prophetic role in the last day. "Perhaps," he wrote, " it is more than a coincidence that "U.S.A." is in the middle of Jerusalem? (Jer-USA-lem)." pg. 224

"we have a providential position in history," he preached just as the world plunged into war. "Our continent was preserved to incarnate the development of the best civilization. Humanly speaking, it is almost as though God planned His last hope on America." Harold John Ockenga pg. 263

"The United States of America," Ockenga preached, "has been assigned a destiny comparable to that of ancient Israel which was favored, preserved, endowed, guided, and used of God." Whether Americans would be faithful to that destiny was their choice. "Two ways lie open to us," Ockenga continued. "One is the road of the rescue of western civilization by a re-emphasis on and revival of evangelical Christianity. The other is a return to the Dark Ages of Heathendom." pg. 283.

1. Fundamentalism and American Culture - George Marsden.
2. One Nation Under God - Kevin Kruse.
3. I'm borrowing the idea of "heroification" from James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me.