American Providence A Nation with a Mission

by Webb, Stephen H.

• ISBN13: 9780826416230
• ISBN10: 0826416233
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-22
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

The Relationship between America and Christianity has never been so hotly contested as it is today. September 11, 2001, and the war on terrorism have had an almost schismatic impact on the Church. American Christians have been forced to ask really hard questions about the relationship of their faith to politics. While some would rather not ask these questions at all, they are unavoidable for a religion that seeks to speak to the whole world, with the expectation of nothing less than global transformation. Like it or not, Christians have to take a stand on the issue of America's alleged imperialism, not only because America is largely a product of the Christian imagination but also because the converse is true-the growth of Christianity worldwide is largely shaped by American values and ideals. In American Providence, Stephen Webb makes the case that American Christianity is not an oxymoron. He also makes the case for a robust doctrine of providence-doctrine that has been frequently neglected by American theologians due to their reluctance to claim any special status for the United States. In this provocative and challenging book, Webb goes right to the heart of this reluctance by defending the idea that American foreign policy should be seen as a vehicle of God's design for history. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Stephen H. Webb is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: Unapologetic Providentialism	p. 1
One General and Two Americas: A Case Study in Providential Rhetoric	p. 17
Providence American Style: A Short History of the Construction of the Idea of America	p. 29
On the Question of Preferentiality in Liberalism and Liberation Theology	p. 51
Resident Advisors vs. Resident Aliens: 9/11 and the Persistence of American Providence	p. 69
A Particular Theory of Providence	p. 89
On the Two Globalisms and the Destiny of American Christianity	p. 109
Carl Schmitt and the Limits of Democracy	p. 153
Conclusion: American Democracy as the Dream of the Church	p. 167
Providence and Progress	p. 171
Index	p. 175
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