Jesus and Justice; Evangelicals, Race, and American Politics

by Peter Goodwin Heltzel

• ISBN13: 9780300124330
• ISBN10: 0300124333
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2009-07-21
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

This timely book investigates the increasing visibility and influence of evangelical Christians in recent American politics with a focus on racial justice. Peter Goodwin Heltzel considers four evangelical social movements: Focus on the Family, the National Association of Evangelicals, Christian Community Development Association, and Sojourners. The political motives and actions of evangelical groups are founded upon their conceptions of Jesus Christ, Heltzel contends. He traces the roots of contemporary evangelical politics to the prophetic black Christianity tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the socially engaged evangelical tradition of Carl F. H. Henry. Heltzel shows that the basic tenets of King's and Henry's theologies have led their evangelical heirs toward a prophetic evangelicalism in a shade of blue greenblue symbolizing the tragedy of black suffering in the Americas, and green symbolizing the hope of a prophetic evangelical engagement with poverty, AIDS, and the environment. This fresh theological understanding of evangelical political groups shines new light on the ways evangelicals shape and are shaped by broader American culture.

Author Biography

Peter Goodwin Heltzel is assistant professor of theology, New York Theological Seminary, and an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xvii
Evangelical History
The Lion Is Roaring	p. 3
Revival, Race, and Reform: The Roots of Modern Evangelical Politics	p. 13
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Theology of the Cross	p. 45
Carl F. H. Henry's Uneasy Conscience	p. 71
Evangelical Politics
Focus on the Family: Nurturing and Defending the Family	p. 91
National Association of Evangelicals: For the Health of the Nation	p. 127
The Christian Community Development Association: A Quiet Revolution	p. 160
Sojourners: The Great Awakening	p. 178
Evangelical Politics in a Shade of Blue Green	p. 203
Notes	p. 219
Index	p. 251
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.