Lexington Books
Pages: 228
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-0-7391-7996-3 • Hardback • February 2014 • $136.00 • (£105.00)
978-0-7391-7997-0 • eBook • February 2014 • $129.00 • (£99.00)
George Bogaskiserves in higher education at the University of Oklahoma and teaches classes in history and religion.
Chapter 1: Just War: Mainline churches and the justness of the Vietnam War from 1964-1968
Chapter 2: Prophets or Patriots? Mainline churches and the attendant issues of the Vietnam War
Chapter 3: Souls Not Society: The revolt of mainline conservatives
Chapter 4: The Problem with the World: Conservative evangelicals’ concepts of war and peace
Chapter 5: “Evil was Loose in the World”: Conservative evangelicals’ response from 1964 to 1968
Chapter 6: Recasting the Vision: Conservative evangelicals’ response from 1969 to 1973
Chapter 7: Alabama not Vietnam: The unique response of African-American Protestants
Bogaski argues that American Protestant Christianity played two roles in the Vietnam War. On the one hand, it was 'the priest anointing the army for battle." On the other hand, it was "the prophet castigating the nation for immoral behavior.' Preexisting theological beliefs and current political realities shaped both responses to the war. The response of the mainline church, the author argues, was shaped by its previous experience with the civil rights movement and the social gospel. The conservative evangelical position was a reaction to the same two influences, as well as to the counterculture movement of the 1960s, but in a reactive, negative manner. African Americans were largely silent about the war at the start because of their greater concern with their own civil rights and economic advancement under Lyndon Johnson, but they turned against the war when Richard Nixon took office and those social programs were imperiled. Bogaski's work both builds on and has a narrower focus than David Settje's Faith and War: How Christians Debated the Cold and Vietnam Wars. Summing Up: Recommended. General and undergraduate collections.
— Choice Reviews
Bogaski’s extensive reading and analysis of denominational sources is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the role of religion in times of war.
— The Journal Of Military History
George Bogaski's study of Protestant denominations' responses to the Vietnam War is the latest in the recent flurry of books analyzing U.S. religious attitudes to the conflict. . . .The book builds on a solid foundation of primary-source research. . . .His work makes positive contributions to our understanding of the stances of specific denominations regarding the war.
— Journal of American History
This much-needed exploration of theological responses to the Vietnam War goes beyond the simplistic binary of mainline doves and evangelical hawks. George Bogaski ably charts gaps between leadership and laity, revolts of mainline conservatives, debates over methods of dissent, evangelical opposition to the conflict, and the fascinating non-response of African-American evangelicals.
— David Swartz, Asbury University
In this deftly researched book, George Bogaski demonstrates how the debate over the Vietnam War formed a unique lens into the dynamics and tensions of American Protestantism. Drawing upon a rich background in diverse Protestant settings, Bogaski crafts a theologically-informed and sociologically astute narrative. He shows how contrasting theological views shaped Protestant responses to the conflict and, in turn, how the crucible of the war affected the fortunes of different denominations. We learn how mainline leaders seeded irrevocable division in their prophetic stance against the War; how evangelical denominations picked up the pieces of that division by spiritualizing the conflict; and how loyalty to President Johnson led black church leaders to shun Martin Luther King’s anti-war campaign. This is an account full of surprises, trenchant insights, and profound lessons.
— Allen D. Hertzke, University of Oklahoma
On the basis of prodigious scholarship in primary sources, George Bogaski explores the agonizing and divisive discussion of the Vietnam War among American Protestants. He considers not only the debate about the necessity and morality of the war, but the related struggles over a host of associated issues—the morality of war in general, the nature of Christian patriotism, the propriety and limits of political protest, and the ethics of pacifism. This is an enlightening and ambitious book, and it deserves to be widely read.
— David W. Levy, University of Oklahoma
George Bogaski wisely adopts a com parative approach in his three-part analysis of denominational statements about what is arguably the most debated military conflict in recent American history. Focusing on both polity and theology, Bogaski produces an illuminating, if also unvarnished, story of prophets, priests, and by standers. . . .[He] offers an intriguing survey of conservative mainliners who chafed at liberal activism but were not prepared to depart for evangelical pastures. . . .Bogaski goes to great lengths to be fair to conservative supporters of the Vietnam War.
— The Christian Century