American Protestants and the Debate over the Vietnam War
Evil was Loose in the World
American Protestants and the Debate over the Vietnam War
Evil was Loose in the World
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Hardback
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Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 9780739179963
Published: 16/02/2014
As American soldiers fought overseas in Vietnam, American churchmen debated the legitimacy and impact of the war at home. While the justness of the war was the primary issue, they also argued over conscientious objection, the legitimacy of protests, the weapons of war, and other related topics. Divided into three primary groups-mainline, conservative evangelical, and African American-and including fourteen denominations, this book uses the churchmen's publications and proceedings to better understand how American religion responded to and was impacted by the Vietnam War. In the various debates, churchmen brought their theological convictions and reading of the Bible to bear on their political perspectives. Convictions about sin, the nature of man, the fate of the world, violence and benevolence had direct impact upon the foreign policy perspectives of these churches. Rather than result in static political positions, these convictions adapted as the nature of the war and the likelihood of American success changed over time.
The positions taken by American denominations brought about attitudes of support, opposition, and ambivalence toward the war, but also impacted the vibrancy of many churches. Some groups were rent asunder by the fractious, debilitating debate. Other churches, due to their greater ideological clarity and unanimity, saw the war provide an impetus for growth. Regardless of the individual consequences, the debate over the Vietnam War provides a concrete study of the intersection of religion and politics.
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
