(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Benjamin T. Lynerd:
Republican Theology. The Civil Religion of American Evangelicals
Oxford University Press, 2014
Have you wondered how classic American libertarianism can reconcile with restrictive morality? Why is evangelical Christianity such an important part of American politics? What is the reason why George W. Bush could so convincingly declare his "crusade against terrorism"? How is it that God always interferes with the country's domestic and foreign policy activities? Why has evangelical teaching, with an emphasis on creationism and anti-darvism, impacted so many schools in the United States? Have you wondered what preceded American McCarthyism in the 1950 century? Why did Ronald Reagan, as soon as he became president, begin a long-standing partnership with NAE (The National Association of Evangelicals)? In that case, the political philosopher Benjamin T. Lynerds Republican Theology. The Civil Religion of American Evangelicals good answers to these questions.
Hard work and virtue. "Republican theology" is based on Augustine philosophy, and is an amalgamation of political and religious thinking that assumes that no human being is sinless, and therefore hopes for spiritual change of humanity through dyd og hard work. These are ideas that have made the United States a country characterized by libertarian values, homophobia and a reactionary woman's view, mixed with strict requirements for "proper" behavior.
Why the thinking of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who, after all, were the creators of social contract theories, has not prevailed in the conservative part of the United States, the book also explains. The idea that freedom must build on mutual trust between all citizens and on equal rights for all free citizens is part of the American Declaration of Independence, but stands in clear opposition to Republican theology. Lynerd's book shows why the idea of civil rights based on freedom, equality and fraternity has so little effect on the Republican Party, or the United States at all.
His own happiness blacksmith. Darwin's theory of development versus Christian theology, as well as the cause of the free market triumph over the senses, is also a theme of Republican Theology. The same is "covenanttheology, or "covenant theology" - a form of political thinking that is older than both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes and has survived all social contract theories. Covenant theology or covenantialism is a form of Christian theology that involves the Bible ruling over people's everyday lives, and over social and public life. Christian theology and American politics are difficult to distinguish, and theology largely governs the Republican Party in the United States.
So this book is about the union of an extremely conservative politics and Christian evangelism. The most important principles of this peculiar pact between religion and politics are the basic cultivation of the idea of least state interference. As few social welfare benefits as possible should occur because everything is up to the individual and his or her relationship with God. In return, one has got charities, as it is called when rich people give money to the poor.
When this form of Christian evangelism unites with reactionary politics, invading a country and taking its oil can be defended as a form of Christian and moral activism. The book argues, frighteningly, that political evangelism is a global phenomenon today.
Society's marginalized. Evangelism and reactionary politics also have a philosophical ground. It breaks as mentioned with the contract philosophy, and is a thinking that was defended by the philosopher Ayn Rand and economist Milton Friedmann, among others. Discussions are also underway on less reactionary views on whether the state is truly committed to taking care of those who fall outside. This is contested by the evangelical Christians, who are in opposition to, for example, Roman Catholics and Black Protestants, who believe that the state has such a responsibility. Another question is how classical libertarian values are reconciled with republican theology.
Graham found an important partner in President Eisenhower, and their goal was to purge the American population of so-called unwanted elements, from gays to communists; from abortion defenders to women advocates.
God and politics. One result of evangelical policy is the clear condemnation of all private immorality, from cursing to drunkenness and extramarital sex. In the wake of this moral activism, there are organizations that promote activist abortion resistance.
Republican theology and civil religion are important among evangelical-christian Americans, because the creator of political theology is none other than God himself. He created the world, and therefore the political reality. You can call it "political theology". In this lies a peculiar concept of freedom, in which "the invisible hand" covers both the terms "the hand of God" and "the free market".
Covenant theology and the Bible unite Jewish-Israeli and American politics. Also, many Americans believe that they are a chosen people. Covenant theology, especially united with neoliberalism, thus highlights the six percent richest in the United States as specially selected, which is why economic and social injustice in the United States is so difficult to change.
The few selected. The first to travel from England to what should be called "New England", were Calvinists – strict Puritans who emphasized moderation and the value of hard work. How did Calvinists manage to influence American politics so that their religious beliefs began to flow into public life? The book explains this with a special form of Christian spiritualism that unites with hostility to different thinking. Covenant theology naturally creates an unstable society with great economic differences, built on the idea that social and economic privileges should fall to a small group, and that this is just on the basis of God's own will.
Anti Communism. That Darwin's theory of development has come into the background in favor of the Christian creation story is well known, and also that social Darwinism has become an important component of American society. Social Darwinism, where the struggle for existence is the dominant reality, permeates Christian theology, and on the basis of this view is the belief that God is the true organizer of society and that it is he who guarantees that the rights of the individual are protected. The book depicts how evangelism found its way into American society through the Republican Party, represented by a clearly stated and fierce anti-communism. We also meet Billy Graham's extreme evangelical actionism. Graham found an important partner in President Eisenhower, and their goal was to purge the American population of so-called unwanted elements, from gays to communists; from abortion defenders to women advocates.
Civil rights. The book provides a coherent historical picture, but ultimately takes a rather powerless leap into the evolution of Republican theology. As a writer, it is not enough just to be conscientious and objective – one should also take a stand, and write sharply and clearly.
Some of the most important Republican Theology is what really should form the basis of the concept civil rights. Should they be contract-based, as with Locke and other 1700th-century philosophers, or should they be grounded in a mix of Republican values, evangelism and libertarianism, where everyone is responsible for their own happiness? These are obviously interesting discussions – but more passion in the argumentation had given the book a boost.
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