Prophetic Encounters

A broad, definitive history of the profound relationship between religion and movements for social change in America Though in recent years the religious right has been a powerful political force, making "religion" and "conservatism" synonymous in the minds of many, the United States has always had an active, vibrant, and influential religious Left. In every period of our history, people of faith have envisioned a society of peace and justice, and their tireless efforts have made an indelible mark on our nation's history. In Prophetic Encounters, Dan McKanan challenges simple distinctions between "religious" and "secular" activism, showing that religious beliefs and practices have been integral to every movement promoting liberty, equality, and solidarity. From Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the nineteenth century to Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., and Starhawk in the twentieth, American radicals have maintained a deep faith in the human capacity to transform the world. This radical faith has always been intertwined with the religious practices of Christians and Jews, pagans and Buddhists, orthodox believers and humanist heretics. Their vision and energies powered the social movements that have defined America's progress: the abolition of slavery, feminism, the New Deal, civil rights, and others. In this groundbreaking, definitive work, McKanan treats the histories of religion and the Left as a single history, showing that American radicalism is a continuous tradition rather than a collection of disparate movements. Emphasizing the power of encounter-encounters between whites and former slaves, between the middle classes and the immigrant masses, and among activists themselves-McKanan shows that the coming together of people of different perspectives and beliefs has been transformative for centuries, uniting those whose faith is a source of activist commitment with those whose activism is a source of faith. Offering a history of the diverse religious dimensions of radical movements from the American Revolution to the present day, Prophetic Encounters invites contemporary activists to stand proudly in a tradition of prophetic power.

Autorentext

Dan McKanan is the Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School and the author of Identifying the Image of God, Touching the World, and The Catholic Worker after Dorothy. His writing has appeared in Sojourners, America, and many other journals.

Inhalt

Contents Introduction: Chapter 1) The Faith of the Working Men Chapter 2) African Identity and Black Radicalism Chapter 3) Encounters with William Lloyd Garrison Chapter 4) Personifying Radical Abolitionism Chapter 5) Radicals Fight and Unite Chapter 6) Confronting the Slave Power Chapter 7) New Religions for Radicalism Chapter 8) Women's Rights, Women Ministers, and a Woman's Bible Chapter 9) The Jesus of Labor Chapter 10) Encountering the City Chapter 11) The Religion of Socialism Chapter 12) The Radical Depression Chapter 13) The Gandhian Moment Chapter 14) Mentors of a New Left Chapter 15) New Encounters in the South Chapter 16) Expanding Circles of Encounter Chapter 17) From Encounter to Confrontation Chapter 18) Rebuilding the Left Chapter 19) A Women's Decade Chapter 20) Resisting the Right Chapter 21) The Future of Radicalism Acknowledgments Appendix: Radical Organizations Resources for Further Study Notes Index