When Did Jesus Become Republican?: Rescuing Our Country and Our Values from the Right-- Strategies for a Post-Bush America - Hardcover

Ellingsen, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0742552241 ISBN 13: 9780742552241

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007

Synopsis

Despite the results of the 2006 elections, the coalition between Conservative politics and American Christians remains a dominant force in setting the American socio-cultural and political agenda. Ellingsen argues that until this coalition is diminished we will remain a politically conservative nation to the detriment of the poor, the marginalized, the middle class, and nations around the world, as well as to the detriment of the spiritual life in America's churches! Unlike previous books lamenting this Neo-Conservative-Christian coalition, Ellingsen offers the first account of the root (Puritan) causes for this coalition and provides readers with concrete strategies that we can adopt to challenge the tragic pact between so many committed Christians and political leaders that value business and global domination above all else.

About this title

About the Author

Mark Ellingsen is an active speaker at seminaries, churches, and conferences where he is sought out as an expert and spirited champion of authentic Christian faith and politics. Ellingsen is associate professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and the author of more than a dozen books and 200 articles.

Mark Ellingsen's new book When Did Jesus Become Republican? is a timely contribution for understanding the presidential sweepstakes. Its timeliness is leading to nationwide media recognition. Ellingsen has appeared as a guest on seven radio talk-show programs all over the country and has made a joint appearance in New York with former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. In Winter 2007 he appeared as a featured guest on a CNN television special, hosted by Roland Martin.

Reviews

Don't let the page count on this volume fool you. Ellingsen, a professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, packs in a remarkable amount of history, mostly of Christianity in America. He not only addresses Christianity's roots, but its U.S. evolution, its ebb and flow, all in an effort to illustrate what he calls the dominance of the Puritan Paradigm on our social psyche. Complete with explicit (and sometimes excessive) poll numbers on denominational voters, their trends, and their motivations , the argument is well-grounded. With so much attention paid to how we got here, however, Ellingsen neglects where we should go next; the book is more descriptive and diagnostic than prescriptive. This is by no means a light read, but neither is it only for professional politicos and theologians. Readers of Jim Wallis, Michael Lerner, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and others who've addressed the dichotomy between the New Testament Jesus, champion of the poor and forgotten, and the Jesus of the political right will want to add this title to their library, if only for a more in-depth perspective of how American Christianity and politics have changed. (Oct.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0742552241
• ISBN 13: 9780742552241
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224