Subtitle is "reviving faith and politics in a post-religious right America," and I find that a bit much. If you're going to crank on the new "great awakening," then why get all pissy on the religious right like it's some straw man we must defeat?
Wallis sees four true previous GAs:
1) 1730s-1740s contributing to revolution2) 1800-1830 that contributes to Civil War through abolition movement (highly religious)
3) latter half of 19th and early 20th century that yields Progressive Era and fields a prez candidate directly in William Jennings Bryan
4) African-American churches in 1950s and 1960s that leads to Civil Rights movement.
Again, I don't see how you cast one now and somehow cut off what's come before by targeting the religious right in this country. That seems unfair and unhistoric.
I do like the last bit in the book on "nonviolent realism" (SysAdmin anyone?) as filler between extremes of "liberal pacifism" and "conservative combat" (although those terms suck).
Comments (4)
Does SysAdmin community have the spirit and heart to carry it through the tough real world experiences of making SysAdm process work?
That was the weakness gap in intellectual progress efforts covered by previous and imperfect Awakening cycles.
Posted by Louis Heberlein | May 2, 2008 1:18 PM
Regarding Wallis' 1800-1830 GA;
Daniel W. Howe's book : "What has God Wrought...(from your recommended reading list) I learned this time period had the greatest commencement of new religions in America's history. I believe this must be related to the greatest volcanic eruption in modern times (1815) Mt. Tambora, Indonesia which caused such world cooling that America (& the entire northern hemisphere) had no summers for two years. I believe this caused hysterical, wide-spread fear which stimulated many of these religious start ups. Much of the religions of America's religious right today started during this time. I have a geology education and continue to be amazed how geological events during the recent time of human existence has had such a major impact on the psyche of man.
Posted by Elmer Humes | May 2, 2008 4:01 PM
Mr. Humes wrote above ... "I believe this must be related to the greatest volcanic eruption in modern times (1815) Mt. Tambora, Indonesia which caused such world cooling that America (& the entire northern hemisphere) had no summers for two years. I believe this caused hysterical, wide-spread fear which stimulated many of these religious start ups."
Two points: 1) Tecumseh's "Great Sign" happened in the same time frame, during the War of 1812, when the greatest earth quake in the recorded history of the US mid-west hit New Madrid MO. ... causing the Mississippi River to run backwards for a period, swallowing up large swaths of land (some owned by Daniel Boone) and shaking the stone chimneys of homes as far away as South Carolina to the ground. (See the Winning of America series by my favorite author Allan W. Eckert for the most engrossing, real history reading out there) ... and ...
2) Humes points out that ash and toxic gases from vulcanism (i.e. Mt. Tambora) caused global cooling. So how will a carbon cap-and-trade scheme concocted by Congressional "experts", effectively taxing energy in the US and smothering this economy, stop global warming (or cooling) from volcanic activity including oceanic floor lava flows, methane and other green house gas volcanic releases? Or vulcanism on the earth's surface? Or oceanic evaporation of water, the most volumous green house gas? Or solar activity that warms the earth? Man made green house gas accounts for only about 2% of all green house gas. Can you say Tax-and-Spend Scam?
We need a religious awakening to protect us from the US Congress.
Posted by VoteWithTroops | May 3, 2008 3:52 AM
Maybe a Chinese religious awakening will free them from violence, corruption and legislation like the American Revolution (i.e. from Red Coats enforcing taxation without representation) and the American Civil War (i.e. from Southern Democrat enforced slavery) did for the US.
Our religious faith IS what made us and kept us, so far. Hopefully our Constitution will show them (and us) the way.
Posted by VoteWithTroops | May 3, 2008 5:42 AM