Throughout American history, Christianity has shaped public opinion,
guided leaders in their decision making, and stood at the center of
countless issues. To gain complete knowledge of an era, historians must
investigate the religious context of what transpired, why it happened,
and how. Yet too little is known about American Christianity's foreign
policy opinions during the Cold and Vietnam Wars. To gain a deeper
understanding of this period (1964-75), David E. Settje explores the
diversity of American Christian responses to the Cold and Vietnam Wars
to determine how Americans engaged in debates about foreign policy based
on their theological convictions.
Settje uncovers how specific Christian theologies and histories
influenced American religious responses to international affairs, which
varied considerably. Scrutinizing such sources as the evangelical
Christianity Today, the mainline Protestant, Christian Century, a
sampling of Catholic periodicals, the African Methodist Episcopal
Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the United Church of
Christ, Faith and War explores these entities' commingling of
religion, politics, and foreign policy, illuminating the roles that
Christianity attempted to play in both reflecting and shaping American
foreign policy opinions during a decade in which global matters affected
Americans daily and profoundly.
