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Beyond Toleration: The Religious Origins of American Pluralism
At its founding, the United States was one of the most religiously diverse places in the world. Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Quakers, Dutch Reformed, German Reformed, Lutherans, Huguenots, Dunkers, Jews, Moravians, and Mennonites populated the nations towns and villages. Dozens of new denominations would emerge over the succeeding years. What allowed people of so many different faiths to forge a nation together?
In this richly told story of ideas, Chris Beneke demonstrates how the United States managed to overcome the religious violence and bigotry that characterized much of early modern Europe and America. The key, Beneke argues, did not lie solely in the protection of religious freedom. Instead, he reveals how American culture was transformed to accommodate the religious differences within it. The expansion of individual rights, the mixing of believers and churches in the same institutions, and the introduction of more civility into public life all played an instrumental role in creating the religious pluralism for which the United States has become renowned. These changes also established important precedents for future civil rights movements in which dignity, as much as equality, would be at stake.
Beyond Toleration is the first book to offer a systematic explanation of how early Americans learned to live with differences in matters of the highest importance to them --and how they found a way to articulate these differences civilly. Today when religious conflicts once again pose a grave danger to democratic experiments across the globe, Beneke's book serves as a timely reminder of how one country moved past toleration and towards religious pluralism.
In this richly told story of ideas, Chris Beneke demonstrates how the United States managed to overcome the religious violence and bigotry that characterized much of early modern Europe and America. The key, Beneke argues, did not lie solely in the protection of religious freedom. Instead, he reveals how American culture was transformed to accommodate the religious differences within it. The expansion of individual rights, the mixing of believers and churches in the same institutions, and the introduction of more civility into public life all played an instrumental role in creating the religious pluralism for which the United States has become renowned. These changes also established important precedents for future civil rights movements in which dignity, as much as equality, would be at stake.
Beyond Toleration is the first book to offer a systematic explanation of how early Americans learned to live with differences in matters of the highest importance to them --and how they found a way to articulate these differences civilly. Today when religious conflicts once again pose a grave danger to democratic experiments across the globe, Beneke's book serves as a timely reminder of how one country moved past toleration and towards religious pluralism.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Chris Beneke
7 books1 followerDr Chris Beneke is an Associate Professor of History and Director of Academic Integrity at Bentley University, Massachusetts, USA.
He holds a PhD from Northwestern University (2001), and a BA from Cornell University (1994).
He holds a PhD from Northwestern University (2001), and a BA from Cornell University (1994).
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March 24, 2011
I'm a dedicated listener to The Catholic Channel on SIRIUS/XM. One evening, Father Dave Dwyer of The Busted Halo Show interviewed Dr. Beneke about this book and the topic of Religious Pluralism broadly and I was absolutely captivated - I drove around for an extra 4o miunutes just to listen to the remainder of their discussion.
Simply put, this book should be read by all. In lieu of providing my own reflections on the subject, read Dr. Beneke's book and develop an opinion, assessment and understanding of religious pluralism for yourself. Beneke's treatment of this topic is thoughtful, enlightening and so interesting. I can't recommend it enough - especially for those who are academically eager to know more about theosophical and political topics such as this one.
Simply put, this book should be read by all. In lieu of providing my own reflections on the subject, read Dr. Beneke's book and develop an opinion, assessment and understanding of religious pluralism for yourself. Beneke's treatment of this topic is thoughtful, enlightening and so interesting. I can't recommend it enough - especially for those who are academically eager to know more about theosophical and political topics such as this one.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review