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A Theological Interpretation of American History: Revised Edition
It is not the purpose of these essays to present a history of the United States nor of American Christianity, but rather to portray the influence of theology and the changing doctrines in the life of the church on the pattern of American political, constitutional, social and economic development. Introduction; Deism in Colonial Life; Transcendentalism and the Rise of Modern Democracy; Social Its Theological Background and Political Implications; The Social Gospel and Its Political Effects in American Life; Theological Liberalism after 1920 and Its Political Consequences; The New Deal and Its Consequences; World War Two and After; Conclusion.
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 30, 2020
This is the kind of book that is critical reading for any Christian who seeks to understand American history. Singer examines the critical religious and philosophical movements in American history, how they shaped their times, and whether or not they were true to biblical principles.
He begins with Puritanism, and argues that it was critical to the success of the nation's founding. It established critical theological and political systems that the Constitution later took as a model. Later Puritanism, under the guise of Edwardian theology, no less, set Puritanism adrift and ultimately lead to the ascendancy of Deism.
In Deism, Singer finds the source of the Revolutionary temper and the ungodly justification for rebellion against England. The Declaration of Independence was anti-Christian document, despite some Christians signing it. Deism went into a brief decline in the instability of the post-war, pre-Constitution era.
The Constitution itself, was a much more conservative, and more influenced by Puritanism than the Declaration, yet it was not what it could have been. But it established a Federal Republic, which led to the early success of the nation. But not all was well. Deism had been firmly established in the churches and colleges. Dissatisfaction with the mechanistic god of Deism led to the more personal, but pantheistic god of Transcendentalism.
The Transcendentalist movement, fundamentally optimistic, due to unbiblical eschatology, began the wave of reform movements including abolitionism. As many Southern theologians understood, abolitionism was more than an anti-slavery movement. It was an atheistic philosophical movement bent on undermining Christianity and destroying the liberty granted in the Constitution.
The triumph of abolitionists in the Civil War led to a great centralizing of Federal power, an accelerated industrial revolution due to war production. This then brought about the rapid decline of the Transcendentalist movement and the ascendancy of Social Darwinism. The shared optimism of both movements led to the remarkable influence of the Darwinists--particularly in the churches. The liberalization of Christian theology brought about a liberalization in government leading to increases in Federal power and further reform movements based on unbiblical theology.
The liberal theology led to the Social Gospel--the Kingdom of Christ on earth through the work of men, not God. Again, unbiblical theology. The Progressives worked in and through the Social Gospel establishing a thoroughly democratic government, particularly through the New Deal. The rise of Democracy enthroned humanism over and against God. The decline of America is now rapid and almost without any hope of slowing down, let alone stopping.
This remarkable narrative ties together the movements in American history, and evaluates them in light of biblical principle. Singer is clearly a Calvinist, and in Calvinism, sees true and right theology. He is very critical of Arminianism and in it, he sees the liberalization and the compromises necessary to concede to liberal theology. Those who believe in American Exceptionalism will find instead, a history of quick ascent and an equally rapid decline in the biblical standards found in the political system. Americans, rather than being exceptional, are victim of the same human failings of any other people, and the American Experiment was compromised nearly from the start. This is an outstanding work and highly recommended.
He begins with Puritanism, and argues that it was critical to the success of the nation's founding. It established critical theological and political systems that the Constitution later took as a model. Later Puritanism, under the guise of Edwardian theology, no less, set Puritanism adrift and ultimately lead to the ascendancy of Deism.
In Deism, Singer finds the source of the Revolutionary temper and the ungodly justification for rebellion against England. The Declaration of Independence was anti-Christian document, despite some Christians signing it. Deism went into a brief decline in the instability of the post-war, pre-Constitution era.
The Constitution itself, was a much more conservative, and more influenced by Puritanism than the Declaration, yet it was not what it could have been. But it established a Federal Republic, which led to the early success of the nation. But not all was well. Deism had been firmly established in the churches and colleges. Dissatisfaction with the mechanistic god of Deism led to the more personal, but pantheistic god of Transcendentalism.
The Transcendentalist movement, fundamentally optimistic, due to unbiblical eschatology, began the wave of reform movements including abolitionism. As many Southern theologians understood, abolitionism was more than an anti-slavery movement. It was an atheistic philosophical movement bent on undermining Christianity and destroying the liberty granted in the Constitution.
The triumph of abolitionists in the Civil War led to a great centralizing of Federal power, an accelerated industrial revolution due to war production. This then brought about the rapid decline of the Transcendentalist movement and the ascendancy of Social Darwinism. The shared optimism of both movements led to the remarkable influence of the Darwinists--particularly in the churches. The liberalization of Christian theology brought about a liberalization in government leading to increases in Federal power and further reform movements based on unbiblical theology.
The liberal theology led to the Social Gospel--the Kingdom of Christ on earth through the work of men, not God. Again, unbiblical theology. The Progressives worked in and through the Social Gospel establishing a thoroughly democratic government, particularly through the New Deal. The rise of Democracy enthroned humanism over and against God. The decline of America is now rapid and almost without any hope of slowing down, let alone stopping.
This remarkable narrative ties together the movements in American history, and evaluates them in light of biblical principle. Singer is clearly a Calvinist, and in Calvinism, sees true and right theology. He is very critical of Arminianism and in it, he sees the liberalization and the compromises necessary to concede to liberal theology. Those who believe in American Exceptionalism will find instead, a history of quick ascent and an equally rapid decline in the biblical standards found in the political system. Americans, rather than being exceptional, are victim of the same human failings of any other people, and the American Experiment was compromised nearly from the start. This is an outstanding work and highly recommended.
April 17, 2020
Excellent overview of American history tracking the flow from Calvinism, Unitarianism, and Transcendentalism, to Darwinism, the Social Gospel, and modern political centralization.
December 21, 2024
It is as senseless as it is fruitless to study human history without any consideration for theological ideas and the changes they undergo over time. Human society, philosophy, and government/politics are inescapably built on a theological foundation. And that theological foundation is either in submission to the Word of God as such, or it is in opposition to it, and to the God who authored the Scriptures.
Though my foray into historical works has been quite brief, I cannot imagine finding a more helpful and comprehensive and wholly Christian book than this through which to truly comprehend American history, from its conception to its present state of turmoil. For indeed, one of two things is true. Either God has something to say to human governments, or He does not. If He does not, then the Christian has no framework for understanding the civil magistrate, and any attempt is merely a subjective exercise in futility. But if God has given to governments some specific, but limited, power and scope, then the Christian cannot pretend that our modern government is in any way entitled to most of the powers it currently claims for itself. I leave you with the concluding lines of the book; it is up to you to read how the author gets here. Christian, you will not regret embarking on such a journey. But in understanding a theological interpretation of American history, be warned: it will change you.
"Does orthodoxy have a satisfactory answer to the dilemma which this nation faces? This is an important question and demands an answer. If liberalism has been such an influential agency for the creation of a movement away from constitutional government and the traditional American freedom toward a collectivistic society and some kind of totalitarian regime, does Christian orthodoxy have a remedy for this situation? A thorough discussion of this question actually demands a volume in itself, but a short presentation is necessary as a capstone for this volume.
The answer is found in the biblical view of government. The Scriptures clearly teach that human government is of divine ordination and does not have its origin in any social compact or contract, as Hobbes and Locke taught, nor was it created by man himself to meet the needs of his society. Rather does Christian theism insist that government was ordained of God for man and that its just powers come from him and not from man. Government is not ordained primarily to defend human liberty, but to insure that kind of society necessary for man to carry out those duties which he owes to God alone. Thus, government has clearly defined powers and operates in a clearly defined sphere. The basic error of liberalism at this point has been its insistence that human government is a social institution, responsible to those men who created it and is primarily concerned with the preservation of human rights as they were defined by Jefferson and others of that day. This error is very popular among Christian people as well as the nation at large and it has been productive of great error for it has allowed the forces of political liberalism to extend the operations of government into those sphere where it has no right to be, and in so doing it has actually become a menace to the human liberty which the liberals insist that it must protect. But above and beyond this, when human government extends its powers and operations to those spheres of human life which God did not render subject to it, government then finds itself in opposition to its divinely bestowed purposes for it takes unto itself powers which were never bestowed upon it. It is this extension of power into these forbidden areas which has created the modern totalitarian state. When human government enters into the field of labor relations, education, mental and physical health, agriculture, housing, and those many other areas of legislation so characteristic of the federal government today, it leaves its proper functions and enters into those areas of life which God has either ordained that the church or the family should have as their particular sphere of responsibility, or that they should be the concern of some human institution which many may erect for his own civil purposes under God's common grace.
The real problem then, is not basically the reduction of governmental expenses (as important as that it), nor the proper relationship between the states and the federal government, or the victory of one political party over another. All of these have their place. But the basic issue is the reduction of the total scope of government, on both the federal and state level, to those spheres which are clearly conferred upon it by the Scriptures and the surrender of those extra-biblical powers which liberal political philosophy and practice have given to it during the last one hundred years or so. Only then will our government be truly Christian and freedom be restored to its former and proper place in the life of the American people," (339-341).
Though my foray into historical works has been quite brief, I cannot imagine finding a more helpful and comprehensive and wholly Christian book than this through which to truly comprehend American history, from its conception to its present state of turmoil. For indeed, one of two things is true. Either God has something to say to human governments, or He does not. If He does not, then the Christian has no framework for understanding the civil magistrate, and any attempt is merely a subjective exercise in futility. But if God has given to governments some specific, but limited, power and scope, then the Christian cannot pretend that our modern government is in any way entitled to most of the powers it currently claims for itself. I leave you with the concluding lines of the book; it is up to you to read how the author gets here. Christian, you will not regret embarking on such a journey. But in understanding a theological interpretation of American history, be warned: it will change you.
"Does orthodoxy have a satisfactory answer to the dilemma which this nation faces? This is an important question and demands an answer. If liberalism has been such an influential agency for the creation of a movement away from constitutional government and the traditional American freedom toward a collectivistic society and some kind of totalitarian regime, does Christian orthodoxy have a remedy for this situation? A thorough discussion of this question actually demands a volume in itself, but a short presentation is necessary as a capstone for this volume.
The answer is found in the biblical view of government. The Scriptures clearly teach that human government is of divine ordination and does not have its origin in any social compact or contract, as Hobbes and Locke taught, nor was it created by man himself to meet the needs of his society. Rather does Christian theism insist that government was ordained of God for man and that its just powers come from him and not from man. Government is not ordained primarily to defend human liberty, but to insure that kind of society necessary for man to carry out those duties which he owes to God alone. Thus, government has clearly defined powers and operates in a clearly defined sphere. The basic error of liberalism at this point has been its insistence that human government is a social institution, responsible to those men who created it and is primarily concerned with the preservation of human rights as they were defined by Jefferson and others of that day. This error is very popular among Christian people as well as the nation at large and it has been productive of great error for it has allowed the forces of political liberalism to extend the operations of government into those sphere where it has no right to be, and in so doing it has actually become a menace to the human liberty which the liberals insist that it must protect. But above and beyond this, when human government extends its powers and operations to those spheres of human life which God did not render subject to it, government then finds itself in opposition to its divinely bestowed purposes for it takes unto itself powers which were never bestowed upon it. It is this extension of power into these forbidden areas which has created the modern totalitarian state. When human government enters into the field of labor relations, education, mental and physical health, agriculture, housing, and those many other areas of legislation so characteristic of the federal government today, it leaves its proper functions and enters into those areas of life which God has either ordained that the church or the family should have as their particular sphere of responsibility, or that they should be the concern of some human institution which many may erect for his own civil purposes under God's common grace.
The real problem then, is not basically the reduction of governmental expenses (as important as that it), nor the proper relationship between the states and the federal government, or the victory of one political party over another. All of these have their place. But the basic issue is the reduction of the total scope of government, on both the federal and state level, to those spheres which are clearly conferred upon it by the Scriptures and the surrender of those extra-biblical powers which liberal political philosophy and practice have given to it during the last one hundred years or so. Only then will our government be truly Christian and freedom be restored to its former and proper place in the life of the American people," (339-341).
May 27, 2009
Excellent.
July 15, 2024
I read the first couple chapters of this book, perhaps one day I will find an opportunity to return to it again. I appreciate his methodology and willingness to take on the "sacred cows" of American history through a scriptural lens. That said, I'm not sure I agree with a lot of his conclusion (which is very anti-American Revolution). Not that I think what he said was necessarily wrong (diesm playing a role in the revolution), but I think there were other intellectual strains that played into the events of those years that came from a lot better sources.
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July 20, 2020Very insightful book on America from the Revolution to Jimmy Carter, looking at it through the nation Biblical beliefs and/or lack off!! If you believe that there was a Biblical justification for the American Rebellion and are a Christian, you need to read this book. It will also enlighten you as too the current state of unrest in society.
May 26, 2021
Excellent book - essential reading for every Christian trying to make sense of our current political and social culture. Read through twice as it was the primary text used for a recent Sunday School series I taught. Richard Weaver’s essays made a great companion piece.
November 25, 2021
Skimmed only (but fairly thoroughly, with much underlining and marginal note-taking) as part of a Sunday School study. Informative, insightful, and well-researched.
March 30, 2015
In this book Singer presents an alternative to environmentalist theories of history (such as Marxist economic determinism) and presents a theory of history that sees the theological ideas of the day as vital to the direction of history and culture. He goes through American history by examining the prevalent theological/philosophical system of each period and how a comparison of each system with biblical orthodoxy gives us a way to interpret and understand the history of that period. The progression he sees in American history is a decline from the Calvinist Puritanism, to Deism, to Unitarianism, to Transcendentalism and revivalist Arminianism, to Social Darwinism and the Social Gospel, to pragmatism and theological Liberalism. This trend has caused a decline from a government by law under God's sovereignty to a collectivist democracy.
While more could be said then what Singer covers, especially with regard to the earlier period of American history, this is a helpful presentation of this theological interpretation of history.
"This book is written in the light of the conviction that only in the light of the Christian revelation can American history be brought into a proper perspective; that the intellectual, political, social, and economic trends of the past and the present can be rightly interpreted only in the light of the scriptural norm. Only on the basis of the historic Christian faith can the various schools of historical thought, now in sharp disagreement on essential points, find a common ground for agreement. This must not be in such a manner that the particular emphasis of any, or all, the other schools of historical research will be declared totally in error, but that the contributions of all of them will be carefully weighed and evaluated as they are subjected to the authority of the Scriptures. Thus, as they are brought into harmony with this biblical frame of reference, they will gain a new validity which they could not otherwise possibly command." (p. 6-7).
While more could be said then what Singer covers, especially with regard to the earlier period of American history, this is a helpful presentation of this theological interpretation of history.
"This book is written in the light of the conviction that only in the light of the Christian revelation can American history be brought into a proper perspective; that the intellectual, political, social, and economic trends of the past and the present can be rightly interpreted only in the light of the scriptural norm. Only on the basis of the historic Christian faith can the various schools of historical thought, now in sharp disagreement on essential points, find a common ground for agreement. This must not be in such a manner that the particular emphasis of any, or all, the other schools of historical research will be declared totally in error, but that the contributions of all of them will be carefully weighed and evaluated as they are subjected to the authority of the Scriptures. Thus, as they are brought into harmony with this biblical frame of reference, they will gain a new validity which they could not otherwise possibly command." (p. 6-7).
April 13, 2010
This book attempts to show how you cannot understand the history of a people without understanding their worldview at the time. If you trace the trends in how the people in the US have viewed God and how they should live in proper relationship with him, then you will be able to better understand significant events such as the civil war and the world wars following later.
March 30, 2015
C. Gregg Singer was a white segregationist and historical revisionist, in many ways responsible for the "America was a Christian nation" narrative peddled by the Christian right, deeply involved with Rousas John Rushdoony and the dominionist movement.
December 30, 2015
This is one of the few history books that didn't just interest or inform but actually changed my mind about something that I had thought I was very firm in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews