The American Devolution

Several folks I respect recommend The Democratization of American Christianity as a way to understand how American Christianity became audience centered, intellectually weak, organizationally fragmented, and popularly led. But don't think the book is one-sided. It also explains why American Christianity maintains a strong presence in our culture, forging moral communities that give meaning to ordinary people. I will limit this post to summarize only a small part of Hatch's impressive scope of research and analysis.

The impression given by the book is that what happened to American religion in the early years of our nation is a case of generally understanding a problem correctly, but reacting with a terrible solution. The problem was found in the form of Calvinism so pervasive at that time. It permitted no means of spiritual release (i.e. no emotion or place for personal experience), was preoccupied with arcane theology and complicated controversies, often endorsed the status quo regarding social classes and slavery, and was full of clergy that couldn't relate to the common man.

The reaction to these problems was much worse than the problem itself. Drunk on dreams of democracy and individualism, American Christians in their passion for religious liberty exalted the individual's judgment over all creeds, catechisms, and confessions. In essence what was attacked was theology and the need for an educated clergy. All the weight of church history and theological argument could not withstand the power of the declaration, "No Creed but the Bible." What we failed to realize is that our aversion to religious authorities and historical underpinnings, and our exaltation of private judgment, only created more and more disunity and discord in the church. Could God be the author of such confusion?

And this has become America's characteristic defect. We possess an unstable compound of religious zeal and private judgment that continues to split churches and create an endless number of denominations. Religious innovators in America have rarely been denied a receptive audience. We are a land of ten thousand Reformers, and each one has his own church.