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American Christianity Is More Than Its Politics - Christianity Today
- Matthew Avery Sutton frames American Christianity through four strands—conservatives, revivalists, liberals, and liberationists—shaping its political role.
- The book is praised for readable, engaging storytelling that covers a 500-year arc of Christian influence in U.S. public life.
- The review cautions Sutton’s focus on power may overshadow deeper theological belief and lived devotion in American Christianity.
- The piece notes Sutton’s limited treatment of biblical traditions and personal spiritual practices within American Christianity.
- The review highlights that liberationists helped drive civil rights, while other groups sometimes opposed the movement.
- The piece asserts Sutton offers a corrective to the belief that American politics were secular prior to the religious right.
- The CT review calls Chosen Land a strong history of political culture, while noting it does not fully cover the full spectrum of Christian faith.
- The review points out notable omissions, such as Habitat for Humanity and Bible translation history.
- The review notes Sutton’s emphasis on power dynamics but acknowledges the broader need to tell the transformative personal faith story.
- Overall, the review regards Chosen Land as a valuable, readable history with meaningful insights for understanding religion and politics in America.
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