ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a brief history of the development of Western democracy and reflect on its (dis)affinities to various aspects of Western Christianity. It offers a partial answer to the question by contrasting political currents within Judeo-Christian thought. The book reevaluates Tocqueville’s arguments and explains that while some of his claims may require a bit of qualification, his account was still broadly correct – in its time. It shows that if people turn back the historical clock by a century, they find that many theological conservatives were progressive Democrats, especially in the South, and that many theological liberals were conservative Republicans, especially in the Northeast. The book also show that the sense of loss and entitlement – so puzzling to those outside the evangelical fold – is rooted in a certain narrative of American history as a “white Christian nation.”.
