The Democratization of American Christianity

This week my Early American Republic course is reading Nathan Hatch’s classic The Democratization of American Christianity. As we work our way through the text, I am once again struck by how Hatch’s book continues to be our best look at the roots of contemporary evangelicalism. For those who have not read this book or need a refresher, Hatch argues that early 19th century evangelicalism:

1. was anti-authoritarian
2. relied upon emotional preaching that appealed more to the passions than reason
3. was primitivist (it rejected church tradition in its attempt to return to the New Testament church)
4. challenged Calvinist doctrine that placed limits on the ability of humans to be involved in the process of their own salvation
5. utilized the most current forms of communication (in this case print culture)
6. exchanged historic hymns and other traditional songs for folk music (do I hear “praise songs?”)
7. embraced a theology informed more by common sense than learned theological discourse (in other words it was anti-intellectual)
8. was consumer driven, thriving through persuasion
9. was associated with charismatic religious leaders who could appeal to the masses

Sound familiar?