Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition

by Daniel Mckanan

A broad, definitive history of the profound relationship between religion and movements for social change in America

Though in recent years the religious right has been a powerful political force, making “religion” and “conservatism” synonymous in the minds of many, the United States has always had an active, vibrant, and influential religious Left. In every period of our history, people of faith have envisioned a society of peace and justice, and their tireless efforts have made an indelible mark on our nation’s history.
 
In Prophetic Encounters , Dan McKanan challenges simple distinctions between “religious” and “secular” activism, showing that religious beliefs and practices have been integral to every movement promoting liberty, equality, and solidarity. From Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the nineteenth century to Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., and Starhawk in the twentieth, American radicals have maintained a deep faith in the human capacity to transform the world. This radical faith has always been intertwined with the religious practices of Christians and Jews, pagans and Buddhists, orthodox believers and humanist heretics. Their vision and energies powered the social movements that have defined America’s the abolition of slavery, feminism, the New Deal, civil rights, and others.
 
In this groundbreaking, definitive work, McKanan treats the histories of religion and the Left as a single history, showing that American radicalism is a continuous tradition rather than a collection of disparate movements. Emphasizing the power of encounter—encounters between whites and former slaves, between the middle classes and the immigrant masses, and among activists themselves—McKanan shows that the coming together of people of different perspectives and beliefs has been transformative for centuries, uniting those whose faith is a source of activist commitment with those whose activism is a source of faith.
 
Offering a history of the diverse religious dimensions of radical movements from the American Revolution to the present day, Prophetic Encounters invites contemporary activists to stand proudly in a tradition of prophetic power.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2011

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering that each chapter could easily be developed into a book (or several books), this is a very engaging overview of the history of religion and "radicalism" in the USA. McKanan uses "radical" as a broad term; it encompasses not only the traditional left (like socialists), but also abolitionists, pacifists, feminists, and more. I hope down the road he'll write a book specifically focused on religion and socialism.

[Tynan Brooks]

Very UU, limiting its theological power, but there's some interesting history here when you dig through it. Goes to show how mainline vacillation between radicalism and the status quo has left it in the worst of both worlds.

[Drick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any time one sets out to write an overview of history, they are prone to skimp on certain aspects and highlight others. Daniel McKanan writes about the involvement of religious people, groups and institutions in the movement of the Left through the first 2 centuries of U.S. history. He covers a wealth of movements and individuals in ways that shed new light on the role of religion in the American progressive movement. While at times it seems to confine his comments to the most radical of movements, as he moved into the 1960's, 1970's AND 1980'S I found that I could identify who he was discussing because I had lived through those days, participated in those movements and read those writers. Overall, his treatment is fair and shows the connections between 19th century abolitionism, early 20 century socialism, the labor movement of the 1930's, the influence of Gandhi in the 1940's and 1950's, the civil rights and anti Vietnam movements of the 1950's and 1960's and the impact of all those movements to radical movements today.

He ends the book on a sober note, wondering if radicalism ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the Soviet Union in 1989. For many early 20th century radicals, Lenin's revolution was a vision of the hoped-for future. With the disintegration of that vision, the Left has had to turn to a resistance to capitalism rather than an embrace of socialism. I was surprised that he did not speak to the the anti WTO marches in Seattle and elsewhere, and the book came out before Occupy Wall St took off. What this book challenges and reminds us is that religion/spirituality has had and continues to have a vital role in improving the life of all people in society

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating overview of the intersection of religion and radicalism in the US. I was most interested in the early section - he starts with abolitionism - and found it the most compelling. He talks about so many organizations in the later part, it seems to gloss over a lot - which is probably more a reflection of the splintering of the radical left in the last 30 years than the author's research. Of course, I loved that UUs take center seat in much of the history.