The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, the Great War, and the Rise of the Messianic Nation

by Richard M. Gamble

In The War for Righteousness, Gamble reconstructs the inner world of the gospel clergy. Vividly narrating how the progressive clergy played a surprising role in molding the public consensuus in favor of total war, Gamble engages the broader question of religion's role in shaping the modern American mind an dthe development, at the deepest levels, of the logic of messianic interventionism both at home and abroad.

Genres: History, Politics, Religion, American History, International Relations, Nonfiction, World War I

300 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sometimes difficult read, because it is scholarly and thus a bit dense. It took about 9 months to finish, because I kept interrupting my reading for other things. That said, the last 4 chapters were finished in a matter of days, perhaps just because I had the time to devote to it.

Based on title and summary, I had thought this was a history of the Progressive movement's relationship to the Great War. I would more clearly describe it as a history of the Progressive Christianity movement: their attempt to immanentize the eschaton by agitating for social reform via "applied Christianity", their desire for the USA to become Christ to the world and bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth, their initial pacifism and how that changed into full-throated support for the war, and the aftermath. A very interesting history, focusing mostly on the leadership of various Progressive church organizations, who in turn seem to have been profoundly influential on leaders like President Wilson (whom they strongly supported).

A part of American history that one does not usually encounter in the course of a typical history education. For those interested in the history of World War I, or in the history of Progressivism, or American Protestantism, this is a rewarding read.

[The American Conservative]

'What Richard Gamble has done in this important study is to show that this violent tradition of liberal righteousness extends much further into the past. The War for Righteousness chronicles the story of “progressive” Christian clergy, whom we might expect to be faithful to the Prince of Peace, but who instead overwhelmingly favored U.S. involvement in World War I. German militarism, which they viewed as responsible for the war, was in their eyes a scourge upon civilization that had to be eradicated; otherwise the international order would not be redeemed and ultimately set on the path of righteousness.'

Read the full review, "Onward, Christian Soldiers," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

With 40 pages of footnotes, this was a dense, thorough look at a particular strand of Protestant Christianity and its influence on and by American patriotism and role on the international stage in the early 20th century.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Gamble's The War for Righteousness is, in certain ways, an incredibly enlightening book. But, that said, it's not for everyone.

I'll start with the bad: first, the book is extremely repetitive and choppy, as is common for books that summarize historical movements. There are a lot of quotes from different people saying roughly the same thing, and after a while all the comments seem to blur together. I had a similar sensation while reading Justus Doenecke's Storm on the Horizon, which is another book that is excellent but only for readers of a certain niche. Unfortunately, this genre of book tends to require copious quoting of historical figures, which makes for a somewhat difficult reading experience.

Now, on to the good: Gamble's book explores some of the theological errors that have pervaded American society for over a century. This book, written in the early 2000s, initially made a connection between the erroneous foreign policy of the "progressive" Christianity of the early 20th century with the wars for democracy of the early 21st century, wars that we now see have turned out about as well as the one that progressive Christians advocated from 1914 through 1918. What is more striking today, in an era of increasing domestic upheaval, is just how unoriginal some of the popular theological concepts of our day really are, among them collective guilt, social sin, the Gospel being primarily a tool for social reform. All these were core aspects of the "social gospel" movement that Gamble assesses, and all contain the same errors as their theological and ideological forebears.

Gamble's book is, therefore, a good one and, as I said, insightful in a number of ways. It however will challenge some readers by belaboring points that could be made more succinctly, at the cost of historical evidence.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at how the progressive movement, and certain Protestant Christian leaders, propelled us into WWI to try to remake Europe in the image of God... Sounds strikingly like neocon foreign policy of today!

[Laurynas Keturakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive account of an ideological movement behind America's entry to the First World War. In deconstructing the "Progressive Christianity", Gamble traces the movement's historical and ideological roots before the Independence, observes the most important philosophical debates—both inside the movement and its clashes with other groups—and gives a comprehensive picture of the influence it had over Wilson's Presidency.

The book is a dense read which is both its gift and curse: you will find yourself flipping pages back and forth often – either to check the notes for referenced primary sources if you are a researcher or to remind yourself of a certain actor being discussed. Recommended for those who are interested in the First World War and how it was seen from across the pond.

[Kerrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information about Progressives and their so-called good intentions that involved pushing for U.S. involvement in WWI. This is an ideology that has carried onto modern Progressivism in the form of more involvement in globalism, authoritarianism, and contravening the U.S. government's limited powers. However, the book is dryly written, poorly edited, and repetitive. I would still recommend this and 1917 by Arthur Herman.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

comprehensive history of some of the behind-the-scenes factors in America's entry into WWI. Parallels with today's progressivism.

[Craig Bolton]

"The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, the Great War, and the Rise of the Messianic Nation by Richard M. Gamble (2003)"

[Martha]

I would like this in the Kindle Edition, when it becomes available.

[John Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bad bible interpretation and its results put on display.