09 Oct 08 — A book recommendation

I would like to take a break from the normal discussion pattern of this blog to recommend a book. Specifically, Upon the Altar of the Nation, by Harry S. Stout, Penguin Books, New York, NY 2006; ISBN: 978-0-14-303876-4. The USA’s Civil War is the most written about episode in our history, and trust me, there are many good books which have been written about it. But this book, by the Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History at Yale University, breaks new ground as it discusses the moral history of the Civil War.

Between its covers you will find quotations from representative sermons from the pastors of those days and their civilian counterparts — both north and south. You will discover how they became an integral part of the war machine of both sides, of how they sold their souls (often without evening knowing it) to earthly circumstances. You will see the progression of attitudes in the faith communities as the conflict degenerated from early hopes of a quick resolution into the blood soaked fields of years of total war. It is a fascinating and revelatory look at a part of our history which still haunts us today. Indeed, after reading a work of this scope and understanding, you will appreciate better the rhetoric flowing from both sides of the pulpit as we fight today’s wars — both actual and cultural.

Don’t let the “philosophical” nature of the book throw you off. Stout’s writing is excellent and grabs a hold of your attention; a real page turner. I can not recommend this highly enough.