Nathan O. Hatch's The Democratization Of American Christianity
513 Words3 Pages
In the introduction of The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan O. Hatch, he explains the importance of democratization in the development of Christianity in America. He explains that democratization, which can be defined as the transition to a more egalitarian system, has been a key in the immense growth of Christian religions while America’s population was growing exponentially.
Hatch specifically focuses on the emergence of the Methodist and Baptist churches in the mid eighteen hundreds and their success of continuing this prominence into the nineteenth century. Hatch explains the men, skilled in group mobilization, who led these Christian movements; promoting Christianity by preaching the principles of democracy that can be found in the bible such as self-confidence, self-respect, and acceptance. Hatch comes to the conclusion that today, the thing that separates America from other Democracies in the world, is the strong Christian democratic undercurrents.
The second chapter outlines attempt to spread proper Christian teachings through university scholarships and grants. One university that chapter two focused on was Yale, the president of which, Timothy Dwight, was passionate about…show more content… During this time the prominence of the protestant religion was increasing through charismatic speakers and leaders who preached visions of individual self-worth and confidence. These men rejected everything orthodox including any type of present authority. Not far removed from their independence from Britain, American’s were drawn to these men, and thus, Christianity. Hatch explains the five religious movements that took over the 19th century as Baptists, Mormons, Methodists, Christians, and black churches emphasizing their similarities, but also their vast