Beyond fixity and freedom : mainstream Protestantism's relationship to society in North America : from identification to differentiation

Abstract

The Thesis argues the following: (1) Mainstream Protestant constituencies in the USA in this century have been problematically identified with the modem socio-cultural world organized around liberal values. (2) This has been manifested by (A) attempts to integrate Christianity into modem society on terms fundamentally in harmony with the principles of modernity; (B) attempts to employ Christian values to regulate society - attempts which are in tension with the underlying principles of ethos of modernity. (3) The thesis discovers the theological and historical roots of these patterns and points out the flaws in two movements that emerged in reaction to these patterns. (4) In a final chapter, the thesis accesses select theoretical resources which demonstrate the importance and basis of Christianity sustaining a differentiated relationship to society. In the conclusion, the gains derived from this theoretical inquiry are returned to the historical problem analyzed in the body of the dissertation.