Rediscovering an Evangelical Heritage - 2nd Edition by Donald W Dayton & Douglas M Strong (Paperback)

About the Book

This new edition of a groundbreaking work sheds light on the more radical and prophetic roots of American evangelicalism.

Book Synopsis

This book, widely regarded as groundbreaking since its publication over thirty-five years ago, sheds light on the more radical and prophetic roots of American evangelicalism and has challenged countless readers to rethink their evangelical heritage. It argues that nineteenth-century American evangelicals held a more mature vision of the faith, for they engaged demanding justice, peace, and social issues--a vision that was betrayed and distorted by twentieth-century neo-evangelicals. The book helps readers understand that the broader origins of American evangelicalism include the social justice concerns of today's church.

Featuring new historic photos and illustrations, this edition includes new introductory and concluding chapters and incorporates relevant updates. The previous edition was published as Discovering an Evangelical Heritage.

From the Back Cover

"Four decades ago Donald Dayton challenged the grand narrative of the Christian Right with one of the first salvos in a vital battle of the culture wars: the fight to determine who counts as an authentic American evangelical. That battle continues today, and this new edition will compel believers and observers alike to appreciate the nuances and paradoxes of Christian identity and political action."
--Molly Worthen, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; author of Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism

"This is one of the most significant and important works on American evangelical history. Donald Dayton has valiantly upheld often-neglected stories within our tradition that desperately need to be heard. His work provides hope that God has moved through our history and we can look forward to participation in a broader coalition and larger move of God in the American evangelical church."
--Soong-Chan Rah, North Park Theological Seminary; author of The Next Evangelicalism

"As fresh and relevant today as when it was first published, this newly revised edition, bolstered by additional insights from Douglas Strong, will introduce a new generation of readers to the revolutionary mothers and fathers of the evangelical movement. I heartily recommend it!"
--Christian T. Collins Winn, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota

"This book changed my conception of the nature and dynamics of evangelical social history at a formative stage in my life. My own scholarship has been seasoned by its outlook. I don't agree with all the details of Dayton's evangelical narrative. But for non-Calvinist, non-Republican, evangelical scholars like me, it continues to inspire a much more accurate, comprehensive kind of evangelical history than that which Dayton was taught nearly half a century ago."
--Douglas A. Sweeney, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; author of The American Evangelical Story

"The Christian faith is personal but not private. At the heart of our faith is not only personal piety but also social justice. This book feeds the hunger to put the wholeness of our faith into practice."
--Maxie Dunnam, Asbury Theological Seminary

"Discovering an Evangelical Heritage provoked an epiphany when I first read it twenty years ago. Its rich portrayal of a gospel-driven evangelical engagement with the social ills of nineteenth-century America proved that to be evangelical does not mean to abandon a concern for social justice--quite the contrary! May this newly revised and retitled edition convince a new generation of the same."
--Joel Scandrett, Trinity School for Ministry

About the Author

Donald W. Dayton (PhD, University of Chicago), now retired, taught theology and ethics at North Park Seminary, Northern Baptist Seminary, Drew University, and Azusa Pacific University. He lives in California. Douglas M. Strong (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is dean of the School of Theology and professor of the history of Christianity at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington.