Rediscovering the left’s Protestant roots

A long but fascinating and well marshalled account of the long term relationship between American democracy and religious (particularly Protestant faith), Michael Kazin charts a difficult set of decisions the American left will have to make if it is to find rapprochement with the many religious voters it has lost since the early 1960s.

…as in all attempts to revive the self-confidence and sharpen the purpose of the American left, one needs to talk about the world in unapologetically moral terms. For too long, progressives have hoped and demanded that governments solve the problems that beset our society�and complained when conservatives starve or eliminate programs that benefit millions. But in American history, popular movements, imbued with a revivalist ethos, have been the surest way to force the state apparatus to do the right thing.

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