Religions in America

Monday’s discussion on Sehat Chs 9-12 will take us through a grand sweep of the 20th century, covering these topics:

the rise of the corporation and “rival systems of authority,” particularly in the modern university

the challenge of socialism and labor radicalism to the moral order and to jurisprudence

competing “moral visions” in the 1910s and the limits of free speech and civil liberties

the context of growing American diversity and what that means for states, courts, churches, and governments

the development of distinct Protestant factions (evangelical, liberal, and fundamentalist, among others)

a cultural context of anti-Communism that begins, really, in the 1930s and lasts for something like six decades

social upheaval of the 1960s, as seen through the lens of the Warren court

a profound conservative realignment that ignited “culture wars” at the end of the 20th century

…it’s a lot. Don’t get mired in the details so much as look for the overarching argument. What are the broad brushstrokes that Sehat is painting here about American thought, society and religion in the modern age? If this is cultural fragmentation, where (and when) were the fault lines? Who emerges in your reading as the heroes, key cultural figures, or important inflection points in twentieth century American religious history?