| |
| author |
Michael Galioto
| | title |
Meaning-Makers: Protestant-American Nationalism during the Civil War
| | abstract |
Protestant ministers discussed the past, present, and future of the nation through their
understanding of Christianity. With differing interpretations of Christianity, prominent ministers
used the Civil War as a battleground for the future of the nation. While all Protestant ministers
believed in a Christian nation, their different interpretations of Christianity showcased just how
decentralized the religion was. This paper delves into the sermons of prominent Protestant
ministers from various denominations during the Civil War. It analyzes the ways in which these
ministers made meaning of abstract questions that America was struggling with at the time.
Questions concerning the origin of the conflict, the institution of slavery and equality in the
nation, and the presence of God in the conflict and the nation as a whole were important to the
Protestant ministers as well as their congregations across the nation. These ministers used their
influence in the nation to combat and delegitimize other interpretations of the Christianity and
the nation, as opposed to using faith to foster understanding in such a divisive time in the nation.
These ministers implement the same rhetorical tactics with their individual interpretations,
denominational and regional allegiances, and experiences to shape how they discuss America.
These trends have modern implications as well, where modern Protestant ministers of influence
use their differing interpretations of Christianity to claim that their understanding of the nation
should be the one that the nation shapes itself around. With the current President maintaining a
Christian Advisory Board and Christian ministers speaking at National Conventions for
presidential candidates, it is important to analyze the issue of marrying Christianity to the
America and its history in the nation.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.A. (2019)
|
| advisor |
Chris Taylor
|
| full text | MAGalioto.pdf |
| |
