American Catholic: The Politics of Faith During the Cold War (Religion and American Public Life) by D. G. Hart (PDF)

Description

American Catholic places the rise of the United States’ political conservatism in the context of ferment within the Roman Catholic Church. How did Roman Catholics shift from being perceived as un-American to emerging as the most vocal defenders of the United States as the standard bearer in world history for political liberty and economic prosperity? D. G. Hart charts the development of the complex relationship between Roman Catholicism and American conservatism, and shows how these two seemingly antagonistic ideological groups became intertwined in advancing a certain brand of domestic and international politics. Contrary to the standard narrative, Roman Catholics were some of the most assertive political conservatives directly after World War II, and their brand of politics became one of the most influential means by which Roman Catholicism came to terms with American secular society. It did so precisely as bishops determined the church needed to update its teaching about its place in the modern world. Catholics grappled with political conservatism long before the supposed rightward turn at the time of the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.Hart follows the course of political conservatism from John F. Kennedy, the first and only Roman Catholic president of the United States, to George W. Bush, and describes the evolution of the church and its influence on American politics. By tracing the roots of Roman Catholic politicism in American culture, Hart argues that Roman Catholicism’s adaptation to the modern world, whether in the United States or worldwide, was as remarkable as its achievement remains uncertain. In the case of Roman Catholicism, the effects of religion on American politics and political conservatism are indisputable.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review Hart observes that Catholic conservatism got its voice in the 1960s: William F. Buckley, Brent Bozell, and then later Michael Novak, John Neuhaus, and finally George Weigel made Catholicism truly American. ― ChoiceHart’s study is a thoughtful, well-researched account of the growing influence of Catholicism within American conservatism. A valuable addition to the literature. ― Journal of Church and StateThe story American Catholic tells has many layers and draws together two intellectual traditions―Catholic political theology and movement conservatism―that may be unfamiliar to many readers.[H]his writing style is lucid and engaging, and his argument is worthy of serious engagement. ― Modern ReformationAmerican Catholic takes readers on a thrilling ride, full of twists and turns; it traces gradual slides into fresh conservative paradigms followed by abrupt reversals. In tracing this trajectory, D. G. Hart has provided an important intellectual history. This book is a highly readable text that moves the reader efficiently and effectively through a complex, multilayered narrative. ― Church HistoryIn American Catholic, D. G. Hart, a prolific historian of American Protestantism at Hillsdale College, offers a penetrating look at the evolution of Catholic political thought in the United States. [T]his book is a richly informed and well-written intellectual history. ― Journal of American History Review D. G. Hart’s American Catholic is a lucid assessment of how postwar conservative Catholic intellectuals reconciled loyalties to nation and church. Hart offers new insights into familiar figures and charts the disorienting effects of the last decade with aplomb. — John T. McGreevy, author of Catholicism and American Freedom About the Author D. G. Hart is Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College. He is the author of Damning Words and Calvinism. Follow him on Twitter @Oldlife. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Hart discusses the key tension for American Catholics: trying to reconcile the American ideals of democracy and religious liberty with traditional Catholic teaching on submitting to church hierarchy. Catholic teaching on submission to the pope seems to contradict the American political system of people voting for leaders.The primary example of this American Catholic tension is John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic American president. Imagine this scenario: If the Pope gave JFK a direct command, does JFK have to submit to the Pope? This question does not just apply to the president, it also applies to every American Catholic. What do they do if the Pope commands something? Every American Catholic has to answer this question in some way. From this, we see that American Catholics have to live in tension with a political system that cuts against the grain of Catholic teaching.Hart does a good job in working through JFK’s presidency and the Catholic tensions there. This material was wonderful. JFK was a key turning point in American history. One historian described it as the end of “Protestant America.” Hart discusses the issues around JFK’s funeral service which was a traditional Catholic service in Latin. This ceremony was rather strange for much of Protestant America. At one point in the funeral, Jackie Kennedy genuflected before Cardinal Cushing and kissed his hand. While this action was a common Catholic practice, some were rather offended at it. What did this genuflecting mean? Was the President less than a Catholic Cardinal? What about separation of Church and State?I think Hart is at his best when he is working through specific historical moments, like these around JFK’s funeral.The middle section of the book was slow and it seemed to wander a bit. In the middle part, Hart focused on the ideas of various writers rather than specific historical events. The history of ideas is important but it wasn’t always clear why these ideas were being discussed. If Hart had grounded the ideas in specific moments in American history, that would have helped draw out the tensions he was highlighting. For example, Hart could have discussed other key Catholics in American society and how they were wrestling with this tension in their lives. Jim Lovell, of the Apollo Space program, comes to my mind. How did his Catholicism shape his work with NASA?I was also hoping to see Hart explain more of how Catholics influenced the rise of the Evangelical Right and the Pro-life movement. It seems this tension that Hart is discussing applies there also. It is also significant that many Catholic politicians disregard Catholic teaching on Abortion and Marriage. Hart did not get into that material very much. He referenced some ideas in that direction but not specific events or moments.

⭐This is a great read!!In this book, historian D.G. Hart reflects on how American Catholics have thought about church/state relations since the post-war era. The book starts with the 1960 election, when “Americanism” was a heresy and when many (Protestant) Americans were worried about the prospect of a Catholic president. The book then follows a group of politically conservative Catholics (i.e., William F. Buckley, Brent Bozell, Garry Wills, Richard John Nuhaus, Michael Novak, and George Weigel) who, ironically, became some of the most vocal defenders of the American founding.Hart places these American political developments alongside ecclesiastical developments (particularly Vatican II)– which makes for an interesting juxtaposition. One example comes in an editorial dispute between National Review (Buckley’s politically conservative magazine) and America (Jesuit magazine) following Buckley’s famous “Mater si, Magistra no” quip (essentially, Buckley criticized a papal encyclical that called for economic justice or the rights of workers, and the writers at America were not happy). Wills responded on Buckley’s behalf, and Hart points out the irony of the situation in the following quote:”The irony of Wills’s response to Buckley’s Roman Catholic critics was to turn political conservatives into liberal (read: Americanist) Roman Catholics, that is people who did not readily affirm papal authority and teaching. At the same time, that charge of ecclesiastical liberalism, or cafeteria Catholicism, from Roman Catholics who were politically liberal placed Buckley’s and Wills’s critics in the unlikely position of appealing to illiberal (clerical) forms of authority against politically conservative Americanists. Protestant onlookers must have been mystified to see traditionalist Roman Catholics (Buckley) defending the Constitution’s liberal polity while progressive Roman Catholics who favored New Deal-styled federal policy appealed to a bishop with divine-right prerogatives. But such was the challenge of trying to map Roman Catholicism’s hierarchical character onto the U.S. political system. ” (p. 101)Vatican II eased these tensions, somewhat, but Hart goes on to point out the difficulty American Roman Catholics have faced integrating religious/civic obligations in the decades that followed. In some ways, the topic is of renewed interest today, as writers like Adrian Vermeule and Patrick Deneen openly criticize liberalism and its compatibility with Catholic faith.

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