Matthew Avery Sutton’s Chosen Land offers a sweeping history of American Christianity and its role in politics, but it leaves some questions unanswered about the faith’s deeper spiritual roots.
Writing a comprehensive history of American Christianity is no small feat. Few historians have even attempted it, with the most famous example being Sydney Ahlstrom’s 1,100-page A Religious History of the American People, published more than 50 years ago. At the time, many scholars believed such an ambitious project would never be attempted again.
However, historian Matthew Avery Sutton has taken on this challenge in his new book, Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity. Remarkably, Sutton’s work not only provides a sweeping history of Christianity’s role in American public life, but it also does so in a concise and engaging 500 pages—less than half the length of Ahlstrom’s seminal work.
Unlike other dense scholarly tomes, Chosen Land reads more like a popular history. It’s accessible enough to be read on a plane or a bus, filled with vivid storytelling and colorful quotations. However, while Sutton’s book is a masterful account of Christianity’s influence on American politics, it may not fully capture the broader and more nuanced history of American Christianity as a whole.
Christianity’s Role in Shaping America
Sutton begins his 500-year narrative with the Spanish Catholics who brought Christianity to the Americas in the 16th century. From there, he traces the faith’s development through the Puritans of New England, the Anglicans of Virginia, and the revivalists of the American frontier. His work covers major Christian leaders and movements, but it also shines a light on the marginalized, particularly women and racial minorities, and the oppressors they faced 1.
Sutton argues that the story of American Christianity is inseparable from the story of America itself. For much of the nation’s history, Christians have been central to every major political debate, shaping the country’s laws, culture, and identity. However, Sutton emphasizes that American Christianity has never been monolithic. Instead, it has been a fractious and evolving set of competing perspectives.
At the heart of Sutton’s analysis are four distinct groups of Christians that have historically shaped American politics and culture: conservatives, revivalists, liberals, and liberationists.
The Four Streams of American Christianity
- Conservatives:
This group, which includes many 19th- and early 20th-century Catholics, Lutherans, Dutch Reformed Christians, and Episcopalians, has traditionally focused on preserving historic liturgical practices like reciting creeds, observing sacraments, and upholding the authority of Christian tradition. Unlike other groups, conservatives were not interested in using the church as a tool for social reform or moral legislation. Instead, they sought to protect their religious traditions from a society dominated by Protestant revivalists and liberals 2. - Revivalists:
Emerging from the Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th centuries, revivalists (or evangelicals, as they are often called) have always been mission-oriented. They emphasize personal conversion and Spirit-filled revivals over liturgy or sacraments. Revivalists have built large organizations, launched missionary efforts, and sought political power to shape American society according to their vision of Christian morality. Figures like Billy Graham and the fundamentalist movement of the early 20th century are part of this tradition 3. - Liberals:
Historically, Christian liberals have sought to reconcile faith with modern science and rationalism. They supported a publicly Christian democracy and nonsectarian education systems. While their influence has waned in recent decades, they were dominant in American Christianity throughout much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Congregationalists, Methodists, and Northern Baptists were often associated with this perspective 4. - Liberationists:
Comprised largely of African American Christians, liberationists have focused on freedom for the oppressed. They preached a Jesus who stood against injustice and challenged systemic oppression. Liberationist Christians were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement, with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Fannie Lou Hamer drawing on Christian principles to advocate for racial and social justice. Sutton portrays liberationists as the prophetic voice for justice in a society often shaped by inequities 5.
A Fractured Faith in Politics
Sutton argues that today’s debates about religion in American politics can largely be traced to two opposing coalitions within Christianity.
On one side are conservatives and revivalists who strive to reassert Christian dominance in American governance. They champion causes like outlawing abortion, upholding traditional views on gender and sexuality, and embedding Christian principles into national policies.
On the other side are liberal and liberationist Christians who advocate for a pluralistic and inclusive public square. This group emphasizes social justice, environmental stewardship, and the rights of marginalized communities. They often find themselves in uneasy alliances with secular progressives who prefer to exclude religion from public life altogether 6.
Sutton’s analysis is particularly incisive when examining Christianity’s role in divisive issues like slavery, Prohibition, and abortion. For example, during the Civil Rights Movement, liberationist Christians led the charge for racial justice, while many white liberal churches offered only lukewarm support, and Southern revivalists actively opposed the movement 7.
The Missing Pieces of American Christianity
While Chosen Land provides a compelling history of American Christian politics, some critics argue that it overlooks key aspects of the faith’s spiritual and theological dimensions.
For example, Sutton devotes significant attention to controversial figures like Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, David Koresh, and Jim Jones, but he omits the contributions of Christian organizations like Habitat for Humanity or World Vision. Similarly, his narrative focuses on public displays of faith, such as religious rhetoric at political events, but says little about the private spiritual practices—prayer, Bible reading, hymns—that have been central to the lives of millions of American Christians 8.
Historian Mark Noll’s The Old Religion in a New World offers a different perspective, emphasizing the transformative power of individual faith. Noll concludes his work with a discussion of Christian spirituality, Bible reading, and sermons, highlighting how personal devotion has shaped American Christianity 9.
Understanding the Dual Nature of American Christianity
Chosen Land is a masterful exploration of how American Christians have influenced politics, policy, and culture. Sutton’s work is a valuable resource for understanding the history of American Christian politics and its role in shaping the nation.
However, as Sutton himself acknowledges, Christianity in America is not a monolith. It has always been a diverse and often divided faith, with believers on both sides of major political and social debates.
Sutton’s focus on power and politics offers a necessary reminder of Christianity’s public influence. But to fully understand the story of American Christianity, we must also consider the quieter, personal side of faith—the prayers, hymns, and lives transformed by the Gospel.
As Christians, we are called to reflect on both the triumphs and failures of our faith’s history in America. Sutton’s Chosen Land challenges us to confront the ways Christianity has been used to seek power and perpetuate injustice. But it also invites us to remember the deeper story of faith: the transformation of hearts and lives through Christ.
Sources:
- Sydney Ahlstrom’s A Religious History of the American People
- Christianity Today: American Christianity Is More Than Its Politics
- How CT Editors Covered Civil Rights
- Mark Noll on Evangelical History
- Mark Noll’s The Old Religion in a New World
This article originally appeared in Christianity Today under the title “American Christianity Is More Than Its Politics.”