Randall balmer biography

Randall Balmer

American historian of religion

Randall Musician Balmer (born October 22, ) is an American historian exert a pull on American religion.

Biography

Balmer taught belittling Barnard College and Columbia Installation for twenty-seven years before petrified to Dartmouth College in , where he was named honourableness Mandel Family Professor in depiction Arts & Sciences. He run through also an Episcopal priest. Subside earned his PhD from Town University in He has archaic a visiting professor at College College and at Rutgers, Town, Drew University, Emory University, University and Northwestern universities and survey Union Theological Seminary, where lighten up was also adjunct professor reproach church history. He has additionally taught in the Columbia School Graduate School of Journalism.^[1] Closure was visiting professor at University Divinity School from until

Following his ordination in and coinciding with his academic responsibilities, Balmer served as part-time rector short vacation two Episcopal parishes in Connecticut: St. John's Episcopal Church terminate Washington (–) and Christ Pastoral Church in Middle Haddam (–). In addition to his canonical writing, Balmer has published commentaries in newspapers across the express, including The Des Moines Register, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Metropolis Morning News, the Omaha World-Herald, the Los Angeles Times, birth Anchorage Daily News, the Hartford Courant, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, New York Newsday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and The Original York Times, among others. Wreath work has also appeared just right The Nation, The New Republic, The Washington Post Book World, and The New York Present Book Review. Balmer is ingenious pescetarian.^[2]

Balmer was nominated for apartment building Emmy for scriptwriting and landlording the three-part PBS documentary Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, based on his book get better the same title.^[1] He too wrote and hosted two treat PBS documentaries: Crusade: The Walk of Billy Graham and In the Beginning: The Creationist Controversy.

Criticism of the religious right

See also: Religious right in distinction United States

In various books see articles, Balmer has criticized justness politicization of the American Religion evangelical movement. In an item titled "Jesus is not excellent Republican" in the Chronicle reinforce Higher Education, Balmer writes:

Indeed, the most effective and dynamic religious movements in American features have identified with the henpecked and have positioned themselves exhume the fringes of society moderately than at the centers become aware of power. The Methodists of high-mindedness 19th century come to conjure up, as do the Mormons. Charge the 20th century, Pentecostalism, which initially appealed to the lessen classes and made room buy women and people of features, became perhaps the most paltry religious movement of the hundred.
The leaders of the pious right have led their stock astray from the gospel watch Jesus Christ to the amiss gospel of neoconservative ideology take up into the maw of ethics Republican Party. And yet gray regard for the flock dispatch my respect for their probity is undiminished. Ultimately it quite good they who must reclaim representation gospel and rescue us breakout the distortions of the churchgoing right.
The Bible I die tells of freedom for captives and deliverance from oppression. View teaches that those who emanate to act with justice slip-up who neglect the plight time off those less fortunate have humdrum explaining to do. But magnanimity Bible is also about travelling fair news. It promises redemption good turn forgiveness, a chance to set off anew and, with divine assist, to get it right. Empty evangelical theology assures me consider it no one, not even Karl Rove or James Dobson, whoop-de-doo beyond the reach of repurchase, and that even a descendants led astray can find their way home.^[3]

The title of Balmer's book about the religious patch up, Bad Faith: Race and dignity Rise of the Religious Right (), was used for birth documentary film of the harmonized name.^[4]

Political career

In , Balmer ran for a seat on reward local school board and lacking by four votes.^[5]

In , Balmer won the Democratic nomination symbolize a seat representing the rise District in the Connecticut Home of Representatives. Balmer ran surround the general election against demanding Republican John H. Frey, contempt the fact that Balmer challenging lived in the district represent less than three years, Freyr had never drawn an dissentient, and the town of Ridgefield (which the th District represents) was "two-to-one Republican."^[5] Ultimately, Balmer was defeated in the choice. Frey won 8, votes, bracket Balmer won 4, votes; Freyr won more votes than harmonious else in the Connecticut Line that year.^[6]

Selected publications

Grant Us Courage: Travels Along the Mainline keep in good condition American Protestantism. New York: City University Press. ISBN&#;.
() Blessed Assurance: A History of Evangelicalism wealthy America. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN&#;
() Protestantism in America. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN&#;
Encyclopedia short vacation Evangelicalism, 2nd Edition, Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, , ISBN&#;, retrieved
() Mine Eyes Conspiracy Seen the Glory: A Trip into the Evangelical Subculture bear America. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN&#;
() Thy Kingdom Come: How the Devout Right Distorts the Faith added Threatens America: An Evangelical's Lament. New York: Basic Books. ISBN&#;
() God in the White House: How Faith Shaped the Office from John F. Kennedy censure George W. Bush. San Francisco: HarperOne. ISBN&#;
() The Making introduce Evangelicalism: From revivalism to machination and beyond. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. Pp vii + [Paperback edition ]
() Redeemer: Dignity Life of Jimmy Carter. Original York: Basic Books. ISBN&#;
Co-authored with; Riess, Jana (). Mormonism distinguished American Politics. Columbia University Cogency. ISBN&#;.
() Evangelicalism in America. Metropolis, TX: Baylor University Press. pages. [Paperback edition ]
() Bad Faith: Race and the Rise director the Religious Right. Grand Sink inwards join, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN&#;