Title: Please don't wish me a merry Christmas : a critical history of the separation of church and state /
Authors: Feldman, Stephen M., 1955-
Publisher: New York University Press,
Year: 1997
Subjects: Church and state United States Controversial literature.; Christianity and antisemitism United States.; Christianity and antisemitism History.; Church and state United States; United States Church history; United States Politics and government
Abstract: Nearly all discussions regarding the role of religion in American life build on two dominant assumptions: first, the separation of church and state is a constitutional principle that promotes democracy and equally protects the religious freedom of all Americans, especially religious outgroups; and second, this principle emerges as a uniquely American contribution to political theory. In Please Don't Wish Me a Merry Christmas, Stephen M. Feldman challenges both these assumptions. He argues that the separation of church and state primarily manifests and reinforces Christian domination in American society. Furthermore, Feldman reveals that the separation of church and state did not first arise in America, either at the time of the constitutional framing or later.
Contents: 1. Introduction: Different Stories. A Story about the Ways of Power. A Dominant Story about the Separation of Church and State -- 2. Origins of Power: The Emergence of Christianity and Antisemitism. The New Testament. The Christian Discourse of Redefinition: An Excursus on Power. The Roman Establishment of Christianity: The First Crystallization of Church and State -- 3. The Christian Middle Ages. The Early Middle Ages. The Later Middle Ages -- 4. The Christian Renaissance and Reformation in Continental Europe. The Renaissance. The Lutheran Reformation. The Calvinist Reformation -- 5. The English Reformation, Civil War, and Revolution. The English Reformation. The Civil War, Restoration, and Revolution. English Political Theory. Church and State at the End of the Seventeenth Century -- 6. The North American Colonies. The Early Years: Calvinist Roots. Christian Declension and Revival -- 7. The American Revolution and Constitution. The Revolution and Its Aftermath.