Ellingsen's explanations of the psychology and methodology of the organizations driving the religious political movements go a long way in understanding the ways in which they justify their interference in local and national politics....He is...quite correct in his argument that the current battles between religious liberals and conservatives is changing the way many people view Jesus. Mark Ellingsen has written ... Read morean incredible narrative. Its analysis, if heeded, could realign faith and civic engagement in America. He tells us substantively and clearly why conservatives get the connection between religion and voting right. Ellingsen then unites progressive faith with progressive politics in such a way that the revelations in this book could alter presidential and congressional elections for a generation. He pulls the Left outside of its box and pushes the Right to the center. A refreshing theological voice that untangles the outdated public debates over red states and blue states. What remains is a new vision for a new America and a clarion call for an inclusive civilized discourse.
Dwight N. Hopkins, University of Chicago Divinity School, author of Being Human: Race, Culture, and Religion, University of Chicago Divinity School, author of Being Human: Race, Culture, and Religion Mark Ellingsen once again brings a thought provoking challenge to the religious and secular communities with his When Did Jesus Become Republican?. It can be an excellent read as we enter into a new era in the political process and as we look at our two party system. Ellingsen makes us examine the question of liberalism and conservatism as it reflects on Jesus, one of our most revolutionary prophetic voices in the religious community, yesterday, today and tomorrow. This is a must read for all political junkies and public theologians.
W. Arthur Lewis, director of African-American Affairs for former New Jersey Governor James Florio
Helium
Mark Ellingsen here gives some hard-headed counsel on how to break the political lock on Jesus by the Religious Right. Relate, but do not capitulate, to the regnant "Puritan Paradigm." Reclaim the country's own Constitutional faith assumptions of common sense morality and the corruptability of power by human sin. While retaining its diverse religious and secular constituencies, let the Democrats reach out to the more numerous-than-realized mainline Christianity that needs to recover its own narrative faith and resist cultural captivity to the both the relativisms and fundamentalisms of the day. A wealth of wisdom here for both party and church.
Gabriel Fackre, author of The Religious Right and Christian Faith Ellingsen…packs in a remarkable amount of history, mostly of Christianity in America. He not only addresses Christianity's roots, but its U.S. evolution, its ebb and flow, all in an effort to illustrate what he calls 'the dominance of the Puritan Paradigm on our social psyche'…Readers of Jim Wallis, Michael Lerner, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and others who've addressed the dichotomy between the New Testament Jesus, champion of the poor and forgotten, and the Jesus of the political right will want to add this title to their library.
Publishers Weekly
Of all the recent books written as clarion calls for liberals of faith to redefine an alternative to the religious right's version of 'values voting'...Ellingsen's call to action includes something unique: a sociological explanation of why the religious right's version of Christianity resonates with the average American. Ellingsen shows that the "Puritan Paradigm" – what he describes as a 'revivalist-tempered, individualistic Puritanism' – is the prevailing American model for Christianity and righteous living and that policies and practices aligned with this paradigm tend to receive voter approval. All readers, no matter their beliefs, will find the Puritan Paradigm an enlightening key to today's politics. The solutions Ellingsen proposes...could be embraced by Jews, Muslims, and secularists alike. Recommended for all libraries collecting in the area of religion and politics.
Library Journal
When Did Jesus Become Republican? provides an extensive review of how the followers of several religions have changed their thinking when it comes to politics. Mark Ellingsen presents the facts fairly without trying to persuade the reader as to which party he or she should support. He gives an unbiased account of the past and offers strategies that the parties can adopt if they wish to counteract or retain the recent voting trends
Readerviews
This new book by regular Emphasis political columnist Mark Ellingsen is a pearl of great price, hidden behind a sensational and seemingly short-lived polemic....this book is well worth the twenty bucks. I urge you to seek it out and let its wisdom provoke your faith.
Emphasis
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