The Encyclopedia of World Religions

360 S Protestantism in America

could give evidence of a conversion experience could be full-fledged members of their commu nity. The emphasis on a personal experience of SALVATION continued through many later move ments. It sparked the First Great Awakening in the mid-1700s; the Second Great Awakening on the frontier in the early 1800s; Holiness move ments in the latter part of the 19th century; Pen tecostal Christianity in the 20th century ( see P EN TECOSTALISM ); and, of broader appeal, a tradition of revivals. The revival tradition in turn inspired many 20th-century preachers as they began to use the new media of radio and television. Given this continued emphasis on a religion of experience, it is perhaps fitting that William James wrote the first important American book in religious stud ies on just this subject: The Varieties of Religious Experience. American Protestantism has also been activis tic. That is, it has sought to create a better society. The largest reform movements of the 19th century were the movements to abolish slavery and the use of alcohol. At the end of the century, liberal Christians pursued the “Social G OSPEL .” More con servative Christians, such as the S ALVATION A RMY , preferred the work of “rescue missions.” In the 20th-century, Protestant activism continued with the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and, for more conservative Christians, the crusade to end legalized abortion of the 1970s through the 1990s. By the beginning of the 21st century the activism of conservative Evangelical Christians was making its presence felt in support of conser vative Republican candidates in elections at vari ous levels. Protestant activism looks to the future. So does Protestant millennialism. Millennialism empha sizes that J ESUS is going to return soon and usher in a golden age. The Adventist groups of the 1840s are textbook examples of millennialist movements ( see S EVENTH -D AY A DVENTISM ). Millennialism also became a common feature of fundamentalism ( see E VANGELICAL C HRISTIANITY and FUNDAMENTALISM , C HRISTIAN ). By the beginning of the 21st century, the Protestant character of American public life was

1948 Protestants and Orthodox Christians created the World Council of Churches. Individual Protes tant churches also entered into DIALOGUE with Cath olics, Jews, and members of other religions. Not all Protestants approve of these activities. Some see them as abandoning God’s revealed truth. Another powerful movement within Protestantism during the last 100 years has been FUNDAMENTALISM ( see F UNDAMENTALISM , C HRISTIAN ). Further reading: Karl Barth, Protestant Theology in the Nineteenth Century: Its Background and History (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W. B. Eerdmans, 2002); John Dillenberger and Claude Welch, Protestant Christianity: Interpreted through Its Development, 2d ed. (New York: Macmillan, 1988); Martin E. Marty, ed., Varieties of Protestantism (New York: K. G. Saur, 1992). Protestantism in America The practice of P ROTESTANTISM , one of the three major branches of C HRISTIANITY , in the Western Hemisphere. This entry focuses on Protestantism in the United States. At the end of the 20th century, the largest single Christian body in the United States was the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, it had been the largest American religious body for roughly 150 years. Nevertheless, the public culture of the United States and its defining ideals have tradition ally been Protestant in character. The 13 British colonies that became the United States were overwhelmingly Protestant. Nine of the 13 had a kind of Protestantism—or Protestant ism in general—as their “established” or official religion. American Protestantism developed several dis tinctive characteristics. These include an emphasis on experience, activism, and millennialism. These traits do not characterize all Protestant bodies. For example, sacramental traditions, such as A NGLICAN ISM and L UTHERANISM , are considerably different. But these traits characterize the Protestantism that has had the most impact on American public life. The New England Puritans emphasized expe rience ( see P URITANISM ). At first only those who