Winner of an Award of Merit in the Christianity Today Book Awards; History/Biography categoryOn January 17; 1776; one week after Thomas Paine published his incendiary pamphlet Common Sense; Connecticut minister Samuel Sherwood preached an equally patriotic sermon. "God Almighty; with all the powers of heaven; are on our side;" Sherwood said; voicing a sacred justification for war that Americans would invoke repeatedly throughout the struggle for independence. In Sacred Scripture; Sacred War; James Byrd offers the first comprehensive analysis of how American revolutionaries defended their patriotic convictions through scripture. Byrd shows that the Bible was a key text of the American Revolution. Indeed; many colonists saw the Bible as primarily a book about war. They viewed God as not merely sanctioning violence but actively participating in combat; playing a decisive role on the battlefield. When war came; preachers and patriots alike turned to scripture not only for solace but for exhortations to fight. Such scripture helped amateur soldiers overcome their natural aversion to killing; conferred on those who died for the Revolution the halo of martyrdom; and gave Americans a sense of the divine providence of their cause. Many histories of the Revolution have noted the connection between religion and war; but Sacred Scripture; Sacred War is the first to provide a detailed analysis of specific biblical texts and how they were used; especially in making the patriotic case for war. Combing through more than 500 wartime sources; which include more than 17;000 biblical citations; Byrd shows precisely how the Bible shaped American war; and how war in turn shaped Americans' view of the Bible. Brilliantly researched and cogently argued; Sacred Scripture; Sacred War sheds new light on the American Revolution.
#968443 in Books Oxford University Press; USA 2013-06-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 1.00 x 9.30l; 1.05 #File Name: 019984349X256 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating!By Brian L. HedrickThis is a uniquely fascinating book that identifies the most popular scriptures referenced in sermons around the time of the Revolutionary War. For a church musician that plans Independence Day celebrations each year; this book is a great resource. I also highly recommend it for Christians who love early American history.5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A convincing methodologyBy James D. RappJames Byrd's "Sacred Scripture; Sacred War is an interesting study of the influence Colonial preachers exerted through their sermons. Byrd examined hundreds of sermons preached in support of Colonial wars and the revolution of 1776; tallying the scripture passages used in the sermons. His book is built around the top four scriptural themes preachers used: the deliverance of Israel from Egypt; David the warrior; Peter and Paul's admonitions to "stand fast"; and Revalation's image of Christ the warrior. Using these and other scriptures preachers encouraged participation in war and venerated leaders like George Washington.A couple of questions kept popping into my mind as I read Byrd's work: 1) what percentage of Colonial preachers were represented by the sermons he read and tallied and 2) how frequiently even did those pastors who supported the revolution devote their sermon to support for the patriot's cause. The sense one gets from the book is that the pulpits of colonial churches were filled each Sunday with Patriots admonishing young men to go shed their blood for the holy cause of independence. If that is the case; the churches must have deserted their primary mission of sheparding the flock in its faith and evangelizing those of no faith; or another faith. I find it unbelieveable that more than a small minority of colonial pastors were represented in the sermons Byrd uses to make his point. Nonetheless Byrd illustrates well the influence a core of Colonial preachers had as promoters and supporters of colonial and revolutionary patriotism and war. One cannot read the book without drawing mental parallels to the influence conservative ministers are exerting on the issues of our day.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy Ron Van DuyneReally good read
