¶ … American Evangelical Story" Douglas a. Sweeney. I a paragraph summary chapter. "The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement" - review

Douglas Sweeney's book "The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement" provides an elaborate description of the evangelical movement in the U.S. And how it started. The first chapter is intended to have readers gain a more complex understanding of the concept of evangelicalism in the U.S. Sweeney attempts to enable readers to realize that it would be difficult and almost impossible to consider a simple definition while relating to the movement. He actually acknowledges the fact that his experience somewhat limits him in providing the perfect explanation of evangelical traditions in the U.S. "Evangelicals comprise a movement that is rooted in classical Christian orthodoxy, shaped by a largely Protestant understanding of the gospel, and distinguished by other such movements by an eighteenth-century twist." (Sweeney 2005, p. 24)

The first chapter in the book further addresses the complexity of the topic under discussion by acknowledging that it would be impossible for it to provide a final definition on the subject. Sweeney also uses this chapter to emphasize the fact that the other chapters in the text are going to focus on the matter even more and that they are going to introduce readers into a world filled with information on the American evangelical movement. Throughout the chapter, the writer relates to the strong connection between the movement and Protestant concepts. "Second, evangelicals are descendants of the Protestant Reformation with a commitment to the orthodoxy (i.e., right doctrine and right worship) expressed in the Ancient Christian creeds and promoted further by Reformers such as Luther, Zwingli,...

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Chapter two, "A Surprising Work of God," relates to the Transatlantic Great Awakening occurring in the eighteenth century. Sweeney highlights the fact that this event was rooted in European ideas like Puritanism and Pietism. This creates a link between European religious ideas and concepts that were provided with wide-spread appreciation in evangelical circles in the U.S. society.

The evangelical movement in the U.S. had apparently been shaped by influential figures in the Christian revival. Bringing on individuals like John Wesley, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards, Sweeney does not necessarily attempt to claim that evangelicalism in the U.S. is a consequence of the Christian Revival. Instead, he tries to make it possible for readers to comprehend how the movement saw a great deal of controversies as a consequence of individuals interfering with its agenda and providing different interpretations of the scripture.

Chapter three follows the movement as it recovered from the trouble it experienced during the Great Awakening. Even with the fact that individuals supporting it had reached a series of common conclusions, it divided into several communities that each favored a particular concept concerning divinity. "For several decades after the rise of the transatlantic Great Awakening, New England led the way in constructing new evangelical organizations, often dividing and even destroying older structures in the process." (Sweeney 2005, p. 56)

The first half of the nineteenth century has had a strong impact on evangelicalism, as it came to be institutionalized. Individuals involved in the process got actively engaged in restructuring the movement. The Second Great…