Gutterman, David S.

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Gutterman, David S.

PERSONAL:

Male.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, OR 97301. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Political scientist, educator, writer, and editor. Willamette University, Salem, OR, assistant professor of political science.

WRITINGS:

Prophetic Politics: Christian Social Movements and American Democracy, Cornell University Press (Ithaca, NY), 2005.

(Editor, with Andrew R. Murphy) Religion, Politics, and American Identity: New Directions, New Controversies, Lexington Books (Lanham, MD), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

David S. Gutterman is a political scientist and educator. In his book Prophetic Politics: Christian Social Movements and American Democracy, the author explores the increasing role of Christianity in American politics. Gutterman writes with a focus on four major Christian movements: the evangelist movement headed by Billy Sunday; the civil rights movement under Martin Luther King, Jr.; the Promise Keepers organization of conservative Christian men; and the Call to Renewal progressive, antipoverty movement.

Gutterman begins with a discussion of prophetic politics in the United States and then goes on to explore the relationships between politics and religious narratives that are used to frame both political and social issues. In the process, the author examines various issues surrounding the tense and intricate relationship between religion and politics, such as debates about abortion, family values, welfare reform, and environmentalism. He explores in depth the prophetic social movements' contentious involvement in political issues concerning sex, gender, sexuality, race, and class, as well as within the broader context of American identity. The author concludes his book with an assessment of how Americans are receiving some of the "Christian" teachings and how these teachings might change as America's society and culture changes.

Calling Prophetic Politics a "timely and well-researched book," History News Network Web site, contributor Richard Deats went on to write in the same review: "Particularly indebted to the work of Hannah Arendt, Gutterman uses the narrative of Exodus and the biblical prophets as his framework for understanding prophetic politics. With a highly commendable approach that is respectful of differing positions, Gutterman stresses the ‘sacred story’ of Exodus as a common thread running through American history." Noting that the author "provides a very useful analysis of the rhetoric of these Christian social movements," Political Science Quarterly contributor Kimberly H. Conger added: "Gutterman's explication of the writing and speeches of his subjects shows a comprehensive immersion in their rhetoric and in how these words illuminate the leaders' inner evaluations and motivations."

Gutterman is also the editor, with Andrew R. Murphy, of Religion, Politics, and American Identity: New Directions, New Controversies. The book presents essays by political and other social scientists focusing on how religious ideas and organizations continue to influence American public life in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In their essays, the contributors explore aspects of the religion-politics nexus in the United States that have been neglected in the past. They also write about traditional questions concerning the religious aspects of American political discourse. Among the specific topics discussed are the idea of the United States as a Christian nation, rebuilding the national mythos after 9/11, Latino spirituality, religion and the environment, and religion and sexual minorities.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Historical Review, October, 2006, Jason C. Bivins, review of Prophetic Politics: Christian Social Movements and American Democracy, p. 1221.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, January, 2006, L.S. Hulett, review of Prophetic Politics, p. 933; February, 2007, C. Barner-Barry, review of Religion, Politics, and American Identity: New Directions, New Controversies, p. 1057.

Conscience, summer, 2006, Amy Hutchinson, "Bookshelf," p. 47.

Journal of American Culture, March, 2006, John Shelton Lawrence, review of Prophetic Politics, p. 87.

Political Science Quarterly, summer, 2006, Kimberly H. Conger, review of Prophetic Politics, p. 345.

Reference & Research Book News, November, 2006, review of Religion, Politics, and American Identity.