American Evangelicals and the U.S. military, 1942-1993

the long version

In this groundbreaking study, Anne C. Loveland traces the fifty-year history of conservative Christians' spiritual offensive within the U.S. military. She shows how evangelicals won thousands of converts to their faith, becoming a highly visible and well-respected presence in the armed forces and exerting a decisive influence on a number of service programs. Loveland also addresses the political context in which the mission to the military evolved. She discusses conservative Christians' effort to secure a policy-making role in national affairs, detailing their position on such issues as universal military service; the Korean, Vietnam, and Cold Wars; selective service; national security; and the nuclear arms race. Both a case study of contemporary evangelicalism and an in-depth examination of evangelicals in the military, Loveland's work fills a major gap in our understanding of the religious and military history of the second half of the twentieth century.