American Demagogue
The Great Awakening and the Rise and Fall of Populism
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Narrated by:
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Traber Burns
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By:
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J. D. Dickey
About this listen
A New York Times best-selling historian examines how demagoguery and the populism it inspires - for good and ill - is embedded in the very soul of our nation.
In September 1740, New England experienced a social earthquake. It arrived not in the form of a great natural disaster or an act of violence, but with the figure of a 21-year-old preacher. People were abuzz with his stunning oratory, his colorful theatrics, and his almost ungodly sense of power and presence.
When George Whitefield (also spelled Whitfield) arrived in the small towns and hamlets that made up the American colonies, he proved to be much more than anything the residents could have expected. His reputation and growing legend had been built on his brilliant speeches and frightening tirades, and his fame now engulfed what would become America. He demanded his listeners repent their sins and follow the true word of God - his. He had knowledge that only he could unlock for the American people.
Whitefield’s message shook the country to its core. Overwhelmed with passion, his listeners cried, screamed, sang, and danced. Despite their ecstasy, though, the converted also felt a great deal of fear growing. For Whitefield’s message also carried a threat, and he brooked no dissent. Whitefield’s power over his listeners grew, and New England was in the uproar of a social revolution never seen before in America.
Years later, they would call it a Great Awakening, and it would reorder the colonies and wend its way into the very fabric of what America would eventually become. Soon after Whitefield and his followers reached their zenith, things began to fall apart. And what once seemed so certain - a puritanical utopia - vanished like a dream, leaving the Awakeners stripped of their earthly power.
American Demagogue is the story of this rapid rise and equally steep fall, which would be echoed by authoritarian populists in later centuries and American demagogues yet to come. As we enter a new era of populism and demagoguery on both sides of the spectrum, we need to understand America’s paradoxical passion and disdain for demagogues throughout our history. Though centuries have passed, the themes remain the same - anger, grievance, dissension, self-promotion, and even brute force - as this cycle of rise and fall continues.
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If you want to discover the captivating life of Anne Hutchinson, then pay attention.... Her steps were determined and steady, even though the plank of the wooden ship bobbed up and down in the glittering but frigid water that splashed against the wet dock. In the first light of day, these were the times tinged with the hues of promise shadowed only by the vague unknown. Anne Hutchinson was just a follower, or so she thought, but she had many queued up behind her as she followed her spiritual mentor to Boston in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
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Good Book
- By Amazon Customer on 06-04-22
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The Early Church from Ignatius to Augustine
- By: George Hodges
- Narrated by: James Walmsley
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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This classic text gives a broad overview of the early Christian church, how it was formed, and how it dealt with the Roman empire, which was at first hostile to Christianity, and then under Constantine the Great how it came to embrace the new faith. The author, George Hodges, also examines the many heresies that beset the church from within, and the various figures that would defend the correct definition of the faith.
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Horrible Mispronunciations
- By Jeffrey on 12-11-22
By: George Hodges
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American Gospel
- God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In American Gospel (literally meaning the "good news about America"), New York Times best-selling author Jon Meacham sets the record straight on the history of religion in American public life. As Meacham shows, faith, meaning a belief in a higher power, and the sense that we are God's chosen, has always been at the heart of our national experience, from Jamestown to the Constitutional Convention to the Civil Rights Movement to September 11th.
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what you weren't taught in school
- By Stanley on 06-12-06
By: Jon Meacham
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Dominion
- How the Christian Revolution Remade the World
- By: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Tom Holland, Mark Meadows
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion - an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus - was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history.
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Only the forward is narrated by Holland.
- By Honora on 06-16-20
By: Tom Holland
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Sacred Scripture, Sacred War
- The Bible and the American Revolution
- By: James P. Byrd
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Excellent!
- By Iska George on 06-19-20
By: James P. Byrd
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The Roots of Endurance
- Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce
- By: John Piper
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce suffered lifelong opposition and endured for the causes of gospel truth, missionary zeal, and political justice. They found, in solid doctrine and humble joy, the tough roots for habitual tenderness in response to their adversaries - without doctrinal or moral flinching. They are examples of remarkable grace. In the third book of the Swans Are Not Silent series, best-selling author John Piper looks at the lives of these three great men and how they not only endured great opposition but did so with joy and without bitterness.
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Encouraging
- By Josiah Richardson on 01-10-21
By: John Piper
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Baptists in America
- A History
- By: Thomas S. Kidd, Barry Hankins
- Narrated by: Jonathan Walker
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In Baptists in America, Thomas S. Kidd and Barry Hankins explore the long-running tensions between church, state, and culture that Baptists have shaped and navigated. Despite the moment of unity that their early persecution provided, their history has been marked by internal battles and schisms that were microcosms of national events, from the conflict over slavery that divided North from South to the conservative revolution of the 1970s and '80s.
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Baptist critics
- By Paul on 11-27-16
By: Thomas S. Kidd, and others
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In the Year of Our Lord
- Reflections on Twenty Centuries of Church History
- By: Sinclair B. Ferguson
- Narrated by: Sinclair B. Ferguson
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of the church is important for Christians to know, for it contains rich and uplifting stories of God’s dealings with His people. Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson takes the listener on a tour of the Christian history, featuring stories and songs to give believers a sense of their place in God’s kingdom and to encourage them in their walk.
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Missing one page
- By Amy Steeger on 08-01-22
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Founding Faith
- Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America
- By: Steven Waldman
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The culture wars have distorted the dramatic story of how Americans came to worship freely. Many activists on the right maintain that the United States was founded as a "Christian nation". Many on the left contend that the Founders were secular or Deist and that the First Amendment was designed to boldly separate church and state throughout the land. None of these claims are true, argues Beliefnet.com editor in chief Steven Waldman.
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Eye-opening
- By Michael on 06-28-08
By: Steven Waldman
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100 Bible Verses that Made America
- Defining Moments that Shaped Our Enduring Foundation of Faith
- By: Robert J. Morgan
- Narrated by: Robert J. Morgan
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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While not every Founding Father was a Christian, a Bible-believer, or a paragon of virtue and not every leader has honored the Bible nor appreciated its influence, there is an undeniable history of leaders who’ve been intimately acquainted with the contents of the Bible, who’ve studied its scriptures and respected its teachings. Journey with Robert J. Morgan as he teaches about the Bible’s role in the defining moments and impact on the people of our nation’s history, reminding us of the beauty at the intersection of faith and country.
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God lights our path
- By Joe Roberts on 03-18-20
By: Robert J. Morgan
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Rescuing the Gospel
- The Story and Significance of the Reformation
- By: Erwin W. Lutzer
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The Reformation unfolded in the cathedrals and town squares of Europe - in Wittenberg, Worms, Rome, Geneva, and Zurich - and it is a stirring story of courage and cowardice, of betrayal and faith. The story begins with the Catholic Church and its desperate need for reform. The dramatic events that followed are traced from John Wycliffe in England, to the burning of John Hus at the stake in Prague, to the rampant sale of indulgences in the cities and towns of Germany.
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Great book for Protestants & Catholics
- By Michael Novak on 09-23-18
By: Erwin W. Lutzer
What listeners say about American Demagogue
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Alan Daniels
- 07-07-21
Perhaps I just expected something else.
If you want just a detailed history of The Great Awakening, this is a book for you. If you’re looking for an equally detailed analysis of how the populism that revival spawned relates to the crises surrounding the most recent American demagogue, Donald Trump, keep looking. I was disappointed.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Reids
- 05-08-22
An interesting listen
Overall I enjoyed the book and found the subject matter of our nation's history informative
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- Derek Gehrke
- 07-06-22
Great book if somewhat misleading in title.
This book is an excellent history, however I would argue it is less about American demagoguery and more a history of American religion. Only the forward and afterward deal directly with the American demagogue... The book makes a strong argument that the two are inexorably linked but is only peripherally concerned with political demagoguery, instead focusing on how American Protestantism enabled the American Demogogue. Still, an excellent book that is worth a read or a listen.
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- Matthew O'Neil
- 12-22-20
Good history of politics
American politics definitely has a conservative Christian slant to it, and this book helps us understand why. Focusing on the Revivalist movement in the pre-Revolutionary era of America. You learn how we’ll know. Politicians started playing footsie with the new churches that didn’t abide by England’s accreditations and certifications for religious orders and leading churches. They found money by accepting bribes and offering sermons that were benefitting to policies important to paying politicians. Great read.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Judy
- 11-29-21
What a great book
This well researched book chronicles the beginning of, not only the first Great Awakening, but the intersection of religion and the birth of the new nation. Even if you are non Christian, this book enlightens a person in the entwined world of religion and state. Also, this book is a superb and indespensible introduction to the why's of the Second Great Awakening and its subsequent effect on the 19th and 20th century.
This is not a book on Donald Trump, but a book on anyone who is a demagogue, or wants to be.
I didn't know what to think starting the book but found it to be an exceedingly great history book, and a philosophical one as well.
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2 people found this helpful
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- DM
- 12-30-21
excellent detail on the American enlightenment
So much in here. goes into depth on many of the thinkers, speakers, preachers, and publishers that were the American new revivalists.
draws a direct line to the American Revolution
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- Tom Hanks
- 03-23-23
An important history
Agree with other reviewers that this book was less about American demagoguery than about the influence of the first great awakening’s influence on pre- and post-American Revolution society. The positive and negative echos of colonial American Protestantism certainly are visible today.
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-06-22
Fine history with bait and switch title
A fine history of evangelicalism in Colonial America with a bait and switch title. You get a schism, and you get a schism! Everybody gets a schism!
Dickey's "American Demagogue," released in 2019 at the height/nadir of the Trump presidency, leans too far into that fact and tries to sell itself as something it's not. By its title and introduction, the reader thinks they are getting a history of populism and demagoguery throughout American history. Dickey even name-checks Father Coghlin, Huey Long, Andrew Jackson, the Know-Nothings, and of course DJT in the intro. But instead of a look at political populism (or even populism at all), we get a perfectly fine history of religious evangelicalism during the Colonial era.
"American Demagogue" is really a history of the various itinerant puritanical preachers that floated around the colonies during the mid-18th century and the "First Great Awakening" that arose during that time (the second being between 1830-1850). Naturally more vocal and "passionate" religiosity caused some conflict with the Church of England and also with other local denominations. Dickey does a fine job with the history and reading about the disputes and schisms between and among the revivalist crowd is entertaining (if a bit like scenes from Monty Python's "Life of Brian") but attempts to make a larger point about evangelicalism/revivalism and politics feel weaker.
That's mostly because evangelicals gonna evangelize and invariably there's going to be a spill-over into the socio-political and while various Founders (Adams, Franklin, et al) make appearances throughout Dickey's history, they're little more than cameos. American colonials were a religious people (of various stripes). That this religiosity informed or factored into their relations with Crown is not entirely surprising or insightful.
Ultimately, "American Demagogue" is something of a bait and switch. It's not really about populism (except insofar as the revivalists were popular) nor is it even really about demagoguery (except insofar as fire and brimstone preachers tended to preach about....fire and brimstone). It really is just a little history of Colonial era evangelism. That's a perfectly fine subject, but it ain't about Trump and attempts to drag him into it (again, almost exclusively in the intro and conclusion thankfully) weaken the effort..
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6 people found this helpful
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- Gary Edward Johnson
- 06-18-22
Something worth checking out
this book was a real hidden gem. I think it's a very underrated book. I really enjoyed listening to it
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1 person found this helpful
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- Baja Cal
- 10-08-22
A long walk through relidiocy
If you are the sort that can go to a Pentecostal Revival and watch people thrashing on the floor slobbering out gibberish and think to yourself "Wow, the power of the lord to speak through these believers is amazing", then you can listen to this book without feeling like your intelligence is being assaulted by unending and monumental stupidity.
This book is recounting the history of Evangelists through the uncritical view of a believer. It has swallowed the Christian myth hook, line, and sinker, and repeats its assertions as though they are unquestionable truth, completely proven, and un impeachable.
But if you have the basic critical thinking skills of a 10 year old that has not been subjected to Christian brainwashing as you grew up, you will be insulted by this idiocy.
The only thing I found noteworthy about this book is that it make me realize that mega church grifters are not a new thing.
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