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NAMING THE ANTICHRIST This page intentionally left blank NAMING THE ANTICHRIST The History of an American Obsession ROBERT C. FULLER OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS New York Oxford Oxford University Press Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bombay Calcutta Cape Town Car es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madras Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi Paris Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto arid associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Copyright © 1995 by Robert C. Fuller First published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 1995 First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1996 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fuller, Robert C., 1952- Naining the Antichrist : the hisory of an American obsession Robert C. Fuller. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-508244-3 ISBN 0-19-510979-1 (Pbk.) 1. Antichrist—History of doctrines. 2. United States—Church history. 3. United States—Intellectual Life. 4. Good and evil—History ol doctrines. I. Title. BT985.F85 1995 236—dc20 94-18602 1 3 5 79 10 8 6 42 Printed in the United States of America Acknowledgments The idea for this book came during a lunch-time run with my col- league Peter Dusenbery. Peter was curious about how undergradu- ate students typically respond to the types of questions and insights that arise in the academic study of religion. I laughed and confessed that some must surely view me as the Antichrist owing to my insistence that religion can and should be made the subject of intellectual inquiry. Over the next few miles we had a good time recalling various people and ideas that at one time or another had been called the Antichrist. We returned from our run a bit late for a faculty curriculum committee at which I sat uncharacteristically silent. Hoping that my colleagues would assume I was fervently recording their lofty comments, I managed to finish tran- scribing Peter's and my earlier conversation into a detailed outline for this book. Peter is not the only one to whom I owe thanks for the insights and material that helped me complete this project. Several noted scholars offered bibliographical suggestions. John Corrigan of the Arizona State University and Ron Numbers of the University of Wisconsin were particularly generous, as was Martin Marty of the University of Chicago. Paul Boyer, also of the University of Wisconsin, directed me to his im- mensely helpful discussion of apocalyptic thinking entitled When Time Shall Be No More. Perhaps the most assistance came from Stephen O'Leary of the University of Southern California. His continuing advice and bibliographical suggestions have been greatly appreciated. Interlibrary loan service has made it possible for me to conduct the research for seven books while rarely leaving Peoria, Illinois. Bradley University's library staff, particularly Marina Savoie, has worked very hard to keep me supplied with research materials and I am grateful. Debbie Doering has patiently printed draft after draft, and diplomati- vi Acknowledgments cally ignored the mood swings that accompanied my work on this book. I would also like to acknowledge my appreciation for the administra- tive competence of my long-time colleagues Kal Goldberg and Claire Etaugh. Their willingness to step forward from faculty rank to perform so professionally the most difficult tasks of academe surely deserves recogniton. Finally, I would like to thank Oxford University Press's Cynthia Read for her confidence in this project since its inception. I have been fortu- nate to have had her able advice and assistance on three projects now, and am envious of her professional skills. Contents Introduction, 3 One Antichrist: The History of an Idea, 14 Two Thwarting the Errand, 40 Three Impediments to Christian Commonwealth, 74 Four The Battle Against Modernism, 108 Five Crusades of Hate, 134 Six Camouflaged Conspirators, 165 Epilogue: Interpreting the Obsession, 191 Notes, 201 Index, 227 This page intentionally left blank NAMING THE ANTICHRIST

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The Antichrist, though mentioned a mere four times in the Bible, and then only obscurely, has exercised a tight hold on popular imagination throughout history. This has been particularly true in the U.S., says author Robert C. Fuller, where Americans have tended to view our nation as uniquely blesse