This dissertation examines theological liberalism and theological conservatism among U.S. Protestants through the lens of moral psychology research. I argue that this theological division parallels similar divides in politics and in morality, theology having become increasingly intertwined with both over the last century. I analyze perspectives on theological method, doctrines of God, and atonement theologies within texts selected for representativeness and influence.
Chapter 1 reviews literature in two scholarly discussions: the historical thesis of a “Two-Party System” among U.S. Protestants since the early twentieth century and the sociological thesis of “culture wars” emerging in the late twentieth century. I synthesize chastened versions of both theses into an account of a process of theological polarization.
Chapter 2 presents two frameworks from moral psychology, Cultural-Developmental Theory and Moral Foundations Theory, and explains how these frameworks are used in the following chapters.
Chapter 3 analyzes theological method in the selected texts. I find that theological conservatives prioritize an Ethic of Divinity that includes authority and sanctity in their approaches to theological method, while theological liberals appeal largely to care and fairness-as-equality in the context of an Ethic of Autonomy and an Ethic of Community.
Chapter 4 analyzes doctrines of God. I find that theological conservatives balance divine authority and sanctity with divine care within the context of an Ethic of Divinity, while theological liberals mostly emphasize care, fairness-as-equality, and liberty in conceptions of God within Ethics of Autonomy and of Community.
Chapter 5 analyzes atonement theologies. I find that theological conservatives typically foreground authority, sanctity, care, and fairness-as-proportionality within Ethic of Divinity perspectives, while theological liberals mainly focus on care and fairness-as-equality within Ethics of Autonomy and of Community.
Chapter 6 surfaces the sociopolitical relevance of these findings in several areas: stances toward abuse, authoritarianism, and divine otherness; connections of theological outlooks to forms of life and reproductive patterns; and possibilities for building understanding-based empathy using informed responses to theological polarization among U.S. Protestants. I point toward the potential for future work on the implicit moral psychologies of doctrines, transnational aspects of theological polarization, and ethical formation for democratic participation. / 2026-07-10T00:00:00Z
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/49069 |
| Date | 10 July 2024 |
| Creators | Waldron, Stephen |
| Contributors | Wildman, Wesley J. |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
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