Tornado God: American Religion and Violent Weather

In this stimulating exploration of religious responses to deadly weather, Thuesen (Predestination), a professor of religious studies at Indiana University, argues that “the unpredictable randomness of tornadic violence [has] engendered a special American anxiety” which has shaped American religious belief. In the seemingly random destruction wrought by tornadoes, he writes, early American thinkers saw God’s providence and moral judgment. But as 19th-century religious figures rejected the concept of a God who made individuals suffer “as part of some divine pedagogy,” Americans came to believe human intervention—through lightning rods, tornado reporters (writers dedicated to covering and predicting tornados), and even insurance—was an appropriate response to violent weather. Even as more recent theologies have found a greater place for “disorder, contingency, and change” in the divine, Thuesen proposes that current political opposition to recognizing climate change is rooted in religious beliefs that echo those early responses. Despite the broad implications of “American Religion” in the subtitle, the book’s analysis is entirely rooted in Christianity—mainly Protestant varieties—and, though it is thick with theological references, there are moments when Thuesen could have given more attention to the wide spectrum of theological responses to storms. Thuesen’s novel thesis and ability to explore nuanced complexities will make this dense work rewarding to any scholar of American religious history. (June)