TROY – A new book by a Troy University political science professor examines the causes of political violence, specifically the role certain widely held religious principles play in fueling terrorism.

Dr. Jim Rinehart, associate professor and chair of the department of political science, has authored  “Apocalyptic Faith and Political Violence: Prophets of Terror,” published by Palgrave Macmillan in New York. Dr. Rinehart has published widely on the subjects of religion and international politics. Previously he wrote “Revolution and the Millennium: China, Mexico and Iran,” published by Praeger in 1997.

Dr. Rinehart’s new book examines three separate violent political movements: Aum Shinrikyo in Japan, Sendero Luminoso in Peru and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In each of these cases, the perpetrators of political violence have followed a religion grounded in millenarian faith, or as Rinehart writes, “the belief that a messiah or savior figure will someday return and lead their society into a Golden Age.”

Dr. Rinehart said in each case he studied, millenarian societies rebelled against outside forces that threatened their way of life. He said some groups have used violence to “cleanse” themselves when they believe their sacred cause is under attack. Because millenarianism is a fundamental tenet of most major world religions, including Christianity, it can be a contributing factor, if not the root cause, he asserts, of most violence undertaken in the name of religion.

“Most societies lack a U.S.-style Constitution that ensures respect for religious diversity,” Dr. Rinehart said. “This is why those of us in the United States cannot understand these conflicts. We have no problem with a Presbyterian living next door to a Buddhist, for example. But in the Middle East, different religions do not peacefully coexist.”

Dr. Rinehart said political scientists have been slow to grasp the role of religion in world conflict, but events have forced them to pay attention to this phenomenon.

“During the Cold War, the conflict was a secular one based on economic systems—capitalism versus communism,” Dr. Rinehart said. “We have to go back and make up lost ground when it comes to analyzing religion’s impact on political actions.”

Dr. Rinehart developed and refined his academic interest in religion and politics during his doctoral study at Syracuse University under Dr. Michael Barkun, one of the nation’s leading scholars on the subject. Dr. Rinehart has already begun working on his next book, which explores the public policy implications of his research findings into millenarian movements.

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About Dr. James Rinehart

Dr. James F. Rinehart is chairman of Troy University’s Department of Political Science and is associate professor of international relations. He joined the faculty in 1995 as director of the graduate program in international relations at the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at the University’s Fort Bragg, N.C. campus. Dr. Rinehart earned his doctor of philosophy degree in international relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in 1993, after completing a master of science degree there in 1991. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Florida. From 1991 – 1993, he served as a research associate on the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (PARC) at Syracuse University. Prior to joining TROY’s faculty, he was a visiting assistant professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.