Other Nonconformist and Evangelical Churches Books

Book SynopsisThe Sound of Gravel is Ruth Wariner's unforgettable and deeply moving story of growing up in a polygamist Mormon doomsday community. The thirty-ninth of her father's forty-one children, Ruth is raised on a farm in the hills of Mexico, where polygamy is practiced without fear of legal persecution.

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Book SynopsisIn Conjuring culture, Theophus H. Smith attempts to construct a more adequate analysis of African-American culture by using concepts derived from that culture. He bases his critique on the central concept of conjure, and contends that Biblically-based themes, stories, and especially typology have crucially formed African-American culture as they have been simultaneously reformed and deployed by African-Americans.Trade ReviewA highly original and very creative text....Will represent a new kind of African-American religious scholarship. * Albert J. Raboteau, Princeton University *

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Book SynopsisGod, as depicted in popular evangelical literature, is loving and friendly, described in heartfelt, often saccharine prose evocative of nostalgia, comfortable domesticity, and familial love. This emotional appeal is a widely-adopted strategy of the writers most popular among American evangelicals, including such high-profile pastors as Max Lucado, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen. Todd M. Brenneman offers an in-depth examination of this previously unexplored aspect of American evangelical identity: sentimentality, which aims to produce an emotional response by appealing to readers'' notions of familial relationships, superimposed on their relationship with God. Brenneman argues that evangelicals use sentimentality to establish authority in the public sphere--authority that is, by its emotional nature, unassailable by rational investigation. Evangelicals also deploy sentimentality to try to bring about change in society, though, as Brenneman shows, the sentimental focus on individual emotioTrade ReviewHomespun Gospel is a nuanced and thought-provoking work... Recommended. * CHOICE *Homespun Gospel is an insightful work that encourages us to rethink, and re-feel, evangelicalism. It should stimulate and provoke a great many conversations to come. * Brian Carwana, Sociology of Religion. *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; 1. God's in the Business of Giving Mulligans: Sentimentality and Therapeutic Culture ; 2. You Are Special: The Anti-Intellectualism of Sentimental Evangelicalism ; 3. "New York Times Best-Selling Author": Christian Media and the Marketing of Sentiment ; 4. America Looks Up: Sentimentality, Politics, and American Evangelicalism ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisAn outreach edition of the New Testament, using the ESV translation in British English perfect for church groups and to give away at events.Passing on the Christian faith is at the heart of our calling, and this outreach edition of the New Testament means that there is a cost-effective way to share the Gospel, using a translation you can trust.Created by a team of more than 100 Evangelical Bible scholars, the ESV is the fastest-growing translation, and is the go-to Bible for church leaders and ministries around the world.More evangelical churches than ever before are using the ESV. Now you can reach out beyond your church with this attractive and affordable New Testament, bringing the life-giving Gospel to your friends and neighboursTrade Review‘An accurate, consistent, and readable Bible translation is essential. The ESV is all those things.’- William Taylor, St Helen’s Bishopsgate ‘It provides the continuity and modern accuracy I longed for.’- John Piper, desiringgod.org ‘Confidence. That’s what every Christian can have when they use this version.’- Steve Timmis, Acts 29

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Book SynopsisIn these days of danger, trouble, and evil, New York Times bestselling author Joseph Prince reveals how God''s children can have round-the-clock protection through the power of prayer.The Prayer of Protection unveils the Bible''s ultimate psalm of protection, Psalm 91, to help you understand more about how God guards His children. Joseph Prince offers simple keys and practical advice to finding and resting in the secret place of the Most High, where no evil can even come near you. You''ll begin to live unafraid and with boldness as you allow the certainty of your heavenly Father''s love and the sure promises of His Word to guard your heart against every fear. Come under the wings of the Almighty and live life divinely protected, positioned, and free from all fears with our covenant-keeping God!

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Book SynopsisAuthoritative, informative, and illustrated, this guide provides a vivid introduction to a way of life many find fascinating but few truly understand.Trade ReviewThere is much to learn (and unlearn) about Amish life; this book is the best place to start. Pennsylvania HeritageTable of Contents1. Meet the Amish2. Amish Roots3. Living the Old Order4. Community and Church5. Rumspringa6. Family and Schooling7. Work and Technology8. The Amish and Their Neighbors9. Amish Images in Modern AmericaAppendix AAppendix BNotesFor Further ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisIn a book that highlights the existence and diversity of Amish communities in New York State, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner draws on twenty-five years of observation, participation, interviews, and archival research to emphasize the contribution of the Amish to the state''s rich cultural heritage.While the Amish settlements in Pennsylvania and Ohio are internationally known, the Amish population in New York, the result of internal migration from those more established settlements, is more fragmentary and less visible to all but their nearest non-Amish neighbors. All of the Amish currently living in New York are postWorld War II migrants from points to the south and west. Many came seeking cheap land, others as a result of schism in their home communities.The Old Order Amish of New York are relative newcomers who, while representing an old or plain way of life, are bringing change to the state. So that readers can better understand where the Amish come from and their relationship to other Trade ReviewAfter reading Johnson-Weiner's book I felt I’d been given an enthusiastic guided tour of the New York State Amish community. * North Country Public Radio *This is a fascinating and much-needed book on the New York Amish. New York is the 'go-to' state for the Amish today, and Johnson-Weiner's book could not have been better timed for publication. * Pennsylvania History *Table of Contents1. Who Are the Amish? Meeting Our Plain Neighbors2. Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties: Amish Pioneers in Western New York3. St. Lawrence County's Swartzentruber Amish: The Plainest of the Plain People4. From Lancaster County to Lowville: Moving North to Keep the Old Ways5. The Mohawk Valley Amish: Old Order Diversity in Central New York6. In Search of Consensus and Fellowship: New York’s Swiss Amish7. On Franklin County’s Western Border: New Settlements in the North Country8. Challenges to Amish Settlement: Maintaining Community and Identity9. Challenging the Non-Amish Neighbors: Uneasy Integration10. The Future of New York’s Amish: Two Worlds, Side by Side

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Book SynopsisA war hereo and successful young minister in Edinburgh during the 1920s, George MacLeod shocked his many admirers by taking a post in Govan and embarking on the rebuilding of the ancient abbey on the Isle of Iona. This is the story of the birth of the Iona Community.

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Book SynopsisA tale of survival and freedom, Stolen Innocence is the story of one heroic woman who stood up for what was right and reclaimed her life.Trade Review‘This book is captivating from the start and leaves you full of hope as you follow Elisa’s struggle to reach the outside world.’News of the World ‘Gripping real life drama.’Belfast Telegraph

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Book SynopsisThe walking dead from 15 centuries haunt this compendium of ghostly visitations through the ages, exploring the history of our fascination with zombies and other restless souls.   Since ancient times, accounts of supernatural activity have mystified us. Ghost stories as we know them did not develop until the late nineteenth century, but the restless dead haunted the premodern imagination in many forms, as recorded in historical narratives, theological texts, and personal letters. The Penguin Book of the Undead teems with roving hordes of dead warriors, corpses trailed by packs of barking dogs, moaning phantoms haunting deserted ruins, evil spirits emerging from burning carcasses in the form of crows, and zombies with pestilential breath. Spanning from the Hebrew scriptures to the Roman Empire, the Scandinavian sagas to medieval Europe, the Protestant Reformation to the Renaissance, this beguiling array of accounts charts our relationship with spirits and appaTrade Review“The scariest stories you’ll read this Halloween were written 1,000 years ago. This wonderfully fun and creepy anthology, lovingly curated by Scott Bruce, . . . is ideal for anyone fond of zombies, ghosts, ghouls, ancient horrors, and dread warnings from beyond the grave. . . . Along with Penguin’s Book of Ghost Stories and Book of Witches, it completes a sort of trilogy of spookiness that is wickedly entertaining, accessible, and surprisingly informative.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer"A marvelous treasury of ghostdom. It’s exactly what I wanted to read. Scott Bruce has done a great job of assembling these accounts of the uncanny, and I know I shall keep it close by my bed for a long time." —Philip Pullman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Compass“This exceptionally well-curated compilation shows that the wide variety of accounts of the undead have been rampant in literature long before the Gothic era. . . . Bruce has chosen selections from numerous cultures, including ancient Greece, Anglo-Norman England, and medieval Scandinavia. . . . He presents the contents with an enthusiasm that makes these . . . works accessible to the casual reader.” —Publishers Weekly“It succeeds well as an education in how stories of wandering spirits have reflected throughout history common human anxieties about death, the disposal of mortal remains, and the fate of the soul [and] how these fears have changed through the ages and the ways in which otherworldly accounts have been used to address them.” —Library Journal

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Book SynopsisAn unexpected fusion of two major western religious traditions, Judaism and Christianity, has been developing in many parts of the world. Contemporary Christian movements are not only adopting Jewish symbols and aesthetics but also promoting Jewish practices, rituals, and lifestyles. Becoming Jewish, Believing in Jesus is the first in-depth ethnography to investigate this growing worldwide religious tendency in the global South. Focusing on an austere Judaizing Evangelical variant in Brazil, Carpenedo explores the surprising identification with Jews and Judaism by people with exclusively Charismatic Evangelical backgrounds. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork and socio-cultural analysis, the book analyses the historical, religious, and subjective reasons behind this growing trend in Charismatic Evangelicalism.The emergence of groups that simultaneously embrace Orthodox Jewish rituals and lifestyles and preserve Charismatic Evangelical religious symbols and practices raises serious questions about what it means to be Jewish or Christian in today''s religious landscape. This case study reveals how religious, ethnic, and cultural markers are being mobilized in unpredictable ways within the Charismatic Evangelical movement in much of the global South. The book also considers broader questions regarding contemporary women''s attraction to gender-traditional religions. This comprehensive account of how former Charismatic Evangelicals in Brazil are gradually becoming austerely observant Jews, while continuing to believe in Jesus, represents a significant contribution to the study of religious conversion, cultural change, and debates about religious hybridization processes.Trade ReviewAs an ethnography of an emerging religious movement in contemporary Brazil, Carpenedo's work is excellent and bound to make a lasting impact on these conversations. It should appeal to anyone involved in the study of the mutations and hybridisations of contemporary global Christianities. * Journal of Contemporary Religion *Carpenedo has produced a highly lucid and rigorous account that will be broadly accessible to scholars, clergy, and undergraduate students. * Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations *This book renders visible the creativity and newness that we can find today in the study of religion while it deals with a situation in which both the research and those in the field were uncertain about how to name the experience in question. It is praiseworthy how the author dared to face this complex theoretical and empirical situation. The book initiates with the constant demand for definition: are they still Christians? Are they somehow Jews? Are they authentic Jews? Is that even possible? How can they be Christians if they do not accept Jesus to be God, but a human being? * Religion *This book renders visible the creativity and newness that we can find today in the study of religion while it deals with a situation in which both the researcher and those in the field were uncertain about how to name the experience in question. It is praiseworthy how the author dared to face this complex theoretical and empirical situation. * Religion *Carpenedo has produced a highly lucid and rigorous account that will be broadly accessible to scholars, clergy, and undergraduate students. The book strikes an elegant balance between detailing personal conversion journeys and mapping out the broader social trends that are transforming Brazil's Christian landscape. Her very thorough review of the literature on conversion throughout the book will be particularly useful to scholars working to conceptualize their own studies of new religious movements. * Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations *The book shows the enduring influence of the Bible (mainly the HB) in society through the varied application in the life of believers, who, influenced by their context, apply the text in different ways. The book also has the potential of raising many questions about Jewish and Christian identity(ies). I congratulate Carpenedo for her work ... * Rodrigo Galiza, Berrien Springs, Michigan , Andrews University Seminary Studies *This stimulating book should be read by scholars interested in exploring the ways in which different religious traditions, which tend to think of themselves as separate entities, are brought together in the contemporary world. * Ira Robinson, Nova Religio *Manoela Carpenedo's thorough and perceptive study is ground-breaking. First, because 'Judaizing evangelicalism,' a reaction to perceived doctrinal and moral laxity in the evangelical world, may portend further religious transformations, as the huge Brazilian evangelical community fragments and produces new hybrid forms. And, second, because Christian philo-Semitism, much researched in Africa, needs studies like Carpenedo's in Latin America for understanding the interaction between monotheisms in the global South as a whole. * Paul Freston, The Cambridge History of Religions in Latin America *Growing within Brazil and beyond, Messianic Judaism is a very complex and fast-changing religious field that really needs more exploration. Manoela Carpenedo offers a rich ethnography of a fascinating case study within Messianic Judaism. Drawing on a wealth of data gathered through rigorous and in-depth participant observation, her book makes significant contributions to several important debates within the sociology and anthropology of religion—-syncretism in relation to religious revival, conversion and the elaboration of religious and ethnic identities, and conservative gender roles and relations. * Véronique Altglas, Queen's University Belfast *This gracefully written and conceptualized book is the first truly classic study of a Charismatic Christian group in the process of adopting strict orthodox Jewish practices. Focused on a Brazilian congregation, and exploring in detail how women make the move from a more liberal Charismatic church to a Judaizing one that insists they follow strenuous codes of purity and modesty, this book is also a major step forward in the study of radical religious change. * Joel Robbins, University of Cambridge *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Chapter 1 - Philo-Semitic Attitudes and Zionist Discourses in Christianity Chapter 2 - Religious Conversion Chapter 3 - Becoming Jewish Believing in Jesus? Chapter 4 - Imagined Pasts, Identity, and Ethnicity in Religious Change Chapter 5 - Gender and Moral Transformation Conclusion References Notes Index

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Book SynopsisStories of contemporary exorcisms are largely met with ridicule, or even hostility. Sean McCloud argues, however, that there are important themes to consider within these narratives of seemingly well-adjusted people--who attend school, go shopping, and watch movies--who also happen to fight demons.American Possessions examines Third Wave evangelical spiritual warfare, a late twentieth-, early twenty-first century movement of evangelicals focused on banishing demons from human bodies, material objects, land, regions, political parties, and nation states. While Third Wave beliefs may seem far removed from what many scholars view as mainstream religious practice in America, McCloud argues that the movement provides an ideal case study for identifying some of the most prescient tropes within the contemporary American religious landscape; namely the consumerist, the haunted, and the therapeutic. Drawing on interviews, television shows, documentaries, websites, and dozens of spiritual warfarTrade ReviewIn an understudied field, McCloud's analysis is a welcomed addition due to his concise argument, fair criticisms, and well-organized work on a topic that is often dismissed. * J. Tyler Odle, Reading Religion *Religious studies scholars will find much to appreciate in American Possessions ... American Possessions would make an excellent supplemental text for an upper division undergraduate/graduate religious studies or sociology of religion course. It is also an important scholarly contribution for examining lived religion in the American context. * Nova Religio *Sean McCloud has long been a gifted analyst of discursive formations of 'religion' in American culture, and American Possessions is his strongest, most ambitious work yet. He engages the important but misunderstood presence of Third Wave spiritual warfare literature, subtly and creatively describing its intersections with and dependence on Gothic tropes of haunting, neoliberal conceptions of agency, and the ethos of the therapeutic. Historically nuanced, theoretically probing, and stylistically distinctive, this book will be deservedly much-discussed. * Jason Bivins, author of Religion of Fear: The Politics of Horror in Conservative Evangelicalism *Highly recommended. * J. R. Stone, CHOICE *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction: American Religion in an Era of Possessions ; Chapter 1: Delivering the World ; Chapter 2: Possessed Possessions, Defiled Land, and the Horrors of History ; Chapter 3: The Gothic Therapeutic ; Chapter 4: Haunting Desires: Agency in an Era of Possessions ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book offers an in-depth study of the female experience in one Mormon polygynous community, the Apostolic United Brethren. Women in such rigid, patriarchal religious groups are commonly portrayed as the oppressed, powerless victims of male domination. Janet Bennion show, however, that the reality is far more complex. Many women converts are attracted to this group, and they are much more likely than male converts to remain there. Often these women are seeking improved socio-economic status for themselves and their children, as well as an escape from their marginalized status in the mainstream Mormon church. In the polygynous group women experience rapid assimilation, autonomy, and upward mobility. Bennion supports her study with narratives from the lives of women now living in the group--narratives that clearly reveal why many mainstream Mormon women are viewing polygyny as a viable alternative to the difficulties to single-motherhood, spinsterhood, poverty, and emotional deprivatiTrade ReviewUsing narratives from women in the Allred Mormom community, Bennion is able to show a variety of women's experiences, voices, and realities which reveal the positive and negative aspects of polygyny for these Mormon women. Women of Principle is a provocative study that will be of great interest to students and scholars of religion, anthropology, and gender studies. * Center for Women and Religion Newsletter *

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Book SynopsisAre religious fringe movements a recent phenomeon in American history? Are widespread fears of mass suicides, sexual abuse, and brainwashing in cults justified? Do marginalized religious groups play any positive role in American spiritual life? Do the panics over such groups follow any discernible pattern? Phillip Jenkins gives fascinating--and surprising--answers to these and many other questions in Mystics and Messiahs, the first full account of cults and anti-cult scares in American history. Jenkins shows that, contrary to popular belief, cults were by no means an invention of the 1960s. In fact, most of the frightening images and stereotypes surrounding fringe religious movements are traceable to the mid-nineteenth century when Mormons, Freemasons, and even Catholics were vehemently denounced for supposed ritualistic violence, fraud, and sexual depravity. As Charles Ferguson observed in 1928, America has always been the sanctuary of amazing cults. But America has also been the homeTrade ReviewWhere the multiplication of sects was characteristic of just one phase of English history, the mid seventeenth century, such multiplication has been a constant feature of American history. This book is an engaging examination of that divesity. * Ecclesiastical History, vol. 52/4 *Jenkins is to be commended for his thoroughness and his evenhandedness in describing and comparing heterodox religious movements. * Todd Breyfogle, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Vol 8, Issue 3, June 2001 *With unusual insight and religious sensitivity, Jenkins explores the origins, development, and lines of continuity over time to various non-mainstream religious beliefs and practices in America ... Jenkins' account is learned and engaging to read; a helpful index makes it easy to find a discussion of whatever sect or movement - however conventional or quirky - the reader happens to fancy. The scope of the narrative is remarkable ... He effortlessly weaves together comparable stories from America's checkered religious past. * Todd Breyfogle, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Vol 8, Issue 3, June 2001 *a book that is not only highly readable but also sheds important light on the development of alternative religions in the Western world. * Church of England Newspaper, 8th Sept, 2000. *Perhaps this book will do some good by encouraging us to be more selective and discriminating in our response to them [cults]. * Church of England Newspaper, 8th Sept. 2000. *Always stimulating * Patrick Allitt, TLS *

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Book SynopsisBy the end of the 1920s, fundamentalism in America was intellectually bankrupt and publicly disgraced. Bitterly humiliated by the famous Scopes monkey trial, this once respected movement retreated from the public forum and seemed doomed to extinction. Yet fundamentalism not only survived, but in the 1940s it reemerged as a thriving and influential public movement. And today it is impossible to read a newspaper or watch cable TV without seeing the presence of fundamentalism in American society. In Revive Us Again, Joel A. Carpenter illuminates this remarkable transformation, exploring the history of American fundamentalism from 1925 to 1950, the years when, to non-fundamentalists, the movement seemed invisible. Skillfully blending painstaking research, telling anecdotes, and astute analysis, Carpenter--a scholar who has spent twenty years studying American evangelicalism--brings this era into focus for the first time. He reveals that, contrary to the popular opinion of the day, fundameTrade ReviewCarpenter's ... narrative is historically weighty but journalistically clear, and vividly recreates the world of the conservatives in the 1930s and 1940s. * Crawford Gribben, Evangelical Times, Oct.2000. *Carpenters story, like his prose, is vivid and compelling. His presentation of an era of complicated loyalties shows true sympathy for his subjects on both sides of their divisions. His book is to be commended as an outstanding and monumental example of sympathetically evangelical scholarship. * Crawford Gribben, Evangelical Times, Oct.2000. *"This is crucial book for understanding how fundamentalism built a vital counter-culture during the 1930s and 1940s. Their efforts provided the base for the emergence of the broader evangelicalism of the Billy Graham era and for later fundamentalism. Carpernter is the leading authority on this subject and does a superb job in depicting it."--George Marsden, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame, and author ofThe Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship"Carpenter's work easily ranks as the premier analysis of American Fundamentalism from the 1920s to the rise of Billy Graham in the 1950s. He weaves theological, cultural, and social strands into a mosaic that is as sweeping in its breadth as it is beautiful in its telling. Sit back and watch a master artist at work."--Grant Wacker, The Divinity School, Duke University"In this groundbreaking new book, historian Carpenter...argues that fundamentalists did not vanish in the 1930s and `40s--they went underground and built a unique and powerful subculture, with Bible schools, foreign mission societies, seminaries, camp meetings, and mom-and-pop publishing houses.... A valuable contribution to a critical but neglected era in fundamentalist studies."--Kirkus Reviews"Carpenter's portrait of the lost years of American fundamentalism is compelling religious and cultural history."--Publisher's Weekly"This is an important book, bristling with insights. ...Carpenter's book is one of the best we have on fundamentalism. He reminds us that, while it is tempting to vilify fundamentalists, they represent a genuine religious tradition whose staying power and influence demand serious attention."--Bruce Hindamarsh, Books & Culture"Carpenter's book is a carefully researched study of why and how fundamentalist Christians have been able to prove earlier notices of their movement's demise to have been greatly exaggerated."--The Chicago Tribune"Indispensable....Whether he is sketching some of the dominant figures of the fundamentalist movement, exploring the fruitful tension between the need to be separated from the world and the imperative to evangelize, or recounting the amazing saga of fundamentalism via radio...Carpenter is comprehensive without ever becoming pedantic."--John Wilson, Christianity Today"A lucid, in-depth account of the creation of an institutional counter-culture for fundamentalism between the 1920s...and the rise of Billy Graham in the 1950s."--David Martin, Times Literary Supplement"Carpenter has successfully combined institutional, intellectual, and cultural history to write the definitive account of the 'lost years' of American fundamentalism."--Los Angeles Times Book Review"This is a helpful study of fundamentalism in the 1930s and 40s, which contributes to our understanding of the emergence of contemporary evangelicalism. The tensions withinthis religious outlook are clearly delineated. The book combines attention to specifics with a clear interpretive framework."--Darrell Jodock, Muhlenberg College

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Book SynopsisSaints in Exile studies, from an insider''s perspective, the worship practices and social ethics of the African American family of Holiness, Pentecostal, and Apostolic churches known collectively as the Sanctified Church. Cheryl Sanders identifies the theme of exile, both as an idea and an experience, as the key to understanding the dialectical nature of African American religious and intellectual life, that W.E.B. Du Bois called double-conscious. Sanders''s saints in exile are a people who see themselves as in the world but not of it; their marginalized status is both self-imposed and involuntary, a consequence of racism, sexism and other forms of elitism. When joined with the biblical tropes of homecoming and reconciliation, the concept of exile serves as a vital vantage point from which to identify, critique, and remedy the continued alienation of blacks, women, and the poor in the United States.Sanders''s interpretive approach clarifies many paradoxical features of black existence,Trade ReviewThose who have an affinity for or an interest in the culture of black holiness and Pentecostal churches will gain rich new insights and historical background from Sanders's work. * Christian Century *A valuable piece of work that will fill a void in current scholarship on black church culture. Her 'insider' perspective pays off in insights often missing in black theology. * Robert Franklin, Candler School of Theology *A major contribution to an area of African-American religious studies where there is a great void in the literature....This is definitely very good and very important. * Cheryl T. Gilkes, Colby College *Sanders' study is a very carefully drawn portrait of African American religious experience, and her use of the dialectical axes offers considerable insight and analysis that makes this volume a must read. * Christian Sociologist Newsletter *

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Book SynopsisAre religious fringe movements a recent phenomenon in American history? Are widespread fears of mass suicides, sexual abuse, and brainwashing in cults justified? Do marginalized religious groups play any positive role in American spiritual life? Do the panics over such groups follow any discernible pattern? Phillip Jenkins gives fascinating--and surprising--answers to these and many other questions in Mystics and Messiahs, the first full account of cults and anti-cult scares in American history. Jenkins shows that, contrary to popular belief, cults were by no means an invention of the 1960s. In fact, most of the frightening images and stereotypes surrounding fringe religious movements are traceable to the mid-nineteenth century when Mormons, Freemasons, and even Catholics were vehemently denounced for supposed ritualistic violence, fraud, and sexual depravity. As Charles Ferguson observed in 1928, America has always been the sanctuary of amazing cults. But America has also been the homTrade ReviewFor an understanding of cults in America, this is a vital guide ... Rich in anecdotes, this sober and instructive book succeeds in being entertaining as well. * Jeff Guinn, The Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisA revealing study of the radical attitudes of white evangelical Americans.Trade Reviewthis is an important text that sheds light on the inner theological and sociological workings of white evangelicals in connection to one of the most pressing issues in the United States ... valuable for its insights into Evangelicalism, religion and race, and religious pluralism. * Anthony B.Pinn, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Vol.8, Issue 3, June 2001 *"This is an important book. With thoughtful conceptual distinctions and careful analysis of data from a variety of empirical sources, Emerson and Smith provide an interesting account of how white evangelicals perpetuate the very racial divisions they publicly oppose. Divided by Faith breaks new ground in the study of religion and American race relations."--William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor, Harvard University, and author of The Truly Disadvantaged and The Bridge Over the Racial Divide"Divided by Faith is just that--an account of the deep racial division within American religion. But more than that, it is a penetrating look at the societal and religious-based reasons for this division within the Evangelical Christian sector, and a compassionate plea on the part of the authors for Christians to engage the issue of race and to lead the country in solving this 'American Dilemma.' A thorough and very readable book, to be read by scholars and church members alike."--Wade Clark Roof, J.F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society, University of California, Santa Barbara"This path-breaking book is the best study in print on the racial attitudes of white evangelical Protestants. The book's unusual strength comes from its ability to combine a reliable summary of historical circumstances with careful attention to what evangelicals actually say and sensitive use of responsible sociological theory. The arguments of the book are made even more forceful by the willingness of Emerson and Smith to take the evangelicals' own theology seriously, especially where that theology calls into question standard patterns of evangelical racial practice."--Mark A. Noll, Professor of History, Wheaton College

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Book SynopsisThe effects of the great Evangelical Revival in 18th-century England were felt throughout the world, not least in America. This volume examines the role and importance of the Moravian church in this process, arguing that it gave the movement much of its initial impetus.Trade Review... told in delightful detail ... carefully researched. * Anglican Theological Review *... the author dispels many common historical misunderstandings about the Moravians at that time ... also sheds significant light upon the English Methodists in this period. * Anglican Theological Review *... precise and groundbreaking study. * Anglican Theological Review *An extremely scholarly, thoroughly researched study ... Podmore constructs his account with immense care. Carefully evaluating the evidence, he writes authoritatively ... Overall this is a very fine study. * Parliamentary History *This masterful piece of original research and concise writing ... highly recommended monograph. * Albion *Highly readable ... We are indebted to Colin Podmore for these insights into an important facet of the first international Protestant church, which remains a global Church to this day. * The Ecumenical Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; Introduction ; 1. The First Decade: 17281737 ; 2. The Fetter Lane Society: 17381740 ; 3. The Moravians' Relations with the Methodists ; 4. The Moravians' Role in the Evangelical Revival ; 5. The Appeal of the Moravian Church in England ; 6. Episcopal Attitudes to the Moravians before 1749 ; 7. 'An Antient Protestant Episcopal Church': The Moravian Act of 1749 ; 8. The Crisis of 1753 ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisSince OUP''s publication in 2000 of Michael Emerson and Christian Smith''s groundbreaking study, Divided by Faith (DBF), research on racialized religion has burgeoned in a variety of disciplines in response to and in conversation with DBF. This conversation has moved outside of sociological circles; historians, theologians, and philosophers have also engaged the central tenets of DBF for the purpose of contextualizing, substantiating, and in some cases, contesting the book''s findings. In a poll published in January 2012, nearly 70% of evangelical churches professed a desire to be racially and culturally diverse. Currently, only around 8% of them have achieved this multiracial status. To an unprecedented degree, evangelical churches in the United States are trying to overcome the deep racial divides that persist in their congregations. Not surprisingly, many of these evangelicals have turned to DBF for solutions. The essays in Christians and the Color Line complicate the research findiTrade ReviewChristians and the Color Line does a fantastic job in advancing the conversation and provoking more critical thought. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Foreword ; Contributors ; Acknowledgments ; Introduction ; Chapter One ; "Neoevangelicalism and the Problem of Race in America" ; Chapter Two ; "Healing the Mystical Body: Catholic Attempts to Overcome the Racial ; Divide in Chicago, 1930-1960" ; Chapter Three ; "'Glimmers of Hope': Progressive Evangelical Leaders and Racism, ; 1965-2000" ; Chapter Four ; "'Buttcheek to Buttcheek in the Pew': Interracial Relationalism at a ; Mennonite Congregation, 1957-2010" ; Chapter Five ; "Still Divided by Faith? Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race ; in America, 1977-2010" ; Chapter Six ; "Worshipping to Stay the Same: Avoiding the Local to Maintain Solidarity" ; Chapter Seven ; "Beyond Body Counts: Sex, Individualism, and the Segregated Shape ; of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism" ; Chapter Eight ; "Color-Conscious Structure-Blind Assimilation: How Asian-Americans ; can Unintentionally Maintain the Racial Divide" ; Chapter Nine ; "Knotted Together: Identity and Community in a Multiracial Church" ; Chapter Ten ; "Much Ado About Nothing? Rethinking the Efficacy of Multiracial ; Churches for Racial Reconciliation" ; Theological Afterword ; "The Call to Blackness in American Christianity"

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Book SynopsisEvangelical theology is a burgeoning field. Evangelicals have been growing in numbers and prominence worldwide, and the rise to academic prominence of evangelical historians, scripture scholars, ethicists, and theologians--many of whom have changed the face of their disciplines--has demonstrated the growing maturity of this movement''s intellectual leaders. This volume surveys the state of the discipline on topics of greatest importance to evangelical theology. Each chapter has been written by a theologian or scholar who is widely recognized for his or her published work and is considered a leading thinker on that particular topic. The authors critically assess the state of the question, from both classical and evangelical traditions, and propose a future direction for evangelical thinking on the subject.Trade ReviewIt is a book of wide-ranging essays on the current state of evangelical theology, with contributions by a who's who of evangelical theology and practice (from Alistair McGrath and Scot McKnight to Dallas Willard and Howard Snyder). It is the rare reference book that is accessible and relevant. * Mark Galli, Christianity Today *Table of ContentsContents ; Editor's Introduction ; A. Introduction ; What is "evangelical"? - Mark Noll, Notre Dame ; B. The Bible and Theological Method ; Scripture and hermeneutics - Kevin Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School ; Faith and reason - Jay Wood, Wheaton College ; Faith and experience - Oliver Crisp, University of Bristol ; Faith and tradition - Alister McGrath, Oxford University ; C. Theological foundations ; The Triune God - Robert Letham, Westminster Seminary ; Creation -Loren Wilkinson, Regent College ; Sin - Henri Blocher, Wheaton College Graduate School ; Jesus Christ - John Stackhouse, Regent College ; Holy Spirit - Craig Keener, Palmer Seminary ; D. Theology of Salvation ; Israel and Salvation - Rikk Watts, Regent College ; Gospel - Scot McKnight, North Park University ; Conversion and redemption - Gordon Smith, reSource Leadership International ; Justification and atonement - Donald Bloesch, Dubuque Seminary, emeritus ; Discipleship -Dallas Willard, USC ; Spiritual practices - Simon Chan, Trinity Theological College, Singapore ; Eschatology - Trevor Hart, St. Andrews ; E. Theology of Church ; Church and sacraments - Ephraim Radner, Wycliffe College, Toronto ; Church and churches: ecumenism - William Abraham, Perkins School of Theology ; Worship - John Witvliet, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Calvin College and Seminary ; Spiritual gifts - Howard Snyder, Tyndale Seminary in Toronto ; F. Theology of Mission ; Evangelism and missions -Michael McClymond, St. Louis University ; Other religions - Sung Wook Chung, Denver Seminary ; G. Theological approaches to contemporary life ; The Bible and ethics - Darrell Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary; M. Daniel Carroll R., Denver Seminary ; Politics - Eric Gregory, Princeton University ; Economics - John Lunn, Hope College ; The arts - Roger Lundin, Wheaton College ; Science - Alister McGrath, University of London ; Sexuality - Robert Gagnon, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary ; Race - Timothy Tseng, Institute for the Study of Asian-American Christianity ; The Vulnerable-Abortion and Disability - Ben Mitchell, Trinity International University ; Gender - Cherith Fee Nordling, Calvin College

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Book SynopsisLatter-day Saints have a paradoxical relationship to the past; even as they invest their own history with sacred meaning, celebrating the restoration of ancient truths and the fulfillment of biblical prophecies, they repudiate the eighteen centuries of Christianity that preceded the founding of their church as apostate distortions of the truth. Since the early days of Mormonism, Latter-day Saints have used the paradigm of apostasy and restoration in their narratives about the origin of their church. This has generated a powerful and enduring binary of categorization that has profoundly impacted Mormon self-perception and relations with others. Standing Apart explores how the idea of apostasy has functioned as a category to mark, define, and set apart the other in Mormon historical consciousness and in the construction of Mormon narrative identity. The volume''s fifteen contributors trace the development of LDS narratives of apostasy within the context of both Mormon history and AmericaTrade ReviewNo religion has more consistently defined itself against a religious other than the Latter-day Saints. Now Mormon intellectuals are asking what a Great Apostasy from early Christianity means in light of current historical scholarship and growing Mormon respect for other religions. This is one of the most significant books on Mormon thought in this generation and relevant to all religions who define themselves against a religious other. * Richard Bushman, author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Contributors ; Abbreviations and Notes on Sources ; Introduction, Miranda Wilcox and John D. Young ; PART I CONTEXTUALIZING THE LDS GREAT APOSTASY NARRATIVE ; Ch. 1 Historical Periodization in the LDS Great Apostasy Narrative, Eric R Dursteler ; Ch. 2 "Except among that Portion of Mankind": Early Mormon Conceptions of the Apostasy, Christopher C. Jones and Stephen J. Fleming ; Ch. 3 James Talmage, B.H. Roberts, and Confessional History in a Secular Age, Matthew Bowman ; Ch. 4 Narrating Apostasy and the LDS Quest for Identity, Miranda Wilcox ; PART II RE-NARRATING THE APOSTASY: NEW APPROACHES ; Ch. 5 Competing Histories in the Hebrew Bible and in the Latter-day Saint Tradition, Cory D. Crawford ; Ch. 6 Latter-day Saint Perceptions of Jewish Apostasy at the Time of Jesus, Matthew J. Grey ; Ch. 7 Purity and Parallels: Constructing the Apostasy Narrative of Early Christianity, Taylor G. Petrey ; Ch. 8 Rereading the Council of Nicaea and its Creed, Lincoln H. Blumell ; Ch. 9 Apostasy's Ancestors: Anti-Arian and Anti-Mormon Discourse in the Struggle for Christianity, Ariel Bybee Laughton ; Ch. 10 "Complexity and Richness": Re-envisioning the Middle Ages for Mormon Historical Narratives, Spencer E. Young ; Ch. 11 King Ratbod's Dilemma: Apostasy and Restoration in the Sixteenth and Twenty-First Centuries, Jonathan Green ; Ch. 12 Covenantal Pluralism in the Qur'an: Alternatives to the Binary Logic of Apostasy, David D. Peck ; Ch. 13 Long Narratives: Towards a New Mormon Understanding of Apostasy, John D. Young ; Epilogue: "We have only the Old Thing": Rethinking Mormon Restoration, Terryl Givens ; Appendix: First Presidency Statement on God's Love for All Mankind ; Index

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Book SynopsisBritish Christian leader John Stott was one of the most influential figures of the evangelical movement during the second half of the twentieth century. Called the pope of evangelicalism by many, he helped to shape a global religious movement that grew rapidly during his career. He preached to thousands on six continents. Millions bought his books and listened to his sermons. In 2005, Time included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Alister Chapman chronicles Stott''s rise to global Christian stardom. The story begins in England with an exploration of Stott''s conversion and education, then his ministry to students, his work at All Souls Langham Place, London, and his attempts to increase evangelical influence in the Church of England. By the mid-1970s, Stott had an international presence, leading the evangelical Lausanne movement that attracted evangelicals from almost every country in the world. Chapman recounts how Stott challenged evangelicals'' habitual conservatism and anti-intellectualism, showing his role in a movement that was as dysfunctional as it was dynamic. Godly Ambition is the first scholarly biography of Stott. Based on extensive examination of his personal papers, it is a critical yet sympathetic account of a gifted and determined man who did all he could to further God''s kingdom and who became a Christian luminary in the process.Trade Reviewa carefully researched and clearly written appreciation of Stott that will set the benchmark for any subsequent studies. ... Chapman has given us a fair interpretation of his ministry, which offers manu illuminating insights. It is the first sympathetically critical biography with which any others will have to contend. * Derek J. Tidball, Baptist Quarterly *Chapman succeeds in providing us with a more honest, certainly more nuanced account, than heretofore, including some new insights. * Derek J. Tidball, Baptist Quarterly *Chapman's succinct and very readable biography provides us a welcome account of Stott's life. ... I certainly appreciated and commend Chapman's work. * E Loane, Churchman *Alister Chapman's crisply written and scrupulously impartial study captures the delicately managed contradictions that characterised the life and work of John Stott, whose Evangelical career started with fundamentalist tracts smuggled into Rugby School 'in brown paper' and ended with a vast ministry in five continents and the status of an Evangelical pope. ... Godly Ambition is a perceptive study whose importance will increase as scholars continue to map the complex relationships between 'Western' and 'Global' Christianity that John Stott, the ascetical jetsetter, did much to build. * Dominic Erdozain, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; 1. Conversion ; 2. Students ; 3. Parishioners ; 4. Anglicans ; 5. Society ; 6. World ; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisPhilip L. Barlow offers an in-depth analysis of the approaches taken to the Bible by major Mormon leaders, from its beginnings to the present. He shows that Mormon attitudes toward the Bible comprise an extraordinary mix of conservative, liberal, and radical ingredients: an almost fundamentalist adherence to the King James Version co-exists with belief in the possibility of new revelation and surprising ideas about the limits of human language. Barlow''s exploration takes important steps toward unraveling the mystery of this quintessential American religious phenomenon. This updated edition of Mormons and the Bible includes an extended bibliography and a new preface, casting Joseph Smith''s mission into a new frame and treating evolutions in Mormonism''s biblical usage in recent decades.Trade ReviewTwenty-two years after it first appeared, Mormons and the Bible is as much a classic of American religious history broadly as of Mormonism narrowly. * The Juvenile Instructor *Table of ContentsPreface (1991) ; Preface (2013): Reinterpreting Joseph Smith and Pondering the Twenty-first Century ; Acknowledgments ; Abbreviations ; A Note on Mormon Organization and Nomenclature ; Introduction: The Bible in Antebellum America ; 1. Before Mormonism: Joseph Smith and the Bible, 1820-1830 ; 2. From the Birth of the Church to the Death of the Prophet ; 3. Diversity and Development: The Bible Moves West ; 4. The Mormon Response to Higher Criticism ; 5. Why the King James Version? ; 6. The Late Twentieth Century [will need to be corrected in chapter headings] ; Summary: The Ambiguities of a New Religious Tradition ; Select Bibliography ; Select Bibliography since 1991 ; Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMassacre at Mountain Meadows tells of the grim outcome without flinching and without excuse. * Richard Bushman , Journal of Ecclesiastical History *

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Book SynopsisOver the last four decades, evangelical scholars have shown growing interest in Christian debates over other religions, seeking answers to essential questions: How are we to think about and relate to other religions, be open to the Spirit, and at the same time remain evangelical and orthodox? Gerald R. McDermott and Harold A. Netland offer critiques of a variety of theologians and religious studies scholars, including evangelicals, but also challenge evangelicals to move beyond parochial positions. This volume is both a manifesto and a research program, critically evaluating the last forty years of Christian treatments of religious others and proposing a comprehensive direction for the future. It addresses issues relating to the religions in both systematic theology and missiology, taking up long-debated questions such as contextualization, salvation, revelation, the relationship between culture and religion, conversion, social action, and ecumenism. It concludes with responses from foTrade ReviewShould be required reading for anyone involved in Christian mission in a multi religious world. * Donald Macleod, Evangelicals Now *A Trinitarian Theology of Religions is great resource not only for missiologists and theologians but also pastors and Christian leaders who are wrestling with the challenges of following Christ in a pluralistic world. * JETS *Gerald McDermott and Harold Netland, who separately have contributed so much to the evangelical theology of religions, now together offer us the definitive place to engage it. This rich volume, with its sprightly and searching response essays, is both a state-of-the-art review and a positive advance in one of the most important conversations Christian theologians are having today * John G. Stackhouse, Jr., Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology and Culture, Regent College *McDermott and Netland are distinguished contributors to the theology of religions, in historical and theological studies. This book consolidates their significant impact in both evangelical theology and the theology of religions. * Gavin DCosta, Theology *Table of ContentsPreface ; Biographies ; Part 1: Chapters ; Chapter 1: Theology of Religions and Evangelicals ; Chapter 2: The Triune God ; Chapter 3: Revelation and the Religions ; Chapter 4: Salvation and Conversion ; Chapter 5: The Christian Life ; Chapter 6: Religion(s) and Culture ; Chapter 7: Christian Witness in a Multireligious World ; Part 2: Responses ; Response 1: Lamin Sanneh ; Response 2: Veli-Matti Karkkainen ; Response 3: Vinoth Ramachandra ; Response 4: Christine Schirrmacher ; Continuing the Conversation: A Few Last Words ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1997, Terryl Givens''s The Viper on the Hearth was praised as a new classic in Mormon studies. In the wake of Mormon-inspired and -created artistic, literary, and political activity - today''s Mormon moment - Givens presents a revised and updated edition of his book to address the continuing presence and reception of the Mormon image in contemporary culture.The Viper on the Hearth by Terryl L. Givens is a remarkably lucid and useful study of the patterns of American prejudices against the Mormon people. It provides also a valuable paradigm for the study of all religious ''heresy''.- Harold BloomA well-researched and insightful book...He illuminates the phenomena of religious heresy and persecution generally. The book is thoroughly documented, and Givens writes with a graceful style. This is an excellent example of both historical and literary scholarship.- American Historical ReviewContains provocative insights into American culture, LDS identity, nineteenth-century literature, rhetTrade ReviewA wonderfully thought-through look at the interrelationships between fiction, religion, and the culture of humor/hostility.... It represents a significant contribution to our understanding of literary relations. * Larry H. Peer, Brigham Young University *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Part I: Mormonism, Politics, and History ; 1. "Out of the Sphere of Religion": The Sacred, the Profane, and the Mormons ; 2. "This Upstart Sect": The Mormon Problem in American History ; 3. "Manners, Habits, Customs, and Even Dialect": Sources of the Mormon Conflict ; 4. "An Age of Humbugs": The Contemporary Scene ; 5. "This Great Modern Abomination": Orthodoxy and Heresy in American Religion ; Part II: Mormonism and Fiction ; 6. "Ground in the Presbyterian Smut Machine": The Popular Press, Fiction, and Moral Crusading ; 7. "The Ain't Whites...They're Mormons": Fictive Responses to the Anxiety of Seduction ; 8. "Murder and Mystery - Mormon Style": The Mormon Image in the Twentieth Century ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisMark Amstutz offers a groundbreaking exploration of the rise, evolution, and crucial impact of Evangelicals on American foreign affairs. In the nineteenth century, Protestant missionaries spearheaded global engagement by serving throughout the world. They gained fluency in foreign languages, developed knowledge about distant societies, and increased cross-cultural awareness. They also played a vital role in advancing human dignity by teaching and modeling values, building schools and clinics, and creating institutions that nurtured civil society. In view of their important role in global affairs, Amstutz argues, Evangelicals can be regarded as America''s first internationalists. When modernists gained control of Protestant denominations at the turn of the twentieth century, traditional Protestants responded by creating a Fundamentalist movement that gave precedence to spiritual life but neglected social and political concerns. Four decades later, orthodox believers sought to restore thTrade ReviewAn excellent overview of the often surprising and unexpected multidimensional paths of evangelica perspectives on US foreign Policy. * M. S. Hill, Choice, *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; PART I ; 1. Christianity and Foreign Policy ; 2. The Nature and Rise of Evangelicalism ; 3. The Genesis of Evangelical Global Engagement: The Missionary Movement ; 4. The Political Ethics of Evangelicals ; PART II ; 5. Evangelicals and Global Poverty ; 6. Evangelicals and U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Israel ; 7. The Rise of Evangelical Foreign Policy Advocacy ; 8. Shortcomings of Evangelical Foreign Policy Advocacy ; 9. Towards a More Effective Evangelical Global Engagement ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisIs Bethany Baptist Academy God's choice? Ask the fundamentalist Christians who teach there or whose children attend the academy, and their answer will be a yes as unequivocal as their claim that the Bible is God's inerrant, absolute word. Is this truth or arrogance? In God's Choice, Alan Peshkin offers readers the opportunity to consider this question in depth. Given the outsider's rare chance to observe such a school firsthand, Peshkin spent eighteen months studying Bethany's high schoolinterviewing students, parents, and educators, living in the home of Bethany Baptist Church members, and participating fully in the church's activities. From this intimate research he has fashioned a rich account of Christian schooling and an informed analysis of a clear alternative to public education.

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Book SynopsisIn a time when the Pauline dictum decreed that women be silent in matters of the Church, Johanna Eleonora Petersen (1644-1724) was a pioneering author of religious books, insisting on her right to speak out as a believer above her male counterparts.

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Book SynopsisIn a time when the Pauline dictum decreed that women be silent in matters of the Church, Johanna Eleonora Petersen (1644-1724) was a pioneering author of religious books, insisting on her right to speak out as a believer above her male counterparts.

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Book SynopsisThis study provides an analysis of the commitments, beliefs and concerns of American evangelicals and examines how they interact with and influence secular society, the text argues that traditional, orthodox evangelicalism endures because of the challenges of our modern pluralistic environment.

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Book SynopsisAnalyzes the events in 1993 that led to the death of 74 men, women and children in the Waco religious community in Texas. Examining topics such as the media's role and the relation between religion and violence, the book discusses why the tragedy took place and whether it could have been avoided.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Another View of the Mt. Carmel Standoff Stuart A. Wright 1: An Age of Wisdom, An Age of Foolishness: The Davidians, Some Forerunners, and Our Age Robert S. Fogarty 2: Davidians and Branch Davidians: 1929-1987 William L. Pitts, Jr 3: The Davidian Tradition: From Patronal Clan to Prophetic Movement David G. Bromley, Edward D. Silver. 4: Construction and Escalation of a Cult Threat: Dissecting Moral Panic and Official Reaction to the Branch Davidians Stuart A. Wright 5: Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes, the Anticult Movement, and the Waco Confrontation James R. Lewis 6: "Babies Were Being Beaten": Exploring Child Abuse Allegations at Ranch Apocalypse Christopher G. Ellison, John P. Bartkowski. 7: Manufacturing Consent about Koresh: A Structural Analysis of the Role of Media in the Waco Tragedy James T. Richardson 8: Cops, News Copy, and Public Opinion: Legitimacy and the Social Construction of Evil in Waco Anson Shupe, Jeffrey K. Hadden. 9: Public Narratives and the Apocalyptic Sect: From Jonestown to Mt. Carmel John R. Hall 10: Sects and Violence: Factors Enhancing the Volatility of Marginal Religious Movements Thomas Robbins, Dick Anthony. 11: Religious Discourse and Failed Negotiations: The Dynamics of Biblical Apocalypticism in Waco James D. Tabor 12: Waco, Federal Law Enforcement, and Scholars of Religion Nancy T. Ammerman 13: Breaching the "Wall of Separation": The Balance between Religious Freedom and Social Order Rhys H. Williams 14: The Waco Tragedy: Constitutional Concerns and Policy Perspectives Edward McGlynn Gaffney, Jr 15: The Implosion of Mt. Carmel and Its Aftermath: Is It All Over Yet? Dean M. Kelley Appendix: Branch Davidians Who Died at Mt. Carmel List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisIn this addition to the Columbia Contemporary American Religion series, an authority on the subject focuses on America's most mainstream religion. The text describes Protestantism's history, constituent subgroups and their activities, and explores its dielectic with American culture.Trade ReviewA useful starting point for reflection on the future of Protestantism. -- Steven Schroeder Booklist Balmer and Winner do an admirable job of synthesizing recent scholarship and have created an engaging, if occasionally irreverent, account...useful. Library Journal [A]n innovative and insightful book... The volume [Balmer & Winner] have produced is succinct and sprightly, and full of insights. It is a welcome guide to American Protestantism at the beginning of the twenty-first century. -- Robert Bruce Mullin Journal of Religion Balmer and Winner boldly take hold of the large and complex topic of Protestantism in America by its most ungainly part, evangelicalism. -- Christian Sheppard Chicago Tribune Balmer and Winner have produced a book that is quite readable. Choice A testimony to the historic centrality and energy of Protestantism in the broader American religious culture and a worthy and enlightening new study. Journal of Church & State Vivid and engaging -- Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr. Anglican Theological Review A highly useful text -- Amanda Porterfield H-Net ReviewsTable of ContentsPreface: Easter Sunday 1. Protestantism in America 2. Brief History of Protestantism in America 3. Varieties of Protestantism in America 4. Williston Federated Church 5. Abyssinian Baptist Church 6. New Life Family Fellowship 7. Protestants and Feminism 8. Protestants and Homosexuality 9. Protestants and Social Justice

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Book SynopsisWill Mormonism be the next world faith, one that will rival Catholicism, Islam, and other major religions in terms of numbers and global appeal? This work focuses on both the growth of Mormonism and on how and why certain religions continue to grow while others fade away. It examines the reasons behind the spread of Mormonism.Trade Reviewa well-written thought-provoking compilation covering nearly three decades of scholarship Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion It's an excellent summary and a must-read... The Rise of Mormonism is a thoughtful and insightful look at the Church. -- Jeffrey Needle Irreantum Rodney Stark is one of America's pre-eminent sociologists of religions. -- Gerald M. Mcdermott Books and Culture An important voice in the sociological study of religion. -- Kathleen Flake The Journal of Religion I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the social scientific study of Mormonism. -- Henri Gooren Journal for the Scientific Study of ReligionTable of ContentsPreface, by Rodney Stark Introduction, by Reid L. Neilson 1. Extracting Social Scientific Models from Mormon History 2. Joseph Smith Among the Revelators 3. Mormon Networks of Faith 4. Rationality and Mormon Sacrifice 5. Modernization, Secularization, and Mormon Growth 6. The Basis of Mormon Success 7. The Rise of a New World Faith Bibliography Further Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisProminent scholars of Mormonism follow the religion’s quest for legitmacy in the United States and its intersection with American politics.Trade ReviewIt was a welcome treat to read a group of well-organized, well-written, and eminently readable essays from a diversity of distinguished authorial voices that, across the board, maintain a high level of quality. Mormonism and American Politics' nuanced contextualization of Mormonism successfully engages larger issues within U.S. religious history by means of focused, provocative case studies, making it relevant to scholars in a wide range of disciplines. -- Susanna Morrill, Lewis & Clark College This volume offers the best single collection of essays on Mormonism and American politics, a topic that is both rich and deserving of sustained scholarly treatment. -- Patrick Q. Mason, Claremont Graduate University From Joseph Smith's presidential bid and Brigham Young's theodemocracy, to Prop 8 and the Romney campaign of 2012, Mormons have engaged in a complex struggle to reconcile Latter-day Saint exceptionalism with political accommodation and legitimacy. Perhaps no faith tradition in America has been at the center of more church-state conflicts than Mormonism, and this vibrant collection of essays plumbs both past lessons and future prospects. -- Terryl Givens, author of Wrestling the Angel: The Foundations of Mormon Thought Mormonism and American Politics is the most deft, discerning, and nearly definitive book of essays about Mormons and politics ever published. The authors treat captivating facets of Mormon history-some famous, some unearthed here-with an eye-popping verve that shapes a new vista on both Mormonism and the evolving America in which it emerged. -- Jon Butler, Yale University Charting the shifting alliances and tensions between Mormonism and broader national currents, this volume offers an incisive narrative of the history of religious engagement with electoral politics. As the quintessential "outsider religion," Mormonism has danced on the knife-edge between toleration and rejection, acceptable diversity and illegitimate cult. These evocative essays trace that distinctively American dance and offer important lessons about the promise and perils of religious pluralism. -- Laurie Maffly-Kipp, Washington University The authors of these essays give genuine insight into Mormonism's political present without neglecting the significance of its past. A smart, accessible collection, it is a very good read for the academic and general public. Especially for the classroom, the volume offers an opportunity to discuss America's engagement with religion on such important themes as race, gender, majoritarian politics, religious liberty and its informal, but no less important, public counterpoint, toleration. -- Kathleen Flake, University of Virginia This timely collection integrates multiple perspectives and insights by leading scholars. The importance of Mormonism to American political life is shown here not only as a present phenomenon, but an enduring one across almost two hundred years. -- Sarah Barringer Gordon, University of Pennsylvania The most historically informed and culturally sophisticated analysis of the subject to date... Highly recommended. Choice This is a book that lives up to its blurbs. BYU Studies Quarterly Intelligibly written and academically sound. It makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of an important religious denomination in American culture and politics while simultaneously illuminating the historical interaction and mutual impact of religious and political institutions in a democratic society. The Journal of American History The strengths of this volume is its combination of accessibility and scholarly originality. Journal of Church and StateTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction, by Randall Balmer and Jana Riess Part I: Origins and Tensions 1. Joseph Smith's Presidential Ambitions, by Richard Lyman Bushman 2. Unpopular Sovereignty: Brigham Young and the U.S. Government, 1847-1877, by John G. Turner 3. Polygamy in the Nation's Capitol: Protestant Women and the 1899 Campaign Against B. H. Roberts, by Jana Riess 4. Eternal Progression: Mormonism and American Progressivism, by Matthew Bowman Part II: Shifting Alliances 5. Ezra Taft Benson and the Conservative Turn of "Those Amazing Mormons," by Jan Shipps 6. Testimony and Theology: The Mormon Struggle with America's Civil Religion, by Russell Arben Fox 7. Chosen Land, Chosen People: Religious and American Exceptionalism Among the Mormons, by Philip L. Barlow 8. Like Father, Unlike Son: The Governors Romney, the Kennedy Paradigm, and the Mormon Question, by Randall Balmer Part III: Into the Twenty-first Century 9. A Politically Peculiar People: How Mormons Moved into and Then out of the Political Mainstream, by David E. Campbell, Christopher F. Karpowitz and J. Quin Monson 10. "Twice-told Tale": Telling Two Histories of Mormon-Black Relations During the 2012 Presidential Election, by Max Perry Mueller 11. Mormon Women Talk Politics, by Claudia L. Bushman 12. On the "Underground": What the Mormon "Yes on 8" Campaign Reveals About the Future of Mormons in American Political Life, by Joanna Brooks 13. Mitt, Mormonism, and the Media: An Unfamiliar Faith Takes the Stage in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election, by Peggy Fletcher Stack List of Contributors Index

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