Other Nonconformist and Evangelical Churches Books

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 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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Book SynopsisEvangelicalism has outpaced mainline Protestantism to encompass more than a third of American adults and nearly half of all U.S. Christians. This volume offers unique insight into evangelical culture, spirituality, theology, politics, and ethnicity, revealing a vibrant and controversial movement’s dynamism as well as its significant challenges.Trade ReviewAny educated reader would do well to start with The Future of Evangelicalism in America for an understanding of what evangelicalism is, where it came from, and how it is changing. This important and useful book will make a significant contribution to our understanding of American evangelicalism. -- Barry Hankins, Baylor University This book is as timely as it is valuable. The distinguished group of authors offers a diverse and wide-ranging scholarly analysis of the state of evangelicalism in American culture and politics. At the same time, they root their perceptions in solid historical scholarship, and a strong awareness of theological dilemmas. The resulting collection is rewarding, and provocative. -- Philip Jenkins, Baylor University American evangelicalism is changing, as it has always done to try to adapt to and influence its evolving environments and constituencies. This volume smartly maps out the most significant aspects of evangelical change today--combining important historical context, analyses of current evidence, and well-informed projections into the future--to provide an essential guide to recent developments in this important religious movement. -- Christian Smith, University of Notre Dame The thoughtful, well-informed, wide-ranging, and up-to-date chapters of this book offer an excellent introduction to contemporary American evangelicals. Of special note is the skill with which authors and editor Candy Gunther Brown chart the great diversity among evangelical Protestant movements that nonetheless remain identifiably linked by their adherence to the Bible, their commitment to personal Christian conversion. and their adaptability within contemporary culture. -- Mark Noll, University of Notre Dame An excellent introduction to contemporary American Evangelicalism... Highly recommended. ChoiceTable of ContentsSeries Editors' Introduction: The Future of Religion in America, by Mark Silk and Andrew Walsh Introduction, by Candy Gunther Brown 1. American Evangelicalism: Character, Function, and Trajectories of Change, by Michael S. Hamilton 2. Sound, Style, Substance: New Directions in Evangelical Spirituality, by Chris R. Armstrong 3. The Emerging Divide in Evangelical Theology, by Roger E. Olson 4. Evangelicals, Politics, and Public Policy: Lessons from the Past, Prospects for the Future, by Amy E. Black 5. The Changing Face of Evangelicalism, by Timothy Tseng Conclusion, by Candy Gunther Brown Appendix A: American Religious Identification Survey: Research Design Appendix B: American Religious Identification Survey: Future of Religion in America Survey Appendix C: American Religious Identification Survey: Typology of Religious Groups List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisEvangelicalism has outpaced mainline Protestantism to encompass more than a third of American adults and nearly half of all U.S. Christians. This volume offers unique insight into evangelical culture, spirituality, theology, politics, and ethnicity, revealing a vibrant and controversial movement’s dynamism as well as its significant challenges.Trade ReviewAny educated reader would do well to start with The Future of Evangelicalism in America for an understanding of what evangelicalism is, where it came from, and how it is changing. This important and useful book will make a significant contribution to our understanding of American evangelicalism. -- Barry Hankins, Baylor University This book is as timely as it is valuable. The distinguished group of authors offers a diverse and wide-ranging scholarly analysis of the state of evangelicalism in American culture and politics. At the same time, they root their perceptions in solid historical scholarship, and a strong awareness of theological dilemmas. The resulting collection is rewarding, and provocative. -- Philip Jenkins, Baylor University American evangelicalism is changing, as it has always done to try to adapt to and influence its evolving environments and constituencies. This volume smartly maps out the most significant aspects of evangelical change today--combining important historical context, analyses of current evidence, and well-informed projections into the future--to provide an essential guide to recent developments in this important religious movement. -- Christian Smith, University of Notre Dame The thoughtful, well-informed, wide-ranging, and up-to-date chapters of this book offer an excellent introduction to contemporary American evangelicals. Of special note is the skill with which authors and editor Candy Gunther Brown chart the great diversity among evangelical Protestant movements that nonetheless remain identifiably linked by their adherence to the Bible, their commitment to personal Christian conversion. and their adaptability within contemporary culture. -- Mark Noll, University of Notre Dame An excellent introduction to contemporary American Evangelicalism... Highly recommended. ChoiceTable of ContentsSeries Editors' Introduction: The Future of Religion in America, by Mark Silk and Andrew Walsh Introduction, by Candy Gunther Brown 1. American Evangelicalism: Character, Function, and Trajectories of Change, by Michael S. Hamilton 2. Sound, Style, Substance: New Directions in Evangelical Spirituality, by Chris R. Armstrong 3. The Emerging Divide in Evangelical Theology, by Roger E. Olson 4. Evangelicals, Politics, and Public Policy: Lessons from the Past, Prospects for the Future, by Amy E. Black 5. The Changing Face of Evangelicalism, by Timothy Tseng Conclusion, by Candy Gunther Brown Appendix A: American Religious Identification Survey: Research Design Appendix B: American Religious Identification Survey: Future of Religion in America Survey Appendix C: American Religious Identification Survey: Typology of Religious Groups List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisA reader-friendly edition of the "Book of Mormon", for Mormons as well as non-Mormons. It reformats the unchanged 1920 text, in the manner of modern translations of the Bible, with paragraphs, quotations marks, poetic forms, topical headings, indention of quoted documents, italicized reworking of biblical prophecies, and minimized verse numbers.Trade Review"Hardy's thoughtful 'reader's edition' eliminates the current official text's knotty versification, clarifies the cast of characters, includes a useful introduction and provides signposts through the sometimes dense prose. . . . Essential for the full comprehension of Mormonism."--Wall Street Journal, Samuel Morris Brown "Grant Hardy has provided the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a remarkable new version of their founding text. Although Hardy gears his book to a broad readership, those who truly love the Book of Mormon, seek to be serious students of it, or both, will find A Reader's Edition well worth owning."--Louis Midgley in Insights"This edition . . . makes the book especially helpful and intelligible to new readers and provides refreshing insights to Latter-day Saints."--BYU Magazine

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Book SynopsisAn example of Mormon beliefs and behavior towards minorities.Trade ReviewWinner of the Best Book Award from the Mormon History Association, 2004.

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Book SynopsisIncludes the modern translations of the Bible, with paragraphs, quotation marks, poetic forms, topical headings, multichapter headings, indention of quoted documents, italicized reworkings of biblical prophecies, and minimized verse numbers.Trade Review"Hardy's thoughtful 'reader's edition' eliminates the current official text's knotty versification, clarifies the cast of characters, includes a useful introduction and provides signposts through the sometimes dense prose. . . . Essential for the full comprehension of Mormonism."--Wall Street Journal, Samuel Morris Brown "Grant Hardy has provided the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a remarkable new version of their founding text. Although Hardy gears his book to a broad readership, those who truly love the Book of Mormon, seek to be serious students of it, or both, will find A Reader's Edition well worth owning."--Louis Midgley in Insights"This edition . . . makes the book especially helpful and intelligible to new readers and provides refreshing insights to Latter-day Saints."--BYU Magazine

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Book SynopsisPresents a parallel history which focuses on the Latter-day Saints with an ongoing personal description of the author's encounters with them. By combining a portrait of the evolution of Mormonism with autobiography, it illuminates the Mormons and explains what it has been like to be on the outside of a culture that remains familiar and strange.Trade ReviewA Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2002.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Goodwillie illuminates the life of Richard McNemar, who played a pivotal role in the formation of the complicated religious landscape of the trans-Appalachian west in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period of American religious history that continues to deeply inform our national culture. McNemar's story seems deeply relevant now, as America has devolved into deep division over religious and political conviction, more than most of us have ever seen in our lifetimes."—Carol Medlicott, Northern Kentucky University"This chronological and detailed treatment of his life highlights McNemar's contributions to Shaker theology, missionary efforts, leadership, poetry, hymns, and printing. Richard McNemar: Frontier Heretic and Shaker Apostle goes beyond and debunks whatever may remain of Shaker folklore connected McNemar. Instead, the reader appreciates him as a man of great integrity and deep religious faith who, in spite of a range of human imperfections, remained true to Mother Ann's Gospel."—Stephen J. Paterwic, author of Historical Dictionary of the Shakers, and The A-Z of the Shakers.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsMapsIntroductionPart I: Presbyterian and Schismatic1. Youth2. Westward Migration and Education3. Ordination4. Revival5. RebellionPart II: Shaker6. Rebirth7. The New and Living Way8. Community Foundations9. Shakers and the Shawnee Prophet10. Shaker Publications and the Expansion of Missionary Efforts11. Gospel Order in the West, James Smith, and the Ohio Mob12. War Comes to the Wabash13. Perfidy, Pilgrims, Prosecution, Progress, and Pestilence14. The End of the Beginning15. "There's Something Dead upon This Ground," or, "The Buzzards and the Flesh"16. The Struggle with Abijah Alley and Aquila Bolton17. Eleazar Goes East18. Eleazar and the Covenant19. Custos Sacrorum20. The Great Snake and the Patriarchal Skeleton21. Unrest in the West22. Freegift to the West23. "The Name or Memory of Mr. McNamar"24. The New Era25. War in Heaven26. A Wandering Star27. Look Homeward, Angel28. Aftermath and LegacyAppendix 1: Richard McNemar, "A general outline of the past Journal of my life"Appendix 2: Richard McNemar, "Testimony of E[leazar] Wright"Appendix 3: Richard McNemar, "My years on earth have been but few"Appendix 4: [Archibald McCorkle?], "A few mourning thoughts on McNemar's fall," and Richard McNemar, "An Answer to the Mourning Thoughts on McNemar's Fall"Appendix 5: The Expulsion of Richard McNemarAppendix 6: [The Redemption of Richard McNemar]NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Goodwillie illuminates the life of Richard McNemar, who played a pivotal role in the formation of the complicated religious landscape of the trans-Appalachian west in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period of American religious history that continues to deeply inform our national culture. McNemar's story seems deeply relevant now, as America has devolved into deep division over religious and political conviction, more than most of us have ever seen in our lifetimes."—Carol Medlicott, Northern Kentucky University"This chronological and detailed treatment of his life highlights McNemar's contributions to Shaker theology, missionary efforts, leadership, poetry, hymns, and printing. Richard McNemar: Frontier Heretic and Shaker Apostle goes beyond and debunks whatever may remain of Shaker folklore connected McNemar. Instead, the reader appreciates him as a man of great integrity and deep religious faith who, in spite of a range of human imperfections, remained true to Mother Ann's Gospel."—Stephen J. Paterwic, author of Historical Dictionary of the Shakers, and The A-Z of the Shakers.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsMapsIntroductionPart I: Presbyterian and Schismatic1. Youth2. Westward Migration and Education3. Ordination4. Revival5. RebellionPart II: Shaker6. Rebirth7. The New and Living Way8. Community Foundations9. Shakers and the Shawnee Prophet10. Shaker Publications and the Expansion of Missionary Efforts11. Gospel Order in the West, James Smith, and the Ohio Mob12. War Comes to the Wabash13. Perfidy, Pilgrims, Prosecution, Progress, and Pestilence14. The End of the Beginning15. "There's Something Dead upon This Ground," or, "The Buzzards and the Flesh"16. The Struggle with Abijah Alley and Aquila Bolton17. Eleazar Goes East18. Eleazar and the Covenant19. Custos Sacrorum20. The Great Snake and the Patriarchal Skeleton21. Unrest in the West22. Freegift to the West23. "The Name or Memory of Mr. McNamar"24. The New Era25. War in Heaven26. A Wandering Star27. Look Homeward, Angel28. Aftermath and LegacyAppendix 1: Richard McNemar, "A general outline of the past Journal of my life"Appendix 2: Richard McNemar, "Testimony of E[leazar] Wright"Appendix 3: Richard McNemar, "My years on earth have been but few"Appendix 4: [Archibald McCorkle?], "A few mourning thoughts on McNemar's fall," and Richard McNemar, "An Answer to the Mourning Thoughts on McNemar's Fall"Appendix 5: The Expulsion of Richard McNemarAppendix 6: [The Redemption of Richard McNemar]NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisMy name is Flora Jessop. I've been called apostate, vigilante, and crazy bitch, and maybe I am. But some people call me a hero, and I'd like to think they're right too. If I am a hero, maybe it's because every time I can play a part in saving a child or woman from a life of servitude and degradation, I'm saving a little piece of me, too.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction: My Name Is Flora Jessop. Part One: Pligville. 1. The End of Innocence. 2. Home Sweet Home. 3. The Rape. 4. The Great Escape. 5. Little Runaway. 6. The Prisoner. Part Two: Apostate. 7. Married. 8. Gone for Good. 9. No Boundaries. 10. The End of the Road. 11. Shauna. 12. No One’s Property. 13. Family. Part Three: Outlaw. 14. Ruby. 15. Lost and Found. 16. Changes. 17. Rescuing the Fawns. 18. Running Away Again. 19. Laurene. 20. No Sympathy for the Devil. Part Four: No More Pain. 21. Fighting On. Epilogue. Notes. About the Authors. Index.

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Book SynopsisOver the years the American religious landscape has undergone a dramatic change. More and more churches meet in converted warehouses, and many have ministers who've never attended a seminary. This title offers an examination of these 'new paradigm churches' - sometimes called megachurches or postdenominational churches.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Winners and Losers: Restructuring the Religious Economy 1 The New Face of American Protestantism: A Second Reformation? 2 Hippies, Beach Baptisms, and Healings: A History of Three Movements 3 Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion 4 Beyond Rationality: Democratizing Access to the Sacred 5 Living by the Bible: Social Ministry, Politics, Theology 6 Giving the Ministry to the People: The Postmodern Organization 7 Franchising New Groups: Church Planting and Growth 8 Can the Mainline Church Survive? Some Lessons from History APPENDIX 1. Geographical Distribution of Churches APPENDIX 2. Congregational Surveys APPENDIX 3. Pastors Survey Notes Index

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Book SynopsisShows how scholars and popular media talk about religious conservatives and sex. Moving away from debates over homosexuality, premarital sex, and other perceived sexual sins, this title examines Christian sexuality websites to show how some evangelical Christians use digital media to promote the idea that God wants married, and more.Trade Review"Kelsy Burke's new study of evangelical sexuality websites tells a new, finely nuanced and wholly convincing story... fascinating and suggestive." Reading Religion "Burke has constructed an artfully crafted and instructive text that extends sexual work in the sociology of religion, documents the complexity of contemporary religious-sexual relations, and provides a useful example of integrating sexual, gender, and religious sociologies in practice." American Journal of SociologyTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments A Note to Readers on Quoting Online Content Introduction 1 * Godly Sex: A New Evangelical Sexual Logic 2 * Overcoming the Obscene: Using Religion to Talk about Sex 3 * Virtual and Virtuous: Forming Online Religious Communities 4 * Sexual Awakening: Defining Women's Pleasures 5 * What Makes a Man: Making "Bad" Sex "Good" Conclusion: Paths of Desire Appendix A: Websites Mentioned by Name in the Book Appendix B: Doing Internet Ethnography Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhy do so many evangelicals follow leaders with dubious credentials when they have other options in their own faith? Exploring intellectual authority within evangelicalism, the authors reveal how the concept of anointing—being chosen by God to speak for him—established a conservative evangelical leadership isolated from secular arts and sciences.Trade ReviewStephens and Giberson have produced a stunning and well-documented indictment of the evangelical right wing. Here is a 'must read' for anyone wanting an insight into one of the most powerful religious-political movements in modern American culture. -- Owen Gingerich, author of God's UniverseTwo talented writers join forces to introduce us to some of the most influential religious and cultural leaders in contemporary America--such 'experts' as Ken Ham, David Barton, James Dobson, and Hal Lindsey. I know of no better place to discover how the conservative half of America lives and thinks. -- Ronald L. Numbers, author of The Creationists: From Creation Science to Intelligent DesignThis is an important book on a pressing topic that should be read by everyone concerned with the place of religion in American life today. -- Michael Ruse, author of The Evolution-Creation StruggleThe Anointed demonstrates how questionable 'experts' emerge and flourish within American evangelicalism. Stephens and Giberson function as knowledgeable guides into this intriguing--and troubling--'parallel universe.' -- Randall Balmer, author of The Making of Evangelicalism[Stephens and Giberson] rise triumphantly to the challenge of explaining the leaders and the culture of the religious Right without rancor or condescension. -- Ray Olson * Booklist *The Anointed is one of the best and most important books on religion published this year. It is a well-written, well-argued study that penetrates to the heart of modern evangelical culture. Stephens and Giberson have done an excellent job of critiquing what Mark Noll has called the "scandal of the evangelical mind" (the scandal, wrote Noll, is "that there is not much of an evangelical mind") while empathetically explaining why so many evangelicals are smitten with dubious experts. Evangelicals who take the intellect seriously, as well as outsiders struggling to understand the evangelical sub-culture, will benefit from their hard work and keen insights. -- Matthew Avery Sutton * Christian Century *In The Anointed, Randall J. Stephens and Karl W. Giberson, professors at evangelical Eastern Nazarene College near Boston, draw a fascinating group portrait of today's most popular intellectual leaders among evangelicals and attempt to explain why so many of the faithful buy their arguments...One of the principal virtues of The Anointed is that it represents an effort to demonstrate that the evangelical community is not a monolith of the unthinking. -- Kevin M. Schultz * Wilson Quarterly *Neither an expose nor a screed, The Anointed is the work of educated evangelical Christians who reject the kitsch and anti-intellectualism that outsiders tend to equate with the faith itself...There are evangelicals who reject fundamentalism, find apocalyptic revenge fantasies distasteful, and don't see any reason why God wouldn't bless same-sex unions. The Anointed seems to be written for such readers--to explain the history and internal dynamics of the evangelical subculture, perhaps as a step towards changing it. As a report on the parallel culture of evangelical Christianity, the book is well-researched and intelligently composed. -- Scott McLemee * Inside Higher Ed *The Anointed [is] a field guide to the evangelical experts you haven't heard of--but should...Why would anyone heed ersatz "experts" over trained authorities far more qualified to comment on the origins of life or the worldview of the founding fathers? Drawing on case studies of evangelical gurus, Stephens and Giberson argue that intellectual authority works differently in the "parallel culture" of evangelicalism. In this world of prophecy conferences and home-schooling curriculums, a dash of charisma, a media empire and a firm stance on the right side of the line between "us" and "them" matter more than a fancy degree...The Anointed condemns the current state of evangelical intellectual life, but Stephens and Giberson avoid monolithic stereotypes. They are careful to note that evangelicals disagree wildly among themselves about almost everything. -- Molly Worthen * New York Times *With its coverage of wide-ranging figures and issues, the book reveals important facets of ways evangelicals maintain both their ideology and boundaries in what they perceive as a threatening culture. This insightful work is an important contribution to readers' understanding of the ways evangelicals maintain their self-identity and worldview. -- A. W. Klink * Choice *In their new book, The Anointed: Evangelical Truth in a Secular Age, Randall Stephens and Karl Giberson explain the nature of intellectual insularity of so many in this world, in which "the teachings of dubiously credentialed leaders are favored over the word of secular experts in the arts and sciences."...The authors describe "what amounts to a 'parallel culture,'" where people like alleged "historian" David Barton...proffer[s] phony-baloney history lessons that distort almost everything professional historians know to be true about America's founders. -- Eric Alterman * The Nation *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBrigham Young is a landmark work… There is no aspect of Young’s fascinating life that eludes Turner’s scrutiny. -- Alex Beam * New York Times Book Review *A definitive biography of Mormonism’s greatest activist and apostle. -- Adam Gopnik * New Yorker *A major accomplishment that, more than any past treatment of Young, situates the protean prophet squarely in the context of his turbulent times. Turner is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and brings to Young an emotional objectivity and distance that greatly benefit his profile of the 19th century Mormon leader and colonizer… Turner unflinchingly tackles the full spectrum, warts and all, of Young’s multifarious personality and life… For Turner, no topic is off-limits, too controversial, too intimate. He exhibits a healthy skepticism and curiosity that are as bracing as they are salutary… He is balanced, insightful, sympathetic, even occasionally affectionate. Turner’s Young is a far cry from the (take your pick) superficial, cartoonish, angelic/devilish caricatures of most popularized portrayals. He is a fully rendered, flesh-and-blood, flawed-but-earnest human being who sincerely believed he had been ‘called’ to govern God’s new covenant people as heaven’s representative. The biography adds much to both our understanding and appreciation of Young. -- Gary James Bergera * Salt Lake Tribune *[A] magnificent new biography… [Turner’s] book should establish him as one of the best religious historians of his generation. Turner had unfettered access to Young’s papers, and his keen eye for social context makes this book an excellent introduction to the story of Mormonism as well as an essential addition to the history of the American West. It should also do for Brigham Young what Richard Lyman Bushman’s Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling did for the Mormon prophet: make the case not only that Young was one of the most fascinating people of the 19th century but also that his importance in American history can no longer be overlooked. Indeed, some of that history will have to be revised to fit this ‘pioneer prophet’ into its narrative… Turner’s prose is so smooth and his interpretations so balanced that I suspect Mormonism’s defenders and detractors alike will flock to this book… Turner is not a member of the Mormon church, which makes his achievement all the more remarkable. -- Stephen H. Webb * Books & Culture *The great virtue of John G. Turner’s new biography of Brigham Young—the first major study since LDS historian Leonard Arrington’s Brigham Young: American Moses (1985)—is the author’s stolid resistance to either version of the traditional Young caricature. -- Chris Lehmann * The Nation *Turner offers an unflinching account of Young’s life ‘within the context of mid-19th-century American religion and politics,’ yet evinces throughout a sympathetic understanding of the way Young and the Mormon pioneers saw themselves: as a chosen people delivered by God from their persecutors and led to a latter-day Zion… Turner’s portrait is of a man both great and greatly flawed. -- Jason Lee Steorts * National Review *Previous biographers of Brigham Young have used epithets such as ‘American Moses’ and ‘Lion of the Lord.’ However, what Turner demonstrates here is that the three-dimensional Young cannot be reduced to saint or tyrant; he was bold, brave, crude, petty, visionary, manipulative, creative, charismatic, kindly, and much more besides. He presents Young as a family man navigating the complexities of polygamy, as a leader moving large numbers of people across the Great Plains, and as a politician negotiating enough independence for the Mormons from the American government that he could build the kingdom of God as he saw fit. Turner was given unprecedented access to the LDS church archives and he makes full use of them and other sources, as well as providing a cogent interpretive context. It is easy to forget Young’s significance in American history, but at a minimum it needs to be remembered that he is responsible for settling a vast swath of the West. Turner gives him his due… There aren’t enough superlatives for this book. It will remain the standard biography for a long time. Because of its thorough documentation, academics will take it seriously, while general readers will appreciate its clarity of prose and argument. -- D. S. Azzolina * Library Journal (starred review) *In his richly researched new biography of Brigham Young, John G. Turner not only profiles the man who brought the church to Utah, but also satisfies both high-minded and lowbrow curiosity about this most American of religions. * Boston Globe *A comprehensive biography of Young and his times… It is an exceptional work… We can learn a lot about the development of Mormon theology from Turner’s book, far more than can be gleaned from previous biographies of Young… Turner is at his best when he is placing the elements of Young’s life within the main contours of broader 19th-century America… Those who want to know more about Mormonism’s birth and growth will want to get a copy. -- Edward J. Blum * Christian Century *[Turner] provides an admirably balanced account of this complex man, and his little-understood and frequently reviled faith… When finished with this superb biography, readers will find [Brigham Young] less of a curiosity but still fascinating. -- Alan Cate * Cleveland Plain Dealer *Young’s life is admirably chronicled in this fine new biography… The character who emerges from Turner’s elegantly written and well-researched biography is a man for whom the word ‘protean’ might almost have been invented. He became one of the foremost colonizers of American history, leading the Mormons on a perilous journey to the Great Basin and laying claim to approximately a sixth of the western United States… Turner shows [Young] to be a shrewd and subtle politician… Turner’s story never drags, partly because the tale itself is so fascinating, but also because he writes with clarity and energy. -- Richard Aldous * Irish Times *John G. Turner’s new biography of Brigham Young…portrays a social experiment, the most ambitious in American history, that until Young’s death in 1877 explicitly rejected the core values of Victorian capitalism: possessive individualism and Darwinian competition. -- Mike Davis * Los Angeles Review of Books *[A] strong and authoritative biography. -- Jackson Lears * New Republic *[An] exceptionally well-researched and endlessly interesting biography. -- Stuart Kelly * The Scotsman *Fascinating… Young very much emerges with his faults manifest in Turner’s impressive biography. At the same time, [Brigham Young] takes Mormon studies forward, avoiding the pitfalls of apologia and polemic. -- Jeremy Black * Standpoint *Turner’s broad historical perspective clarifies why Young’s ecclesiastical successors have still felt the man’s influence—even after abandoning polygamy. An impressively detailed portrait of a controversial giant. -- Bryce Christensen * Booklist (starred review) *[Turner] presents a very thoughtful, well-contextualized account of a complex and contradictory religious leader who was profane as well as pious and powerful. The book traces the development of an aimless young man who became the prophet and president of a sprawling theocracy. Turner offers a fair consideration of Young… This well-researched, readable biography will satisfy all but the most partisan reader. -- D. Liestman * Choice *A scholarly yet thoroughly readable historical/biographical study, of considerable interest to students of 19th-century American history and religious revivalism. * Kirkus Reviews *Inextricably tied together by bonds of fate and faith, Brigham Young and Mormonism rose as one in nineteenth-century America. It is that America, as well as that man and that religion, that Turner explores and explains so well in this wonderful book. -- William Deverell, Director, Huntington–USC Institute on California and the WestTurner’s treatment of the complex Brigham Young is unsentimental, cogent, critical, and fair. It takes its place alongside Leonard Arrington’s magisterial American Moses as the essential, mutually challenging portraits of one of America’s greatest colonizers and religious figures. -- Philip L. Barlow, author of Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American ReligionThe story Turner tells in this elegantly written biography will startle and shock many readers. He reveals a Brigham Young more violent and coarse than the man Mormons have known. While lauding his achievements as pioneer, politician, and church leader, the book will require a reassessment of Brigham Young the man. -- Richard Bushman, author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone RollingIn this superb new biography, Turner’s strong narrative, human insight, knowledge of context, meticulous use of sources, and sophisticated appreciation of Mormon theology combine to create an account of his larger-than-life subject that is at once informative, judicious, and profoundly engaging. -- Daniel Walker Howe, author of What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848Turner provides a searing portrait of a leader at his most determined and—at times—ruthless in defense of his religion. A provocative and compelling view of one of the most elusive, yet influential, figures in our nation’s westward expansion. -- Ken Verdoia, author of Utah: The Struggle for Statehood

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Book SynopsisLate one night in 1823 Joseph Smith, Jr was reportedly visited in his family's farmhouse in upstate New York by an angel named Moroni. Thus began the unlikely career of the "Book of Mormon". This book traces the life of this book as it has formed and fractured different strains of Mormonism and transformed religious expression around the world.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013 "To explain this book--now published in 150 million copies in 110 languages--Gutjahr recounts the life of Joseph Smith, whose status as the prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints rests upon his claim that he translated the Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates delivered to him by an angel... Undeterred by skeptics' allegations of fraud, a small army of missionaries have made the book a powerful proselytizing tool ... but as an engaging human story, it has also inspired the creative impulses of visual, cinematic, and theatrical artists... A very helpful introduction to a perplexing but increasingly visible religious text."--Bryce Christensen, Booklist "[A] fascinating history of an important document of American culture."--Steven Poole, The Guardian "This is a book that has been waiting to be written. There have been previous accounts of the Book of Mormon by believers and nonbelievers, but most have been too polemical for general readers. Gutjahr (English, Indiana Univ.; Charles Hodge: Guardian of American Orthodoxy) doesn't ignore controversial issues of history and authenticity, as is the case with some other short introductions; rather, he provides several alternative interpretations of the book's origins... Needless to say, especially with the tremendous success of the Broadway show The Book of Mormon, there is a great need for a book like this. It should appeal to scholars and interested general readers alike."--David S. Azzolina, Library Journal (starred review) "America is experiencing something of a Mormon moment... But much remains unknown about this faith, including the circumstances surrounding its primary sacred text. Paul C. Gutjahr's well-written and erudite account of the history of the Book of Mormon fills much of this void... Gutjahr's account leaves one with considerable appreciation for the enduring value of the Book of Mormon."--Wade Clark Roof, Pacific Standard Magazine "Gutjahr has read widely in both Mormon and non-Mormon sources, and he has taken the trouble to get the basic facts right... The Book of Mormon: A Biography is a quick read that Latter-day Saints will find enjoyable and thought-provoking. It would also be perfect for non-member friends who are curious about the Book of Mormon but are looking for something more neutral or balanced than materials published by the Church, yet are perhaps not quite interested enough to take on a thick monograph like By the Hand of Mormon or Understanding the Book of Mormon."--Grant Hardy, Meridian Magazine "[I]t's refreshing to read a nonpartisan book about Mormonism."--Justin Moyer, Washington Post Book World "Gutjahr's biography is an easy-to-read overview of the Book of Mormon's life, a reminder that the Book of Mormon is the world's text, not merely the text of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in spite of the Church's careful efforts (through copyright measures and other means) to maintain the text's integrity. And even within the LDS tradition itself, the book shapeshifts as it traverses landscapes of differing historical contexts and rhetorical objectives. Such is the life of books, such is the life Gutjahr ably recounts."--Blair Hodges, Dialogue "Book of Mormon: A Biography takes readers on a quick journey through Mormon history from past to present focused on the Book of Mormon. The topics covered include Joseph Smith, the translation of the Book of Mormon, how the book was used in early church history, the death of Joseph Smith, the church's move to Utah, missionary work, further growth of the church, and the influence of the Book of Mormon on movies, music, theater, art and culture."--Ryan Morgenegg, Deseret News "Gutjahr tells the story of this very strange book ... with courage and verve."--Jon Sweeney, Tablet "Gutjahr's contribution to the 'Lives of Great Religious Books' series is a concise and eminently teachable history of the most important American-made world scripture. In a welcome departure from most such accounts, Gutjahr gives as much space to the Book of Mormon's 20th-century life as he does to its ancient or 19th-century origins, presenting in a compact, readable form a great deal of relatively recent history about its cultural and religious significance... Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers."--Choice, Editor's Picks "The Book of Mormon: A Biography is overall a delight... Gutjahr's ... book is a terrific example of a work typifying legitimate academic study, particularly as compared with most of the poor mistreatments of Mormon studies. It is balanced and engaging enough to give non-LDS readers a clear insight into what members consider a truly divine work and, perhaps more importantly, accurate and honest enough to satisfy LDS readers."--Tod R. Harris, BYU Studies Quarterly "Gutjahr succeeded in writing an informative account of the history of the Book of Mormon. His style provides enough information for those who are just curious about the Book of Mormon and Mormonism while at the same time satisfying a more interested reader's curiosity by providing a platform for further research."--Ingrid Sherlock-Taselaar, International Journal for the Study of New Religions "Gutjahr has produced a valuable biography of an American apocrypha for a general audience. He provides a valuable summary of various editions and translations of a sacred text that has made an indelible impact on religion in America and beyond. The overview of scholarly debates about the historical claims of the scripture is fair, accessible and concise. His outline of the illustrations in the Book of Mormon and its life on the stage and in the cinema is original and will be of value even to specialists in Mormonism."--Thomas Murphy, Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions "The Book of Mormon: A Biography is very readable and portrays the Mormon position well."--Eric Johnson, Christian Research JournalTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi Acknowledgments xiii A Note on Usage xix Part I: Germination 1 Prologue 3 Chapter 1: Joseph's Gold Bible 11 Chapter 2: Holy Writ or Humbug? 38 Part II: Budding 59 Chapter 3 Multiplying Prophets 61 Chapter 4 Great Basin Saints and The Book 86

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2013 Cover/Jacket Merit Award in the Professional, Scholarly Series category, New York Book Show""One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013"

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Book SynopsisA close investigation of a new wave of "reflexive evangelicals," whose playful critique of their own faith wins crowds.Trade Review"Creatively written and engaging, The Subversive Evangelical is an important book and a pleasure to read." Sam Reimer, Crandall University"The Subversive Evangelical explains how an inventive and charismatic leader adopted and now orchestrates the performance of an unexpected and newly legitimated ecclesiology for contemporary evangelicals, one that is aggressively fighting for the continued relevancy of congregational faith in North America." Gerardo Martí, Davidson College

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Book SynopsisThis inspirational book urges evangelical churches to find room for catechesis as a non-negotiable practice for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.

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Book SynopsisIn this new edition, the authors update demographic and technological changes, and describe Amish enterprises outside of Pennsylvania in a new chapter.Trade ReviewUseful in courses in religion and culture; an excellent supplementary text for courses in sociology... Amish and other minority groups... may be inspired and instructed by this heartening document. -- Gene Burd Utopian Studies 2005 Important for anyone interested in the interplay between a small, separate religious group and the dominant culture. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 2005Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart I: The Cultural ContextChapter 1. The Roots of Amish LifePart II: Cultural Resources for Entrepreneurship Chapter 2. From Plows to ProfitsChapter 3. A Profile of Amish EnterprisesChapter 4. Homespun Entrepreneurs Chapter 5. Labor and Human ResourcesPart III: Cultural Constraints of EntrepreneurshipChapter 6. The Moral Boundaries of BusinessChapter 7. Taming the Power of TechnologyChapter 8. Small-Scale LimitationsPart IV: The Public Face of Amish EnterpriseChapter 9. Promotion and Professional NetworksChapter 10. Coping with Litigation and LiabilityChapter 11. Negotiating with CaesarChapter 12. Failure and SuccessPart V: The Transformation of Amish SocietyChapter 13. The Fate of a Traditional PeopleChapter 14. National Patters of Amish WorkAppendixes: Research Methods and Data SourcesNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisIn the most comprehensive study of Old Order schools to date, Johnson-Weiner provides valuable insight into how variables such as community size and relationship with other Old Order groups affect the role of these schools in maintaining behavioral norms and in shaping the Old Order's response to modernity.Trade ReviewWell produced, based on archival and participant-observer research, with a useful bibliography. -- Steven Reschly Journal of Mennonite Studies 2008 Train Up a Child makes a valuable contribution in illustrating how Old Order education, in myriad ways, reflects and conserves the values and commitments of Old Order communities. It makes an equally valuable contribution in what it implicitly says about the current state of secular education. -- Kevin H. Gary Mennonite Quarterly Review 2008Table of ContentsPreface1. Private Schools and Old Order Life2. Old Order Schools and Old Order Identities3. The Swartzentruber Schools4. Small Schools in Small Settlements5. Mainstream Amish Schools6. Progressive Amish Schools7. Old Order Mennonite Schools in Lancaster County8. Publish or Perish9. What's Education For?AppendixesA. InformantsB. Schools and LocationsC. Hectograph RecipeD. Representative School SchedulesNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis study argues that the first two generations of Puritan settlers in New England were not hostile toward their Indian neighbours but sought peaceful and equitable relations as a first step to moulding the Indians into neo-Englishman.

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Book SynopsisDespite the separation of church and state, public aid to religious agencies has traditionally been part of liberal social policy. This book shows that the post-World War II expansion of public funding for evangelical health care, educational, welfare, and foreign relief increasingly benefited the religious Right and contributed to its resurgence.Trade Review"Piety and Public Funding complicates, and sometimes even demolishes, much of the conventional wisdom about the rise of the religious right. Schäfer's tone is neither bombastic nor polemical, but the result is revolutionary nonetheless: a complete reconfiguration of our assumptions about conservative Protestants and Republican Party politics from the 1940s to the 1990s." * Andrew Preston, Cambridge University *"Exceptionally clear and engagingly written, Piety and Public Funding makes an important intervention that every subsequent historian of the conservative counterrevolution will need to take into consideration. By examining the fiscal links between the postwar state and organized religion, Schafer's case marks a distinct departure from both academic and popular conceptions of Christian conservatism in recent American history." * Bethany Moreton, author of To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise *Table of ContentsIntroduction: How Evangelicals Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the State Chapter 1. The Cold War and Religious Agencies Chapter 2. The Evangelical Rediscovery of the State Chapter 3. Evangelicals, Foreign Policy, and the National Security State Chapter 4. Evangelicals, Social Policy, and the Welfare State Chapter 5. Church-State Relations and the Rise of the Evangelical Right Conclusion: Resurgent Conservatism and the Public Funding of Religious Agencies Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisThe evangelical seeker churches in the US target seekers, people of any faith or denominational background who seek spiritual fulfillment. This book provides a sociological context for the rise of these churches by exploring their rituals, messages, strategies and denominational functions.Trade ReviewIn the last two decades, thousands of churches across the U.S. have combined traditional evangelical theology with innovative marketing principles to respond to the contemporary cultural environment. . . . Sargeant provides a sociological mapping of the seeker church movement. He focuses on Willow Creek Community church (a widely recognized suburban Chicago congregation) and the over 5,000 churches that form the Willow Creek Association. SargeantÆs description and analysis give the reader a better understanding of both the American religious context that gave birth to the movement and the practices that make it distinct. . . . Fascinating. * Choice *Just about everyone by now has heard of seeker churches, and many Americans have visited or joined them. Thousands of pastors across the country each year flock to seminars to learn more about these churchesÆ approach to ministry and to gain insight into why the movement is rapidly growing. Kimon Howland SargeantÆs sociological analysis of the movement is the first systematic attempt to try to make some sense of it historically and culturally. This nicely written and timely book addresses, in SargeantÆs words, the fundamental question, æWhat does it mean to be religious, especially to be an evangelical, at this moment in history?Æ. . . . Sargeant provides a good introduction to these churches and raises the critical sociological and theological issues. * Christian Century *SargeantÆs book is a clearly written picture of the Seeker church phenomenon. It uses for its main data a survey of Seeker church pastors. . . . A fascinating portrayal of this æmarket niche.Æ It is a truly æpost-denominationalÆ movement that is thoroughly accommodated to a contract-oriented ethos with ænetworks benefitsÆ and bereft, at least for now, of æhierarchies of religious authority.Æ It is, in sum, a quintessential incarnation of American market religion. * Journal of Religion *SargeantÆs thesis is that seeker churches will continue to grow and to conform to cultural trends. . . . A temperate and insightful account, highly readable, and adequately illustrated. It makes a timely contribution to the sociology of religion and of American culture. * Social Forces *I found this a most insightful and helpful book for anyone who is interested in evangelical church growth. . . . Replete with well-chosen examples, extensive and thought-provoking discussion, Seeker Churches is well written and well edited, ensuring that it will be a useful resource for years to come. * Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith *After suffering much armchair analysis, the Seeker Church movement has, at last, found a worthy scholar. Kimon Howland Sargeant has produced an excellent study, historically sound and sociologically dexterous. -- Randall Balmer * author of Blessed Assurance: A History of Evangelicalism in America *After a quarter century we have a definitive study of the Seeker Church movement that tells us what these churches do and why they have become so attractive. -- Robert Wuthnow * Princeton University *Table of ContentsA new reformation? Traditional religion in a spiritual age Ritual: modern liturgies for skeptical seekers Message: believe and be fulfilled Strategy: the shopping mall church Organization: the postmodern denomination Translation and tradition

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Book SynopsisTraces the historical significance of the rise and development of black theology as an important conversation partner for the black church.Trade ReviewThe book reads as an altar call to action that honors the liberationist roots of a global church community, regardless of race or gender. * Publishers Weekly *Resilient in its hope and perceptive in its analysis, this book makes a valuable contribution to imagining a liberation-focused ecclesiology. * Ecumenical Review *The Divided Mind of the Black Church is an informative work for historians, theologians, and humanities scholars interested in debating what the Black Church needs to be doing in the 21st century. * Journal of African American History *Raphael G. Warnock's The Divided Mind of the Black Church is not only a scholarly monograph but also an autobiographical work on the pietistic and prophetic traditions of the black church. * Black Theology *Warnock weaves together an impressive array of subjects to advance his argument on the & divided mind of the black church.His introduction, five chapters, and conclusion provide much in structure and content for the advancement of his burden, namely, the construction of a & self-critical liberationist community where & piety and protest may be held in balance. * Sociology of Religion *This well-written and meticulously researched treatment of black church piety and social engagement is a timely and pivotal assessment as we head into the next chapter of American religious life. * The Christian Century *As a person who is not Black, reading this book provided a learning experience for me. It has helped me better understand the dynamics of the Black church. I could also see this book serving as a way to spark discussion involving all ethnic groups as to how we can all, as fellow Christians, blend the goals of saving lost people and moving the culture toward equality for everyone. * Ministry *Embodied in this book is the sharpness of mind of one with an earned Ph.D. in theological studies and the human compassion of a pastor of one of the major churches in the United States. Rarely, if at all, do we get to relish such combined matters of the head and heart. Moreover, this groundbreaking work is rooted in deep spirituality and progressive commitment to the Bible. The ponderings in these pages echo the insightful eyes of the prophetic mystic, Howard Thurman and the scholarly activism of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- Dwight N. Hopkins,editor of The Cambridge Companion to Black TheologyRaphael Warnock's The Divided Mind of the Black Church is a courageous and timely effort to reinvigorate the rich tradition of the Black Church by a full-fledged engagement with the best of its history and theology. Like the Sankofa bird, he looks to the past in order to move forward! -- Cornel West,Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice, Union Theological SeminaryEloquently lays waste to the false theological dilemma between advocates of individual salvation and social justice. Real religion is both personal and political; Warnock skillfully shows how that works by probing creative tensions in the black church between heavenly hunger and earthly engagement. He brilliantly enhances the distinguished intellectual achievement of the historic Ebenezer pulpit by showing how black and womanist theologies partner with the black church to bring God's mighty word to bear on our souls and society all at once. -- Michael Eric Dyson,University Professor of Sociology, Georgetown UniversityRaphael Warnock demonstrates in this book that he is a worthy occupant of the Ebenezer pulpit, following in the intellectual tradition of Martin King and his mentor, Dr. Benjamin Mays. It was faith that led us to activism. Whether one is looking to understand the foundation of civil rights, to understand the role of faith in our public life or seeking to understand a personal call to serve, this book will be enlightening. -- Andrew Young,former U.N. Ambassador, Mayor of Atlanta and Executive Vice President of SCLCRaphael Warnock is known as one of the most brilliant orators of his generation. This excellent new book reveals him to be a brilliant scholar as well. It is the first major work to critically explore the 'double-minded' relationship between the social practice of black churches and the radical implications of their historical witness against the social oppression of the black masses. Warnocks path-breaking periodization of the social activism of the black church is a major contribution to understanding the role of black churches in this nations often stumbling march toward a racially just society. . . . The Divided Mind of the Black Church is a must read for every black pastor, theologian, scholar, and anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the history and political culture of black churches and the expanding contours of black theological scholarship. -- Obery M. Hendricks, Jr.,author of The Universe Bends Toward JusticeRaphael Warnock, a son of Pentecostal preachers, a theological protégée of James Cone, and pulpit heir of Martin Luther King, Jr., is brilliantly conversant with the ivory tower of academia, yet works in the ebony trenches for justice and the liberation of the 'least of these.' In this literary gift he has insightfully traced the ecclesial and theological journey of the Black Church in America, diagnosing a 'double consciousness' that borders on bipolarity. He prophetically pronounces liberation from captivity to a borrowed oppressive theology that is illustrated by Black pastors who have a picture of Dr. King in the study, but are influenced by Rick Warren when they preach from the pulpit. This scholar-prophet-pastor, in this wonderful work, is presiding over a wedding ceremony, uniting in holy wedlock, piety and protest, the scholarship of liberation and womanist scholars and the ministry and pulpit of the Black Church, with the hope that this marriage will birth a 'new moment of a self critical liberating community.' This family of freedom and faith proposed by Dr. Warnock will usher in that day when 'justice rolls down like waters and righteousness as an ever flowing stream.' -- Frederick D. Haynes III,Senior Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist ChurchAs we celebrate the life of the most famous black pastor, Martin Luther King Jr., we should remember that the black church mission connects faith with justice and personal salvation with social transformation, and addresses personal piety and public policy for the well-being of the whole person and the whole community. It fights for the weak and sees the Gospel as 'good news for the poor.' -- Raphael G. Warnock,CNNRefusing to be content with the piety or protest divide between the Black Church and Black Theology, Warnock argues with scholarly rigor and pastoral fire for a vital partnership between the two. As a dedicated pastor and astute theologian, Warnock persuasively argues for a fifth movement in the Black Christian traditiona self-critical liberationist community that represents a public theology founded on the pietistic and liberationist dimensions of the Church. This is a must read for clergy, laity, and the academy. -- Emilie M. Townes,Dean and Professor of Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt University Divinity SchoolThe broadness and depth of Warnock's theological education and his distinguished pulpit give him the authority to ask the question: piety or protest? Warnock leads us through the history of the tensions and conversations among the black church, black theology and black pastors to boldly change this question into an exclamatory indicative: piety and protest. He admonishes all parties to move beyond the silos of their particular perspective to convene for the broader exchange of ideas, enabling us to fulfill our mission of helping to save the black community and the soul of our nation. -- James A. Forbes Jr.,Senior Pastor Emeritus, Riverside ChurchThis contribution to the enduring subject of piety and protest in black theological discourse is of special importance because it is written from the vantage point of one who stands in the gapa competent theologian with a pastoral vocationvalidating his craft in the trenches of social justice advocacy and community transformation. -- Cheryl J. Sanders,Howard University School of DivinityWarnock carefully traces the history and evolution of the independent black church in America, moving from the black church as a bastion against slavery all the way to the role Ebenezer Baptist and other black churches played in the Civil Rights Movement. He asserts that the black church's roots are in the battle for social liberation of black people, rooted in a progressive understanding of the life and message of Jesus Christ. -- Mark Reynolds * Popmatters *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. The Gospel of Liberation: Black Christian Resistance Prior to Black Theology 2. The Gospel's Meaning and the Black Church's Mission 3. Black Theologians on the Mission of the Black Church 4. Black Pastors on the Mission of the Black Church 5. Womanist Theologians on the Mission of the Black Church Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisThis text examines the events at Waco, Texas from both sides - the ATF and the FBI on one hand, and Koresh and his followers on the other. It argues that the government had little reason to investigate Koresh, that it lied about what happened, and that the FBI was negligent in gassing Mt. Carmel.

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Book SynopsisA sensitive and realistic look at the spiritual life and practices of the Amish This second book by the authors of the award-winning Amish Grace sheds further light on the Amish, this time on their faith, spirituality, and spiritual practices.Table of ContentsPreface xi Part One Searching for Amish Spirituality 1 1 A Peculiar Way 3 2 Spiritual Headwaters 17 Part Two The Amish Way of Community 29 3 Losing Self 31 4 Joining Church 45 5 Worshiping God 59 6 Living Together 75 Part Three The Amish Way in Everyday Life 91 7 Children 93 8 Family 107 9 Possessions 123 10 Nature 137 11 Evil 151 12 Sorrow 165 Part Four Amish Faith and the Rest of Us 179 13 The Things That Matter 181 Acknowledgments 193 Appendix I. The Amish of North America 195 Appendix II. Amish Lectionary 205 Appendix III. Rules of a Godly Life 209 Notes 223 References 239 The Authors 247 Index 249

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Book SynopsisBuilt on Kraybill's deep knowledge of Amish life and his contacts within many Amish communities, Renegade Amish highlights one of the strangest and most publicized sagas in contemporary Amish history.Trade ReviewRenegade Amish... provides an insider's perspective into how a small community of Amish people, nurtured in a religious tradition of nonviolence and forgiveness, transformed into a culture of revenge and retaliation. Publishers Weekly For the dimwitted habitues of comments threads, it was the news item that launched a thousand lame puns. But the case of the Bergholz Barbers is funny only as long as it remains a sound bite. Donald B. Kraybill's new book, Renegade Amish: Beard Cutting, Hate Crimes and the Trial of the Bergholz Barbers, digs deep into a story that, for all its seeming quaintness, has the power to both rock the underpinnings of hate crime legislation and to break the human heart. -- Laura Miller Salon Kraybill tells this fascinating story clearly, and has the knowledge and contacts to penetrate a tight-lipped community. -- Damiam Whitworth The Times The apparent dissonance in these opening narratives and the peculiar nature of Amish acting violently to shear helpless victims sets the scene for Kraybill's fascinating exploration of the Bergholz Amish... The case has taken on new significance as the court system works to decide how people will be prosecuted under the Shepherd Byrd act and how broadly hate crimes can be defined. -- Melanie Springer Mock Mennonite World Review An acknowledged expert on Amish life and culture, [Kraybill] explains the religious and social background of the people involved and successfully explains the legal tangle that has not yet completely played out. Journal of Church and State This book will be of interest to those who study the intersection of law and religion or the sociology of closed groups like the Amish Journal of Church and State [Renegade Amish] is a thorough, evenhanded, and accessible volume that provides keen insight on Amish culture. Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies ... Renegade Amish captures a fascinating chapter of legal history and Amish history... That is a tale begging to be told, and Kraybill proves worthy of the task. The Mennonite Quarterly Review Whether you want to learn more about the Amish in general, the Bergholz Amish in particular, are interested in the formation and maintenance of NRMs, interactions between religious groups and the law, or just want to read an informative book that is exceedingly well researched and written, balanced and engaging, Renegade Amish is most definitely worth reading. Nova ReligioTable of ContentsPrefaceChronology1. The Attacks2. The Clan3. The Bishop4. The Cult?5. The FBI6. The Trial7. The Sentencing8. The AftermathEpilogueAppendix IAppendix IINotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisHow a series of violent Amish-on-Amish attacks shattered the peace of a peace-loving people and led to a new interpretation of the federal hate crime law. On the night of September 6, 2011, terror called at the Amish home of the Millers. Answering a late-night knock from what appeared to be an Amish neighbor, Mrs. Miller opened the door to her five estranged adult sons, a daughter, and their spouses. It wasn't a friendly visit. Within moments, the men, wearing headlamps, had pulled their frightened father out of bed, pinned him into a chair, andignoring his tearful protestssheared his hair and beard, leaving him razor-burned and dripping with blood. The women then turned on Mrs. Miller, yanking her prayer cap from her head and shredding it before cutting off her waist-long hair. About twenty minutes later, the attackers fled into the darkness, taking their parents' hair as a trophy. Four similar beard-cutting attacks followed, disfiguring nine victims and generating a tsunami of mediTrade ReviewAn insider’s perspective into how a small community of Amish people, nurtured in a religious tradition of nonviolence and forgiveness, transformed into a culture of revenge and retaliation.—Publishers WeeklyDigs deep into a story that, for all its seeming quaintness, has the power to both rock the underpinnings of hate crime legislation and to break the human heart.—SalonKraybill tells this fascinating story clearly, and has the knowledge and contacts to penetrate a tight-lipped community.—The TimesAn acknowledged expert on Amish life and culture, [Kraybill] explains the religious and social background of the people involved and successfully explains the legal tangle that has not yet completely played out. This book will be of interest to those who study the intersection of law and religion or the sociology of closed groups like the Amish.—Journal of Church and StateA thorough, evenhanded, and accessible volume that provides keen insight on Amish culture.—Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist StudiesCaptures a fascinating chapter of legal history and Amish history . . . [This] is a tale begging to be told, and Kraybill proves worthy of the task.—The Mennonite Quarterly ReviewWhether you want to learn more about the Amish in general, the Bergholz Amish in particular, are interested in the formation and maintenance of NRMs, interactions between religious groups and the law, or just want to read an informative book that is exceedingly well researched and written, balanced, and engaging, Renegade Amish is most definitely worth reading.—Nova ReligioThe apparent dissonance in these opening narratives and the peculiar nature of Amish acting violently to shear helpless victims sets the scene for Kraybill’s fascinating exploration of the Bergholz Amish. . . The case has taken on new significance as the court system works to decide how people will be prosecuted under the Shepherd Byrd act and how broadly hate crimes can be defined.—Mennonite World ReviewTable of ContentsPrefaceChronology1. The Attacks2. The Clan3. The Bishop4. The Cult?5. The FBI6. The Trial7. The Sentencing8. The AftermathEpilogueAppendix IAppendix IINotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisUsing Amish Mafia as a window into the interplay between the real and the imagined, this book dissects the peculiar appeals and potential dangers of deception in reality TV and popular entertainment. When Amish Mafia was released in 2012, viewers were fascinated by the stories of this secret group of Amish and Mennonite enforcers who used threats, extortion, and violence to keep members of the Amish community in lineand to line their own pockets. While some of the stories were based loosely on actual events, the group itself was a complete fabrication. Its members were played by ex-Amish and ex-Mennonite young adults acting out scenarios concocted by the show's producers. What is most extraordinary about Amish Mafia is that, even though it was fictional, it was cleverly constructed to appear real. Discovery Channel, which aired it, assiduously maintained that it was real; whole episodes were devoted to proving that it was real; and many viewers (including smart reality TV fans) were Table of ContentsPrologue1. Enquiring Minds Want to Know2. The Roots of Reality Entertainment3. A Chronicle of Contrivance4. The Pleasure in Being Deceived (and Its Limits)5. Gossip and Lies6. Rights and WrongsEpilogueAcknowledgmentsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisExplores the role of race and consumer culture in attracting urban congregants to an evangelical church The Urban Church Imagined illuminates the dynamics surrounding white urban evangelical congregations' approaches to organizational vitality and diversifying membership. Many evangelical churches are moving to urban, downtown areas to build their congregations and attract younger, millennial members. The urban environment fosters two expectations. First, a deep familiarity and reverence for popular consumer culture, and second, the presence of racial diversity. Church leaders use these ideas when they imagine what a city church should look like, but they must balance that with what it actually takes to make this happen. In part, racial diversity is seen as key to urban churches presenting themselves as in touch and authentic. Yet, in an effort to seduce religious consumers, church leaders often and inadvertently end up reproducing racial and economic inequality, an unexpected contradiTrade Review"The authors demonstrate how the racialized urban imaginary affects the religious practices, organizations, and identity of this recently formed congregation, and the complex interactions among race, religion, class, gender, cultural consumption, and the city. The discussion revolves around the key concepts of racialized urban imaginary, managed diversity, and racial utility. A significant contribution to religion, race, and urban studies." * Choice *"In The Urban Church Imagined, Jessica M. Barron and Rhys H. Williams examine the 'dueling imaginations' posited by Downtown Churchs [DC] suburban-based leaders and city-based congregants as their new congregation negotiates racial, class, and gender boundaries. The depth and accessibility of this book make it an excellent read for scholars, students, and religious leaders interested in the sociology of religion, race theory, and/or the urban landscape." * Reading Religion *"The Urban Church Imagined offers a compelling insight on the organizational practices of white-led religious institutions as they attempt to interact with diversity … they offer a provocative salvo in furthering our understanding of the shallow adaptations of diversity and inclusion occurring in white evangelical organizations throughout the United States. In an era where racial coding and antagonism continue to resonate throughout social and political discourse, Barron and Williams have given good cause for further examination of the intersection of race, religion, and the city." -- American Journal of Sociology"This book serves as a useful guide for how churches may approach attracting new members in a period of increasing racial diversity and declining worship attendance." -- Review of Religious Research"The Urban Church Imagined sheds light on this problematic dichotomy of the desire to reach the urban population and to be relevant in the racially diverse context of urban areas on the one hand, and the implicit racism, sexism, and classism undergirding their history on the other hand … The critical perspective offered in the book has a massive potential as a working tool for professionals involved in urban ministry, both lay and ordained … Overall, The Urban Church Imagined is a practical, insightful, and well written exploration of the challenges of social aspects in urban ministry that carries massive potential for the modern church as a whole, both the urban and the rural, both the diverse and the homogeneous." -- Anglican Theological Review"The City Imagined expertly takes us into the heart of 'new urban' Christianity, a Christianity reflecting a renewed interest in the city, but a city highly constructed to serve idealized purposes. With richness of analysis and deep insight, we learn about the very heart of new America--thegood, the bad, and the ugly. A fascinating read." -- Michael O. Emerson,Provost and Professor, North Park University and author of Blacks and Whites in Christian America"Ambitious evangelicals want to reach the citya dynamic place filled with connotations of fashion, power, and cosmopolitanism. But the desire of evangelical churches to be relevant and racially diverse is colliding with the implicit racism still underlying their history. Drawing from observations in a multiracial evangelical church in downtown Chicago, The Urban Church Imagined reveals how modern evangelicalism is deeply entangled in the desire for contemporary relevance while persisting in racial prejudices and outright discrimination." -- Gerardo Marti,author of A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church"Barron and her coauthor, Rhys H. Williams, closely observe church members and leaders through interviews and ethnographic work. In doing so, they establish a better understanding of the links between city culture and modern evangelicalism that make Downtown Church appealing to its young members who desire an interracial and hip churchgoing experience." * Religious Studies Review *

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Book SynopsisThe Mormon Church entered the public square on LGBT issues by joining forces with traditional-marriage proponents in Hawaii in 1993. Since then, the church has been a significant player in the ongoing saga of LGBT rights within the United States and at times has carried decisive political clout.Gregory Prince draws from over 50,000 pages of public records, private documents, and interview transcripts to capture the past half-century of the Mormon Church's attitudes on homosexuality. Initially that principally involved only its own members, but with its entry into the Hawaiian political arena, the church signaled an intent to shape the outcome of the marriage equality battle. That involvement reached a peak in 2008 during California's fight over Proposition 8, which many came to call the “Mormon Proposition.” In 2015, when the Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land, the Mormon Church turned its attention inward, declaring same-sex couples “apostates” and denying their children access to key Mormon rites of passage, including the blessing (christening) of infants and the baptism of children.Trade ReviewFocusing on the place held by three immensely popular Sufi saints—Rumi, Yunus Emre, and Haji Bektash—in the Turkish imagination, Soileau provides a fascinating insight into the religious sensibilities and social and political conflicts of modern Turkey. He perceptively reconstructs contestations about the nature of their sainthood that allowed socialists and nationalists, Alevis and Sunnis, humanists and Islamists to appropriate these saints as icons symbolising their own world view."" - Martin van Bruinessen, co-author of Sufism and the ""Modern"" in Islam

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Book SynopsisJoseph Smith, the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of the broader Latter-day Saint movement, produced several volumes of scripture between 1829, when he translated the Book of Mormon, and 1844, when he was murdered. The Book of Mormon, published in 1830, is well known. Less read and studied are the subsequent texts that Smith translated after the Book of Mormon, texts that he presented as the writings of ancient Old World and New World prophets. These works were published and received by early Latter-day Saints as prophetic scripture that included important revelations and commandments from God. This collaborative volume is the first to study Joseph Smith's translation projects in their entirety. In this carefully curated collection, experts contribute cutting-edge research and incisive analysis. The chapters explore Smith's translation projects in focused detail and in broad contexts, as well as in comparison and conversation with one another. Authors approach Smith's sacred texts historically, textually, linguistically, and literarily to offer a multidisciplinary view. Scrupulous examination of the production and content of Smith's translations opens new avenues for understanding the foundations of Mormonism, provides insight on aspects of early American religious culture, and helps conceptualize the production and transmission of sacred texts.

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Book SynopsisBorn into a traditional culture in 1833, Emanuel Suter cultivated the art of pottery and expanded markets across the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, creating a thriving company and leaving thousands of examples of utilitarian ceramic ware that have survived down to the present. Drawing on Suter's diary-rich with meticulous descriptions of his ceramic wares, along with glazing recipes and the quotidian details of nineteenth-century business-as well as myriad other primary and secondary sources, Suter's great-great-grandson Scott Hamilton Suter tells the story of how a farmer with a seasonal sideline developed into a technologically advanced entrepreneur who operated a modern industrial company. As a farmer, Emanuel Suter innovated by adopting new time-saving equipment; this progressive thinking bled over into his religious life, as he endeavored to change the traditional way of choosing ministers by lot and advocated for the formation of Sunday schools in the Mennonite Church. But Suter largely made his mark as a potter, and A Potter's Progress is enhanced by nearly two dozen color images and a close study of the techniques (including kilns and jigger wheels), products, shop organization, marketing, and labor of Suter's shops, revealing the revolutionary role they played in the world of Rockingham County, Virginia, pottery manufacture. This tightly focused case study of the trials and triumphs of one craftsman as he moved from a cottage industry to a full-scale industrial enterprise-prefiguring the market economy that would characterize the twentieth century-serves as a microcosm for examining the American spirit of progress in late nineteenth-century America.Trade ReviewThis is a well-researched, engaging, and easily accessible case study that will be a welcome addition to the scholarship to Progressive Era history, material culture studies, Mennonite history, and Shenandoah Valley regional history." - Mark Metzler Swain, author of Raising Kane: Dr. Kane and the Culture of Fame in Anetbellum America

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2021 Best International Book Award from the Mormon History Association In the late nineteenth century, numerous French plays, novels, cartoons, and works of art focused on Mormons. Unlike American authors who portrayed Mormons as malevolent “others,” however, French dramatists used Mormonism to point out hypocrisy in their own culture. Aren't Mormon women, because of their numbers in a household, more liberated than French women who can't divorce? What is polygamy but another name for multiple mistresses? This new critical edition presents translations of four musical comedies staged or published in France in the late 1800s: Mormons in Paris (1874), Berthelier Meets the Mormons (1875), Japheth’s Twelve Wives (1890), and Stephana’s Jewel (1892). Each is accompanied by a short contextualizing introduction with details about the music, playwrights, and staging. Humorous and largely unknown, these plays use Mormonism to explore and mock changing French mentalities during the Third Republic, lampooning shifting attitudes and evolving laws about marriage, divorce, and gender roles. Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.Trade Review"Mormons in Paris is as erudite as it is enchanting. In their introduction, Corry Cropper and Christopher Flood show exceptional depth and breadth of knowledge about French theater, opera, and light opera and their place in late nineteenth-century French culture. The language of the translations is natural and readable, and the little songs in verse are especially delightful." -- Susan McCready * author of Staging France between the World Wars *"This well-introduced collection of little-known musical comedies featuring French characterizations of Mormonism is a welcome contribution to nineteenth-century French cultural studies. The translations themselves are excellent . . . the authors’ choices of idiomatic expressions capture just the right tone, neither anachronistically modern nor too archaic to retain their impact." -- Andrea Goulet * co-editor of Orphan Black: Performance, Gender, Biopolitics *Table of Contents List of Illustrations Introduction Chapter 1: Mormons in Paris Louis Leroy and Alfred Delacour Chapter 2: Berthelier Meets the Mormons Chapter 3: Japheth’s Twelve Wives Antony Mars and Maurice Desvallières Chapter 4: Stephana’s Jewel Arthur Bernède and Albert Dubarry Acknowledgements Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates a puzzling and neglected phenomenon - the rise of English Arminianism during the decade of puritan rule. Throughout the 1650s, numerous publications, from scholarly folios to popular pamphlets, attacked the doctrinal commitments of Reformed Orthodoxy. This anti-Calvinist onslaught came from different directions: episcopalian royalists (Henry Hammond, Herbert Thorndike, Peter Heylyn), radical puritan defenders of the regicide (John Goodwin and John Milton), and sectarian Quakers and General Baptists. Unprecedented rejection of Calvinist soteriology was often coupled with increased engagement with Catholic, Lutheran and Remonstrant alternatives. As a result, sophisticated Arminian publications emerged on a scale that far exceeded the Laudian era. Cromwellian England therefore witnessed an episode of religious debate that significantly altered the doctrinal consensus of the Church of England for the remainder of the seventeenth century. The book will appeal to historians interested in the contested nature of 'Anglicanism' and theologians interested in Protestant debates regarding sovereignty and free will. Part One is a work of religious history, which charts the rise of English Arminianism across different ecclesial camps - episcopal, puritan and sectarian. These chapters not only introduce the main protagonists but also highlight a surprising range of distinctly English Arminian formulations. Part Two is a work of historical theology, which traces the detailed doctrinal formulations of two prominent divines - the puritan John Goodwin and the episcopalian Henry Hammond. Their Arminian theologies are set in the context of the Western theological tradition and the soteriological debates, that followed the Synod of Dort. The book therefore integrates historical and theological enquiry to offer a new perspective on the crisis of 'Calvinism' in post-Reformation England.Trade ReviewWho would benefit from reading the book? Theologians naturally, and especially those concerned with the religious differences of seventeenth-century England. * FACHRS *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Religious Identity and Doctrinal Debate Part I. 'This Quinquarticular war': Charting the rise of English Arminianism 1 . The Crisis of Calvinism in the 1650s: Background and Explanation 2. Puritan Arminianism 3. Episcopal Arminianism 4. Sectarian Arminianism Part I Conclusion Part II. 'Quinqu-Articularis' : Tracing the contours of English Arminian Theologies 5. Ordo Decretorum: Confessional Traditions and Doctrinal Disputes 6. John Goodwin's Arminian Theology 7. Henry Hammond's Arminian Theology Part II Conclusion Conclusion: Reimagining English Theology 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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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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