Protestantism and Protestant Churches Books

Book SynopsisThrough his ethnographic study of the fishermen and their religious beliefs, Webster speaks to larger debates about religious radicalism, materiality, economy, language, and the symbolic. These debates also call into question assumptions about the decline of religion in modern industrial societies.Trade Review"A provocative study that draws on the traditional strengths of [anthropology]: village community, reflexive ethnography, ritual and everyday life . . . In addition to scholars of Christianity, anthropologists of Europe, and those interested in the globalization of religion generally, this book could make a good pairing with other works on religious life taking different theoretical turns and engaging distinct ethnographic settings . . . Webster's work makes an excellent contribution to the Contemporary Anthropology of Religion series and portends more good things to come from this young scholar." - Anthropology News 'An innovative attempt to understand the relationship between language and materiality in terms of the Protestant doctrine of consubstantiation . . . The Anthropology of Protestantism enriches the engagement between anthropology and theology, and is a valuable contribution to the anthropology of Christianity and the study of language and materiality. It deserves to earn a wide readership.' - The Anthropology of Christianity Bibliographic Blog "Webster's timely and fascinating book takes us inside the world of an austere traditional community of Protestant Brethren who must confront the radical economic and ecological crisis of the contemporary fishing industry, but with their gaze always fixed on the End of Days. The Anthropology of Protestantism takes us beyond the established study of Pentecostal and charismatic churches, and offers compelling ethnographic and theoretical insights into contemporary Protestantism." - Fenella Cannell, PhD, Social Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK "This is quite simply the most compelling, rounded account of the lives of fundamentalist Christians that we have in the anthropological literature. All that is important to the Christians of this Scottish fishing village is here the prayers, the sermons, the sense of human degradation and potential salvation, the immanence of the divine, the imminence of the end times, and the drive to proselytize everywhere, even in the midst of hard and dangerous work at sea. And of course the importance of divine word is here too, in a profound account of the 'sincere' bible reading and speaking that ties these lives together. Concluding with a stunning reconceptualization of modern enchantment as consubstantiation, this elegantly written and powerfully argued book should be read by anyone who wants to know how such demanding forms of Christianity are lived in the contemporary world." - Joel Robbins, Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, USATable of ContentsIntroduction: Gamrie, Words, Signs PART I: GAMRIE 1. Situating Gamrie 2. The Triple Pinch PART II: WORDS 3. Preaching 4. Testimony 5. Fishing PART III: SIGNS 6. Providence and Attack 7. Eschatology Conclusion: Enchantment

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Book SynopsisThis innovative volume provides an interdisciplinary, theoretically innovative answer to an enduring question for Pentecostal/charismatic Christianities: how do women lead churches? This study fills this lacuna by examining the leadership and legacy of two architects of the Pentecostal movement - Maria Woodworth-Etter and Aimee Semple McPherson.Trade Review“In the face of a lack of in-depth studies on these intriguing religious figures, the book aims to fill the gap in existing religious and gender studies scholarship, offering a theoretically-based, interdisciplinary study. … a fascinating historical journey through the process of establishing legitimacy as a woman pastor in the early twentieth century. Therefore, this book represents a valuable contribution to the history of American revivalism, religion and gender studies and to the further research of female evangelists.” (Aleksandra Djurić Milovanović, Religion & Gender, Vol. 7 (2), 2017)Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Ideal American Minister 2. "Walking Bibles": Narrating Female Pentecostal Ministry 3. "Pants Don't Make Preachers": The Image of a Female Pentecostal Minister 4. "A Glorious Symbol": Building a Female Pentecostal Worship Space 5. "Thunder" and "Sweetness": Authority and Gender in Pentecostal Performance 6. "A Regular Jezebel": Female Ministry, Pentecostal Ministry on Trial Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an up-to-date treatment of Rudolf Otto and his work, placing him in the context of comparative religion, theology, and the philosophy of religion. Yoshitsugu Sawai shows how Otto has three faces: the Lutheran Theologian, the Philosopher of Religion, and the Comparative Religionist. The book also shows how, of these, Otto saw himself primarily as a Lutheran Theologian, and provides an account of Otto's engagement with India and the centrality that Hindu theology had on his thinking. In Otto's theory of religion, his well-known concepts including wholly other and numinous constitute a multiple structure of meaning. For example, his concept of the wholly other (das ganz Andere) no doubt has the meaning of God in his Christian theological studies. At the same time, however, from the perspective of comparative religion or the phenomenology of religion, this same term semantically implies the ultimate reality of other religious traditions; Brahman and God (Isvara) in HTrade ReviewRudolf Otto and the Foundation of the History of Religions brings to the English-reading public a comprehensive understanding of the life, intentions, and scholarly achievements of Rudolf Otto (1869-1937). Yoshitsugu Sawai’s erudite study shows Otto to be not only a well-known scholar of comparative religion with a deep and lasting interest in India’s Hindu traditions, but also a philosopher of religion and a dedicated Lutheran theologian. Generalizations about Otto can now be nuanced and corrected, so that we can better appreciate his contributions and their limits too. This is now the go-to work for understanding Otto. * Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard University, USA *This is a very important, even definitive, work on Otto; the author’s erudition is evident throughout this engaging and well-written book. * Gavin Flood, Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion, Oxford University, UK *In this perceptive study, Yoshitsugu Sawai suggests that we reframe Otto’s ideas in terms of the semantic analysis of the Japanese philosopher and scholar of religions, Toshihiko Izutsu. As a bonus, he draws attention to the work of Japanese scholars that are not generally accessible to English speakers. * Gregory Alles, Professor of Religious Studies, McDaniel College, USA *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction: The History of Religions and Otto’s Perspectives on Religion 1. Otto’s Lifetime as a Christian Theologian 2. Journeys to the East: India as the Foundation of Otto’s Comparative Religion 3. Comparative Religious Perspectives on the Holy 4. Influences of the History-of-Religions School on Otto’s Religious Theory 5. Parallelism of Mysticism in Religions East and West 6. The Concept of the “Wholly Other” and the Experience of the Depth 7. Vedanta Philosophy as the Discourse of Mystic Experience 8. Toward the Semantic Understanding of Religions Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis selection of the writings of John Calvin (1509—1564) is the first for general readers to appear in many years. It showcases his powerful legacy, which has had far-reaching consequences for the development of religion and culture in Western Europe and in the shaping of American identity.Calvin was a prodigious preacher and writer, and his sermons, Bible commentaries, tracts, and letters fill dozens of volumes. The works chosen for John Calvin: Steward of God’s Covenant highlight ideas central to the Reformation but also to his influence on modern life, e.g., the importance of a work ethic and the notion of being “called” to action in the world; his belief in universal education for boys and girls; and his belief in the sanctity and freedom of individual conscience. Calvin’s theology of the “elect” of God motivated the English and Dutch Calvinists who settled the Atlantic seaboard, their Promised Land. The traditions of their com

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