Protestantism and Protestant Churches Books

Book SynopsisFaith in Markets offers a new account of the interplay between religion and capitalism in nineteenth-century American history by telling the stories of the Protestant entrepreneurs who established businesses to serve as agents of cultural and economic reform.Trade ReviewThis book is an extraordinarily well-researched examination of the origins of what we now call ‘Christian business enterprise’ and an impeccably detailed and rich account of three different forms of Christian business enterprises. Throughout, Slaughter provides a beautifully wrought narrative of these enterprises, their founders, and how Christianity and capitalism interacted. -- Paul Harvey, author of Christianity and Race in the American South: A HistoryThe long history of free enterprise in the United States cannot be understood without reckoning with the history of religion. Wherever a marketplace emerged it did so in loud engagement with Protestants who sought its use for varied theological and social ends. A critical intervention in the history of capitalism. -- Kathryn Lofton, author of Consuming ReligionIn Faith in Markets, Slaughter expertly explores how early American Protestants grappled with the moral implications of capitalism. Neither fully embracing nor rejecting a laissez-faire market model, his protagonists sought to transform capitalism into a tool of moral uplift. This is a must-read book for anyone seeking to understand the roots of American Christianity’s relationship with capitalism. -- Sharon Murphy, author of Banking on Slavery: Financing Southern Expansion in the Antebellum United StatesSlaughter’s study of ‘Christian business enterprises’ is a timely, readable, and searching account of the long-standing entanglement of religion and business in early national America. Few recent works have done as much to demonstrate the connections between specific forms of Christian theology and market capitalism. -- Seth Perry, author of Bible Culture and Authority in the Early United StatesFaith in Markets is a masterfully researched, lucidly written, and analytically keen study of the relationship between Protestantism and business in nineteenth-century America. Through compelling accounts that demonstrate a new approach to religion and capitalism, Slaughter shows the reader the wonders and diversity of what he aptly labels as early forms of Christian business enterprises. -- Mark Valeri, author of Heavenly Merchandize: How Religion Shaped Commerce in Puritan AmericaTable of ContentsIntroduction: Early Nineteenth-Century Capitalism and ReligionPart I: Christian Communal Capitalism1. Communal Industry: Harmonie, Pennsylvania2. Industry on the Frontier: Harmonie, Indiana3. Republican Industry: Economie, PennsylvaniaPart II: Christian Reform Capitalism4. The Sabbatarians5. The Pioneers6. Conflict, Defeat, and VictoryPart III: Christian Virtue Capitalism7. Methodist Printer-Publishers8. Creating a Moral Republic9. Fostering an American Protestant IdentityConclusion: Morality and Markets, Then and NowAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA history of mainline Protestant responses to immigrants and refugees during the twentieth centuryOpen Hearts, Closed Doors uncovers the largely overlooked role that liberal Protestants played in fostering cultural diversity in America and pushing for new immigration laws during the forty years following the passage of the restrictive Immigration Act of 1924. These efforts resulted in the complete reshaping of the US cultural and religious landscape. During this period, mainline Protestants contributed to the national debate over immigration policy and joined the charge for immigration reform, advocating for a more diverse pool of newcomers. They were successful in their efforts, and in 1965 the quota system based on race and national origin was abolished. But their activism had unintended consequences, because the liberal immigration policies they supported helped to end over three centuries of white Protestant dominance in American society. Yet, Pruitt argues, in losing their culTrade Review"[Makes] a highly distinctive contribution by clarifying the relationship between ecumenical, ‘mainline’ Protestant churches and immigration policy. While analyzing the multi-decade liberal Protestant lobby against racist immigration laws and practices, Pruitt reveals a sophisticated understanding of denominational cultures, the importance of which down through the 1960s is too often forgotten. . . . A carefully designed, skillfully executed work that will interest students of the relation of religion to politics in modern America." -- David A. Hollinger, University of California, Berkeley"An outstanding study examining the role of mainline Protestant churches in fostering religious pluralism in twentieth-century America. Steeped in original research and lucidly written, Open Hearts, Closed Doors not only serves as an important study to understand an overlooked aspect of twentieth-century American Protestantism. It highlights ongoing struggles today regarding how we interpret America’s uneasy relationship with pluralism. Pruitt serves as an expert guide in taking the reader through his topic, producing a work that will be invaluable to scholars and students alike." -- Christopher Evans, Professor of the History of Christianity, Boston University"Open Hearts, Closed Doors makes valuable contributions to the academic literature on immigration, religion, and American history…By highlighting how white mainline Protestants in the past chose to care for the foreign-born and advocate for fair immigration policies, Pruitt offers a gentle lesson to white mainline Protestants in the present—that they, too, can choose to engage compassionately and humanely in the immigration debates of the current day." -- Melissa Borja, University of Michigan * Reading Religion *"Pruitt’s portrayal of the mainline Protestants not only shows the folly of their positions, but also the folly of those American Lutheran leaders who sought to emulate them." * Lutheran Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisRecovers the religious origins of the War on DrugsMany people view the War on Drugs as a contemporary phenomenon invented by the Nixon administration. But as this new book shows, the conflict actually began more than a century before, when American Protestants began the temperance movement and linked drug use with immorality.Christian Nationalism and the Birth of the War on Drugs argues that this early drug war was deeply rooted in Christian impulses. While many scholars understand Prohibition to have been a Protestant undertaking, it is considerably less common to consider the War on Drugs this way, in part because racism has understandably been the focal point of discussions of the drug war. Antidrug activists expressedand still do express--blatant white supremacist and nativist motives. Yet this book argues that that racism was intertwined with religious impulses. Reformers pursued the civilizing mission, a wide-ranging project that sought to protect child races from harmful influences while remodeling their cultures to look like Europe and the United States. Most reformers saw Christianity as essential to civilization and missionaries felt that banning drugs would encourage religious conversion and progress. This compelling work of scholarship radically reshapes our understanding of one of the longest and most damaging conflicts in modern American history, making the case that we cannot understand the War on Drugs unless we understand its religious origins.Trade Review"The American crusade against intoxicants began earlier than you might think. An in-depth reassessment of the war on drugs, with lessons for students of American religion, crime, and white supremacy." * Kirkus Reviews *"There is a long history to the war on drugs that began in the Nixon administration, and it is one closely tied to Protestant Christianity, argues Monteith. This groundbreaking work will be appreciated particularly by scholars, but those with an interest in history or Christian history will likely find it engaging as well." * Library Journal *"Quite thorough in its scope and features theological, legal, racist, and cultural trends as they related to the war on drugs. . . . Solid historically, important culturally and politically, and eye opening religiously. " -- Gary Laderman, Goodrich C. White Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory College"A superb analysis of one of America’s most enduring social problems. Monteith’s historical research, coupled with his astute engagement with theories of religion, make this a groundbreaking contribution to many fields. " -- Cara Burnidge, author of A Peaceful Conquest: Woodrow Wilson, Religion, and the New World Order

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Book SynopsisExamines the diverse experiences of Reformed Protestant religious refugees fleeing war and persecution in the Netherlands for cities and towns in the Holy Roman Empire in the late sixteenth century. Starting in the mid-sixteenth century, widespread persecution and war forced tens of thousands of Reformed Protestants in the Netherlands to flee their homes for new communities in England and the Holy Roman Empire. This book follows those refugees who escaped to large cities and small towns to the east and southeast, up the Rhine River watershed. The comprehensive approach taken here examines these forced migrations from political, intellectual, social, cultural, religious, and linguistic perspectives, including using a large prosopographical database to track refugees' movements and experiences. It challenges scholars' claims that Reformed Protestants developed more doctrinal, volunteeristic, and well-organized churches particularly capable of surviving the challenges of persecution and exile. Instead, the authors show, refugees proved remarkably willing to compromise and adapt, even as they built new relationships with the unfamiliar people they met abroad. Based on an extensive collaboration between two senior scholars with different but complementary intellectual backgrounds—one a European trained in theology and intellectual history and the other a North American with expertise in social and cultural history—and the team of researchers they led, this book challenges conventional wisdom about refugees and forced migrations in early modern Europe. Upon publication, this book is openly available in digital formats thanks to generous funding from the Dutch Research Council.Table of ContentsFigures and Tables Abbreviations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Leaving Home 2. Foreign Accommodations 3. Strangers and Neighbors 4. Managing Worship 5. Living in Diaspora 6. Returning and Remembering Afterword Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisJohn Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a defining book of the Reformation and a pillar of Protestant theology. First published in Latin in 1536 and in Calvin's native French in 1541, the Institutes argues for the majesty of God and for justification by faith alone. The book decisively shaped Calvinism as a major religious and intelleTrade Review"Bruce Gordon provides an essential biography of Calvin's influential and enduring theological masterpiece, tracing the diverse ways it has been read and interpreted from Calvin's time to today."--Worcester Telegram "A compelling argument."--Brian Bethune, Maclean's "This is an excellent volume. I warmly commend it to anyone with an interest in Calvin's Institutes, and the way it has been understood through the centuries."--Tony Lane, Gospel Coalition "While Gordon's book will contribute to scholarship on the Reformation in general, and Calvin and the Reformed tradition in particular, it will be particularly beneficial to students and non-specialists who are interested in Calvin but have never read his opus magnum in its entirety. Gordon's biography of the Institutes is a welcome addition to the scholarship and I highly recommend it."--Inseo Song, Reading Religion "Bruce Gordon's short book is worth reading... As an introduction to the complex legacy of one of the magisterial Reformers, Gordon's book is an excellent place to begin."--Judith Maltby, Church Times "Eminent Reformation historian Gordon presents an exceptionally interesting and readable account of the 'life' of Calvin's great theological classic Institutes of the Christian Religion."--Choice "While there have been scores of studies tracking the legacy of John Calvin and his theological vision in the history of Christianity and the western world, this new study of the Rezeptionsgeschichte of Calvin's magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, is unique. Gordon ... ably shows that this work well deserves a place in a series devoted to the 'Lives of Great Religious Books.'"--Michael A.G. Haykin, Church History and Religious CultureTable of ContentsPreface xi Acknowledgments xvii Note on the Translation Used xix Introduction Remembering a Man and His Book 1 Chapter 1 A Book Emerges 13 Chapter 2 1559: The Year of the Book 35 Chapter 3 The Inheritors 48 Chapter 4 Enlightenment Ambivalence 68 Chapter 5 Fashioning a Reformer 89 Chapter 6 America's Calvins 110 Chapter 7 "A Very Calvinist Professor" and His Dutch Friends 122 Chapter 8 Titans: Barth and Brunner 133 Chapter 9 Prophet of Modernity-Prince of Tyrants 148 Chapter 10 Oppression and Liberation: South Africa 166 Chapter 11 Change and Dissent: China 183 Chapter 12 Contemporary Voices 198 Afterword 219 Appendix 1 Burning a Man and His Books: Michael Servetus and John Calvin 223 Appendix 2 Calvin's Editions of Institutes of the Christian Religion 227 Notes 229 Index 255

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] richly detailed portrait."—D.G. Hart, Wall Street Journal"Hendrix has written a scholarly but vivid portrait of a man who, in a spiritual crisis, peered deep into St. Paul’s words about the righteous living by faith, and thought he had found there a new purpose for himself, his friends, his country and all true Christians."—Michael Duggan, Catholic Herald"There is a plenty of detail in this well-researched study with its extensive cast of characters, and attention to matters as diverse as Luther’s ability to play the lute and his vulnerability to bouts of depression. . . . Luther’s very real humanity emerges in these accounts."—Martin Wellings, Methodist Recorder"Hendrix covers Luther’s life, outlines his thought and assesses his theology. Crucially though, theology is not allowed to dominate and we see Luther’s ideas against the background of his life and his personal relationships."—Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper"[Hendrix] has given us a Luther who is not only an extraordinary theologian, but also a firm friend, a demanding colleague, an energetic administrator, a mediocre politician, and a loving, if sometimes heavy-handed, husband and father . . . What keeps it together is Hendrix’s sharp insights, his easy style and his unfailing eye for telling facts or quotations."—Dr. Alec Ryrie, Church Times"Scott Hendrix is a veteran insider historian from the American Protestant tradition, with the worthy aim of tackling some of the complacent myths all families build up about their founding fathers… an efficient performance."—Diarmaid Mac Culloch, London Review of Books"Hendrix here offers not only a biography of Luther, but a history of the early Lutheran Reformation. This is indeed a good Luther biography. As 2017 approaches, it will be by no means the last, but the breadth and depth of insight of Hendrix’s biography will make it very difficult to match."—Charlotte Methuen, Theology“[Hendrix’s] intention in writing this volume, he says, was to provide a readable, up-to-date, comprehensive but not too long account of Luther’s life. . . he has certainly achieved this. . . A comprehensive account, and one which is likely to become a standard reference.” —Kenneth Austin, Huguenot Society Journal "One of the best things about this humane and sensitive biography is that it sets Luther in context. Rather than the tormented hero of romantic myth, we have a busy scholar, teacher, preacher and writer surrounded by colleagues, friends and family, responding to the myriad unforeseen challenges that his epoch-changing insights had brought down on him. Enlivening circumstantial details ensure that Scott Hendrix’s Luther truly inhabits his cultural, political and spiritual world."—Euan Cameron, author of The European Reformation"I did not expect to learn much from reading yet another Luther biography. But I was wrong. Scott Hendrix’s Luther is in many respects a primus inter pares—establishing a point of view that is not, in my opinion, the least of Hendrix’s achievements in this important biography."—David Steinmetz, author of Luther in Context

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

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Book SynopsisMennonite German Soldiers traces the efforts of a small, pacifist, Christian religious minority in eastern Prussia-the Mennonite communities of the Vistula River basin-to preserve their exemption from military service, which was based on their religious confession of faith. Conscription was mandatory for nearly all male Prussian citizens, and the willingness to fight and die for country was essential to the ideals of a developing German national identity. In this engaging historical narrative, Mark Jantzen describes the policies of the Prussian federal and regional governments toward the Mennonites over a hundred-year period and the legal, economic, and social pressures brought to bear on the Mennonites to conform. Mennonite leaders defended the exemptions of their communities'' sons through a long history of petitions and legal pleas, and sought alternative ways, such as charitable donations, to support the state and prove their loyalty. Faced with increasingly punitive legaTrade Review“Jantzen emphasizes not only church and state dynamics but also tensions within the governing party, as well as those within the Mennonite community. The state increased its impact as the population became increasingly nationalistic. Jantzen also observes how theological developments among German Protestants influenced Mennonite pastors and thought leaders. Jantzen portrays an evolving Mennonite identity over a hundred-year period. His book makes a significant contribution to understanding the richness, diversity, and struggle in the Mennonite story.” —Mennonite Weekly Review“Mennonite German Soldiers offers a fascinating, carefully researched study of Prussian Mennonites during much of the nineteenth century. The author describes with exacting detail how persistent state and societal pressures coerced Mennonites into becoming ‘good German citizens.’ The book is organized into ten chapters, the last including observations on how profoundly the self-understanding of this Mennonite community changed, resulting in a culturally adapted Scriptural hermeneutic.” —Mennonite Brethren Herald“[A] fascinating analysis of how Prussian Mennonites adapted so thoroughly between 1772 and 1880 to German national identity and its attendant military responsibilities. . . . Jantzen deftly combines social, political, and family history along with the more traditional religious and political narratives to show us how Mennonites, as individuals, members of their communities, and family members, altered their religious identity. He also reveals the shifting attitudes and approaches taken by various levels and iterations of the Prussian government." —American Historical Review“This book deserves wide readership. The Mennonite experience in nineteenth-century Prussia/Germany is an intriguing example of the complex negotiations between a religious minority and the modern state. Jantzen’s analysis also holds valuable insights for the contemporary German Integrationsdebatte.” —German Studies Review“This is the first full-length study of a problem peculiar to Mennonites, but with implications for other minority religious groups and mainline churches: the issue of full political participation and enthusiastic military service in defense of shared national values. . . . This is a thoroughly researched work, graced by a broad view and written with a clear persuasive style that exhibits frequent poetic touches.” —The Mennonite Quarterly Review“In this engaging historical narrative, Mark Jantzen describes the policies of the Prussian federal and regional governments toward the Mennonites over a hundred-year period and the legal, economic, and social pressures brought to bear on the Mennonites to conform. . . . The public debates over their place in Prussian society shed light on a multi-confessional German past and on the dissemination of nationalist values.” —Canadian Mennonite“Jantzen’s study is highly recommended for anyone interested in Mennonite history. In addition to helping readers better understand the history of this important segment of the Mennonite past, it also sheds light on the character and identity of Mennonites from this community, who migrated to Russia and from there to North America and Latin America.” —Catholic Historical Review“With this highly informative volume, Professor Jantzen takes a major step in correcting the relative neglect, at least in English historical literature, of this period of Mennonite history in central Europe. While a number of German studies have addressed significant issues of this stressful century in German Mennonite history, none has done so with the analysis and Sitz im Leben perspective that Jantzen demonstrates.” —Journal of Mennonite Studies“In his remarkable study of Mennonites in the Prussian East, Mark Jantzen convincingly demonstrates how an examination of a seemingly marginal religious minority can make significant contributions to understanding larger historical processes, in this case those that shaped Prussia and Germany and the development of the modern state in Western Europe.” —Mennonite Life“This abundantly documented study explores the course of acculturation of the Mennonites, who from the sixteenth century on settled in the Vistula Delta and became Prussian subjects in the first partition of Poland. . . . That Jantzen’s discussion of the two literary works frames his social and political interpretation is also a welcome example of how productive it can be to combine one’s specialization with different approaches to history.” —Church History

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

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Book SynopsisThe Augsburg Confession: The Concordia Reader''s Edition offers you the chance to read and study the Augsburg Confession in an edition designed with the lay reader in mind. You will find a comprehensive introduction and explanation of why and how the Augsburg Confession was written. Before each of the articles in the Confession, you will find a summary and explanation of technical terms and phrases that may appear in the article. This edition also features pictures of the key Lutheran laymen who were responsible for the Augsburg Confession, from Philip Melanchthon, the author, to John the Steadfast and George of Brandenburg, two brave Lutheran leaders who refused to compromise their trust in Christ, and insisted on boldly confessing it before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.The goal of this edition is to aid understanding and give you a fuller picture of the Augsburg Confession and why it remains, to this day, the most basic and fundamental of the L

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Book SynopsisMartin Luther remains a popular, oft-quoted, referenced, lauded historical figure. He is often seen as the fulcrum upon which the medieval turned into the modern, the last great medieval or the first great modern; or, he is the Protestant hero, the virulent anti-Semite; the destroyer of Catholic decadence, or the betrayer of the peasant cause. An important but contested figure, he was all of these things. Understanding Luther''s context helps us to comprehend how a single man could be so many seemingly contradictory things simultaneously. Martin Luther in Context explores the world around Luther in order to make the man and the Reformation movement more understandable. Written by an international team of leading scholars, it includes over forty short, accessible essays, all specially commissioned for this volume, which reconstruct the life and world of Martin Luther. The volume also contextualizes the scholarship and reception of Luther in the popular mind.Trade Review'Whitford … brought together a sterling team of Reformation specialists to produce this volume, which offers a comprehensive topical introduction to Martin Luther and his world … This book will be a fine reference resource as well as a readable introduction to Luther and the world that shaped him.' M. A. Granquist, ChoiceTable of ContentsPart I. Life and Education: 1. Luther: a life of successful struggle Adam L. Wirrig; 2. Luther's family and home life Sabine Hiebsch; 3. Education in early sixteenth-century Europe Christopher Carlsmith; 4. Monastic life and monastic theology in early modern Germany Tarald Rasmussen; 5. The University of Wittenberg Jonathan Mumme; Part II. Religious and Intellectual Context: 6. Western Christianity in 1500 Kenneth J. Woo; 7. Late medieval piety: St Anne, Martin Luther, and the Salvific journey Beth Allison Barr; 8. Late medieval theology Gordon Jensen; 9. Calls for reform before Martin Luther Euan Cameron; 10. Penance and indulgences Ronald K. Rittgers; 11. Luther and the papacy Ralph Keen; 12. Northern humanism and its impact David H. Price; 13. Martin Luther and the printing press Allyson F. Creasman; Part III. Social and Cultural Context: 14. The Holy Roman Empire David Luebke; 15. The Imperial Diet in the 1520s Christopher W. Close; 16. The German Peasants' War Michael G. Baylor; 17. Origins of the Schmalkaldic League W. Bradford Smith; 18. The Turks Gregory J. Miller; 19. Women and gender Amy E. Leonard; 20. Apocalypticism in the sixteenth century Lawrence P. Buck; 21. Jews and Judaism Stephen G. Burnett; 22. Luther's artists Larry Silver; 23. Persecution, martyrdom, and flight in Luther's Europe Timothy J. Orr; Part IV. People: 24. Martin Luther's magisterial defenders David M. Whitford; 25. Luther's Catholic opponents Michael Tavuzzi; 26. Charles V Violet Soen; 27. Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt Martin Kessler; 28. The Wittenberg circle Michael J. Lohrmann; 29. Huldrych Zwingli Rebecca A. Giselbrecht; Part V. Themes in Luther's Thoughts: 30. The 'Solas' of the Reformation Anna Vind; 31. Law and gospel Kirsi Stjerna; 32. Luther's theology of the cross Steven D. Paulson; 33. Erasmus: humanist and theologian Greta Grace Kroeker; 34. Two kingdoms/political theology Jarrett A. Carty; 35. Implementing reform Volker Leppin; Part VI. Works: 36. Luther's treatises and polemics Hans Wiersma; 37. Martin Luther's university lectures and biblical commentaries Mickey L. Mattox; 38. Luther's sermons, catechisms, and worship aids Timothy H. Maschke; 39. Luther´s table talk Ingo Klitzsch; 40. The Luther Bible Arnoud Visser; 41. German and Latin editions of Luther's works Vincent Evener; 42. English editions of Martin Luther's works Alyssa Lehr Evans; Part VII. Reception: 43. The Anabaptists Brian C. Brewer; 44. John Calvin and Calvinism R. Ward Holder; 45. The English Reformation Susan Wabuda; 46. Discord and concord: from the Wittenberg Reformation to Lutheranism Matthias Pohlig; 47. Luther as a German hero John A. Maxfield.

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Book SynopsisFrom the turn of the twentieth century until the end of the Irish Civil War, Protestant nationalists forged a distinct counterculture within an increasingly Catholic nationalist movement. Drawing on a wide range of primary and secondary sources, Conor Morrissey charts the development of nationalism within Protestantism, and describes the ultimate failure of this tradition. The book traces the re-emergence of Protestant nationalist activism in the literary and language movements of the 1890s, before reconstructing their distinctive forms of organisation in the following decades. Morrissey shows how Protestants, mindful of their minority status, formed interlinked networks of activists, and developed a vibrant associational culture. He describes how the increasingly Catholic nature of nationalism - particularly following the Easter Rising - prompted Protestants to adopt a variety of strategies to ensure their voices were still heard. Ultimately, this ambitious and wide-ranging book explores the relationship between religious denomination and political allegiance, casting fresh light on an often-misunderstood period.Trade Review'This splendidly researched study of a minority counterculture is a major contribution to the scholarly debate on Irish nationalism and democracy. Starting from a perceptive account of social and political diversity within the Protestant community, Morrissey unpacks the latter's complex and multi-layered engagement with the Irish revolution of 1912–23.' Eugenio F. Biagini, University of Cambridge'It was rarely comfortable to be a Protestant nationalist in Ireland, but Morrissey shows that it was invigorating and attractive to a surprising number of earnest and talented people who aspired to challenge the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic character of Irish nationalism in the revolutionary decades of the twentieth century.' D. George Boyce, University of Swansea'… this is an important book in an under-researched field.' Oliver P. Rafferty S.J., Journal of Ecclesiastical HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; List of tables; Note on the text; Irish-language terms used; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Radicals, 1900–1910; 2. Dissidents, 1900–1910; 3. Converts, c.1910–1916; 4. Militants, 1912–1916; 5. Rebels, 1916–1917; 6. Outsiders, 1918–1921; 7. Revolutionaries, 1919–1923; 8. Free staters, 1922–1923; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisJohn Calvin in Context offers a comprehensive overview of Calvin''s world. Including essays from social, cultural, feminist, and intellectual historians, each specially commissioned for this volume, the book considers the various early modern contexts in which Calvin worked and wrote. It captures his concerns for Northern humanism, his deep involvement in the politics of Geneva, his relationships with contemporaries, and the polemic necessities of responding to developments in Rome and other Protestant sects, notably Lutheran and Anabaptist. The volume also explores Calvin''s tasks as a pastor and doctor of the church, who was constantly explicating the text of scripture and applying it to the context of sixteenth-century Geneva, as well as the reception of his role in the Reformation and beyond.Demonstrating the complexity of the world in which Calvin lived, John Calvin in Context serves as an essential research tool for scholars and students of early modern Europe.Trade Review'The clarity and economy of the essays will prove useful to instructors introducing students to Calvin and his world, and to more advanced students seeking a clear overview of an aspect of Calvin's thought and career.' J. Harrie, Choice'The purpose of R. Ward Holder's splendid handbook … is not to justify the ways of Calvin to men. And yet it may partly achieve that, since its mission is to explain him: to look at his myriad contexts, social, political, theological, and more.' Alec Ryrie, Church Times'The volume is brought to a masterful conclusion by a forty-eighth chapter that surveys the fortunes of Calvinism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries … each chapter was excellent in its own right … if one must choose only one, let it be Calvin in Context.' Kenneth J. Stewart, Calvin Theological Journal'The expert guidance provided by authors on such a wide range of topics in this admirable collection also highlights possibilities for further research. All contributions to this volume are supported by short reading lists to assist in that endeavour.' Graeme Murdock, The Journal of Ecclesiastical HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction. John Calvin in context R. Ward Holder; Part I. France and its Influence: 1. John Calvin's life G. Sujin Pak; 2. French Christianity in the early 1500s Raymond A. Mentzer; 3. The University of Paris during Calvin's life Greta Grace Kroeker; 4. French humanism Olivier Millet; 5. French religious politics Jonathan Reid; 6. The French wars of religion Diane Margolf; Part II. Switzerland, Southern Germany, and Geneva: 7. The Swiss Confederation in the age of John Calvin Bruce Gordon; 8. Strasbourg in the sixteenth century Steven Tyra; 9. Geneva and its protectors Charles Parker; 10. Daily life in Geneva Jill Fehleison; 11. Reforming the city-state: government in Geneva William Naphy; 12. Consistories and discipline Jeffrey Watt; 13. Reformed education and the Genevan Academy Karin Maag; 14. Worship, pastorale, and diaconate in early modern life Elsie A. McKee; Part III. Empire and Society: 15. The politics of the emperors Ute Lotz-Heumann; 16. Judaism in Europe during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance David Price; 17. Refugees Jesse Sponholz; 18. Calvin and women Elizabeth A. Lehfeldt; Part IV. The Religious Question: 19. Western ideals of religious reform Brad Gregory; 20. The Luther affair David M. Whitford; 21. Religious colloquies Ronald Rittgers; 22. The Council of Trent and the Augsburg Interirm Kathleen Comerford; 23. Biblical scholarship Jon Balserak; 24. The printed word Andrew Pettegree; 25. Polemic's purpose Amanda Eurich; 26. The style of theology: editions of the institutes Randall Zachman; 27. Baptism Karen E. Spierling; 28. The Eucharist Amy Nelson Burnett; 29. Predestination in early modern thought Charles Raith, III; 30. The challenge of heresy: Servetus and Stancaro Arnold Huijgen; 31. Idolatry Carlos M. N. Eire; 32. Trinitarian controversies Rebecca Giselbrecht; 33. Nicodemism and libertinism Kenneth Woo; Part V. Calvin's Influences: 34. Calvin and Luther Christopher Boyd Brown; 35. Calvin and Melanchthon Timothy Orr; 36. Calvin and the Swiss and South German evangelicals Peter Opitz; 37. Calvin's friends: Farel, Viret, and Beza Michael Bruening; 38. Calvin's critics: Bolsec and Castellio Kirk Essary; 39. Calvin's Lutheran critics Esther Chung-Kim; 40. Calvin's Catholic critics Ralph Keen; 41. Calvin and the Anabaptists Mirjam van Veen; Part VI. Calvin's Reception: Our Context: 42. International Calvinism Mack Holt; 43. Calvin legends: hagiography and demonology Jennifer Powell McNutt; 44. Calvin in the British Isles and the colonies Crawford Gribben; 45. Calvin in the Netherlands and the Dutch Atlantic world Christine Kooi; 46. Calvin in Asia Yudha Thianto; 47. Calvin's theoretical legacy in the seventeenth-nineteenth centuries Keith Stanglin; 48. Calvin's fortunes in the twentieth century Bruce Gordon; Conclusion. Calvin and Calvinism R. Ward Holder.

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Book Synopsis"Protestantism & Jungian Psychology" provides the opportunity for thirteen well-known Protestants and others to heed Jung''s call. Among them are Paul Tillich, Hanna Hadron, Andreas Schweizer-Vullers and Joseph Wagenseller.

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Book SynopsisThis book does not only deal with the history, but also with the effects of the Reformation over the mentality, education and scientifical research among Hungarians during the last five centuries. The spirit of the Reformation has not only been a church-forming factor, but also a force of nation-building and salvation. This volume includes 17 studies of Hungarian Reformed theologians presented at a conference in November 2016. The main goal was to give an overview of the most recent research results in history and theology regarding Reformation and its effects over society and mentality among Hungarians. The contributors come from various Hungarian theological universities from the Carpathian basin, thus the book is an overview of their research topics and results. The City Cluj-Napoca was, became and remained an important center of the Reformation, as significant events took place in its surroundings as well. The Faculty of Reformed Theology of the Babeș-Bolyai University and the Protestant Theological Institute has always functioned in an environment, where the challenges of multi-confessionalism and multiethnicity are also present beside interdisciplinarity.

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Book SynopsisVolume 1 includes the original Acta Authentica of the synod, here published for the first time. Following the Acta Authentica, the corresponding acts, as first published in the Acta Synodi Nationalis - Dordrechti Habitae (Leiden, 1620), are reprinted; these published Acta were a significantly revised version, for stylistic and political purposes, of the original Acta Authentica. Also included are the Acta Contracta, a topical summary of the Acta Authentica, and the minutes of the meetings of the state delegates, who represented the Dutch government at the synod; neither of these has been previously published. This volume begins with a general introduction to the Synod of Dordt and its context, an introduction to the Acta Authentica, the published Acta and Acta Contracta, and an introduction to the role of the state delegates and the minutes of their meetings.

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Book SynopsisEven beyond the 500th anniversary of 2009, Calvin and the consequences of the Reformation associated with his name have lost none of their fascination. Current questions and research projects revolve around the life, work and thoughts of the early modern theologian. The work contains the lectures of the tenth International Congress for Calvin Research (Bloemfontein 2010) and represents the latest state of Calvin research. The first part consists of all lectures by leading scientists from the history of the Reformation and theology, including Luca Baschera, Tony Lane and Wim Janse. They deal with the main topic of the congress, reconciliation. The thematically diverse second part contains short lectures, such as on Calvin's concept of theology or Calvin's understanding of freedom. Mimako Saito writes about Calvin's legacy in Japan. Like the publications of previous Calvin Congress lectures, this edition is intended to serve as a source and guide for future studies. The selection of the title, Calvinus clarissimus theologus, continues the tradition of quoting from an exchange of letters to Calvin. The title echoes the words of Johannes Storm, who praises Calvin as an "astute and learned theologian." Based on these words, Herman J. Selderhuis expresses the honorable commemoration of the Calvin expert and long-time secretary and member of the Presidium Wilhelm Heinrich Neuser, who died a few weeks before the start of the congress.

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Book SynopsisHerman Speelman deals with a central question in the intellectual history of the sixteenth century: to what extent can Calvin be regarded as responsible for the tendency in Calvinism or, broader, in Reformed Protestantism, to form a church which has its own ecclesiastical organization and office bearers? So far, claiming a great deal of independence for the church has been considered an important aspect of Calvin's legacy. In this line of reasoning, it is assumed that Calvin was a strong opponent of the church as a state organization that did not have its own governing body and power of excommunication. To better understand this issue, we first examine the position of the church within the city-state of Bern. Secondly, we direct our attention to the manner in which Calvin gave form to ecclesiastical life in Geneva. Next we deal with the church in France, and finally, we examine the influence of Calvin and French Calvinism on the organization of the Reformed church in The Netherlands in the 1570s.

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Book SynopsisDarren M. Pollock examines the 1611 Romans hexapla commentary by the prolific Church of England preacher and controversialist Andrew Willet. While some have considered Willets later biblical commentaries to have been a retreat from his earlier engagement in religious controversy, the author argues that his exegetical work maintained a significant element of anti-Catholic polemics, only expressed in a different genre. This polemical hermeneutic served as an organizing principle and as a means by which to clarify the presentation of traditional Reformed readings in relief against a body of Roman Catholic theology that Willet believed threatened the gospel of grace. Pauls letter provided ample opportunity for Willet to identify what is distinctive about Reformed theology or rather, as Willet would have it, the particular ways in which papist dogma had diverged from the true line of Christian belief running from the Fathers through to the (truly catholic) Reformed church of the seventeenth century.Willets exegesis highlights many of the polemical issues that had long been contended between Protestants and Catholics, including the authentic versions of the bible, Scriptures attributes, and principles of interpretation, as well as doctrines like justification, predestination, the assurance of salvation, and the place of good works. A close investigation into Willets exegetical method also helps to see how an identifiable hermeneutical lens is consistent with a disciplined reading that is faithful to the text. His polemical focus does not corrupt his exegesis or force upon it meanings that are alien to the text itself; rather, his polemical hermeneutic serves to focus his attention and frame positive doctrinal statements against the sharp contrast of alternate readings.

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Book SynopsisThe contributors to this volume examine the complex and dynamic role that Protestant majorities and minorities played in shaping the Reformations of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In doing so, it offers an important perspective on the range of intellectual, social, economic, political, theological and ecclesiological factors that governed intra- and inter-confessional encounter in the early modern period. While the principal focus is on the situation of different Protestant majority and minority groups, many of the contributions also engage the relation of Protestants and Catholics, with a number also considering early modern Christian dialogue with Muslims and Jews.The volume is organised into five sections, which together provide a comprehensive picture of Protestant majorities and minorities. The first section explores intellectual trajectories, especially those which promoted confessional unity or sought to break down confessional boundaries. The second section, taking the neglected Spanish Reformation as an important case-study, examines the clandestine aspect of minority activities and the efforts of majorities to control and suppress them. The third section pursues a similar theme but examines it through the lens of Flemish and Walloon Reformed refugee communities in Germany and the Netherlands, demonstrating the way in which confessional factors could lead to the integration or exclusion of minorities. The fourth section examines marginal or peripheral Reformations, whether geographically or doctrinally understood, focussing on attempts to implement reform in the shadow of the Ottoman Empire. Finally, the fifth section looks at confessional identity and otherness as a principal theme of majority and minority relations, providing both theoretical and practical frameworks for its evaluation.

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Book SynopsisLutheran theology and religious practice re-shaped traditions from the ritual heritage of the Medieval Latin Church. Throughout the cultural history of European Lutheran areas, what came to be seen as ''the arts'' may be discussed in the light of (changing) Lutheran traditions: the cultural heritage of Martin Luther. This volume presents a collection of nine essays on Lutheran traditions and the arts within the 500 years since the Reformation, as a special issue of the journal ''Transfiguration'' in connection with the Tenth International Congress for Luther Research hosted at the Department of Church History, University of Copenhagen.

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Book SynopsisLutheran theology and religious practice re-shaped traditions from the ritual heritage of the Medieval Latin Church. Throughout the cultural history of European Lutheran areas, what came to be seen as 'the arts' may be discussed in the light of (changing) Lutheran traditions: the cultural heritage of Martin Luther. This volume presents a collection of nine essays on Lutheran traditions and the arts within the 500 years since the Reformation, as a special issue of the journal 'Transfiguration' in connection with the Tenth International Congress for Luther Research hosted at the Department of Church History, University of Copenhagen.

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Book SynopsisThe Bohemian preacher and religious reformer Jan Hus has been celebrated as a de facto saint since being burned at the stake as a heretic in 1415. Patron Saint and Prophet analyzes Hus''s commemoration from the time of his death until the middle of the following century, tracing the ways in which both his supporters and his most outspoken opponents sought to determine whether he would be remembered as a heretic or saint. Phillip Haberkern examines how specific historical conflicts and exigencies affected the evolution of Hus''s memoryâwithin the militant Hussite movement that flourished until the mid-1430s, within the Czech Utraquist church that succeeded it, and among sixteenth-century Lutherans who viewed Hus as a forerunner and even prophet of their reform. Using close readings of written sources such as sermons and church histories, visual media including manuscript illuminations and monumental art, and oral forms of discourse such as vernacular songs and liturgical prayers, this book offers a fascinating account of how changes in media technology complemented the shifting theology of the cult of saints in order to shape early modern commemorative practices. By focusing on the ways in which the invocation of Hus catalyzed religious dissent within two distinct historical contexts, Haberkern compares the role of memory in late medieval Bohemia with the emergence of history as a constitutive religious discourse in the early modern German land. In this way, he also provides a detailed analysis of the ways in which Bohemian and German religious reformers justified their dissent from the Roman Church by invoking the past.Trade ReviewThanks to Haberkern's careful work...ironies of history are brought to light as we continue to peel back the multiple layers of memory that undergirded the Bohemian and German Reformations * Ian Christopher Levy, Providence College, The Journal of Religion *This volume is a welcome contribution to the historiography of the calls for and approaches to reform in the late middle ages and the onset of the early modern period. Haberkern assesses the image of Hus in written manuscripts and books, songs, and visual representations, so that readers have access to the broader field of propagating ideas in this time. This book is a most welcome broadening of our perspective on an important figure of the Reformation era and the manner in which the interpretations of his thought and life story served following generations as they saw in their image of Hus helpful aid for conveying their own ideas. * Robert Kolb, Concordia Journal *This fascinating book offers us new insights into the old question of 'forerunners of the Reformation.' By examining the afterlife of Jan Hus in Hussite, Lutheran and Catholic polemics, Phillip Haberkern brilliantly shows the range of ways in which an earlier form of dissent could be reinterpreted by its followers, its successors and its critics. This book is both deeply scholarly and very readable. * Euan Cameron, author of The European Reformation *The image of Jan Hus underwent a remarkable transformation in the 150 years after his death. Paying careful attention to historical context, Philip Haberkern masterfully demonstrates that each generation shaped its view of the reformer to match its own concerns. This is a major contribution to studies of both the Bohemian and German Reformations that reveals the significance and the malleability of historical memory in the early modern period. * Amy Nelson Burnett, Paula and D.B. Varner University Professor of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln *A marvelous study bridging the religious cultures of late medieval and early modern Central Europe, a creative work of scholarship connecting the Reformations of Jan Hus and Martin Luther. Like Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, the terrain that Phillip Haberkern so expertly surveys is a region where the past is never dead and where, as he demonstrates, successive generations of reformers skillfully manipulated the memory of Jan Hus to justify their confessional agendas. * Howard Louthan, Professor of History and Director of the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota *Overall, Patron Saint and Prophet evinces a winning formula of clear prose and cogent argumentation. The author indulges repeatedly in playful language. * Armin Kohnle and Eike Thomsen, German Historical Institute London Bulletin, *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The Saint Chapter 2: The Founder Chapter 3: The Patron Chapter 4: The Apocalyptic Witness Chapter 5: The Prophet Chapter 6: The Catholic Chapter 7: The Exemplar Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisProtestant reformers found the prophet and biblical prophecy to be exceptionally effective for framing their reforming work under the authority of Scripturefor the true prophet speaks the Word of God alone and calls the people, their worship, and their beliefs and practices back to the Word of God.The Reformation of Prophecy uses the prophet and biblical prophecy as a powerful lens through which to view many aspects of the reformers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. G. Sujin Pak argues that these prophetic concepts served the substantial purposes of articulating a theology of the priesthood of all believers, a biblical model of the pastoral office, a biblical vision of the reform of worship, and biblical processes for discerning right interpretation of Scripture. Pak demonstrates the ways in which understandings of the prophet and biblical prophecy contributed to the formation of distinct confessional identities. She goes on to demonstrate the waning of explicit prophetic terTrade Review...her study offers an important perspective on the longstanding debate over the pastoral office within Lutheranism * Richard J. Serina, Jr, Ringwood, New Jersey *Pak has delivered what her title promises: a compelling analysis of The Reformation of Prophecy...the book is well conceived, well documented, and well written, and it promises positive next steps within Reformation scholarship generally. * Jon Delmas Wood, George Washington University, Journal of Reformed Theology *By this multi-confessional and multi-generational treatment of prophecy and biblical prophet in the 16th and 17th centuries, Paks work would greatly contribute to the scholarship of the Reformation, and her work is an exemplary achievement in the study of early modern interpretation of Scripture. I highly recommend it. * Inseo Song, Fuller Theological Seminary, Reading Religion *The Reformation of Prophecy is an excellent work of scholarship, detailed and thorough, and very useful. * Jonathan Green, University of North Dakota, Church History and Religious Culture *The Reformation of Prophecy is an insightful and well-researched narrative of a vital aspect of early modern Protestant theology and exegesis...Pak's groundbreaking research provides a coherent narrative of the Reformed development of the prophetic office and the prophetic function of Protestant pastors. * Ryan M. McGraw, Scripture and Interpretation *Pak's groundbreaking research provides a coherent narrative of the Reformed development of the prophetic office and the prophetic function of Protestant pastors. This work paves the way for further studies ... Pak's book is a good example of solid historical theology that treats a subject that was close to the heart of Reformed theology as a whole. * Ryan M. McGraw, Professor of Systematic Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary *In this insightful study, Sujin Pak deftly traces the Protestant understanding of biblical prophecy and the role of the prophet from the early years of the Reformation through the end of the sixteenth century. The Bible was at the heart of the Reformation, and this book shows how disagreements about its interpretation had broad consequences for defining the ministry, understanding the past, and shaping confessional identity. A masterful achievement! * Amy Nelson Burnett, Paula and D.B. Varner University Professor of History, University of Lincoln *Sujin Pak analyzes the theme of prophecy in Protestant theological writing with exemplary thoroughness, deploying meticulous knowledge of the primary sources, and reflecting carefully on the nuances of their meaning. The book is breathtaking in its scope, ranging from Luther and Zwingli, Bullinger and Calvin, into later sixteenth-century theology and historical theory. There is so much that we can learn from this book, even on themes that we thought we already knew something about. * The Reverend Dr. Euan K. Cameron, Henry Luce III Professor of Reformed Church History, Union Theological Seminary *Sujin Pak has provided the first book-length, multi-confessional treatment of prophecy in the Reformation era. Deeply researched, The Reformation of Prophecy presents a wealth of information about how leading reformers defined the office and function of the prophet along with how they interpreted biblical prophecy. Pak's book offers an especially valuable lens through which to view the character and development of the Protestant Reformation as whole, above all its attempts to solve its own crisis of authority. * Ronald K. Rittgers, Erich Markel Chair in German Reformation Studies, Valparaiso University *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction 1. Prophecy and the Priesthood of All Believers 2. Prophecy and the Radicals: Re-Thinking Prophecy and the Prophet Contra the Radicals 3. Prophecy and the Pastoral Office: Luther and Zwingli 4. Prophecy and the Teaching Office: Bullinger and Calvin 5. The Prophet, Prophecy, and the Pastoral Office in the Next Generation 6. Old Testament Prophecy and Protestant Conceptions of Sacred History 7. Later Lutheran, Swiss Reformed, and Calvinist Readings of Sacred History in the Old Testament Prophets 8. Christological Exegesis and the Interpretation of Metaphors in Old Testament Prophecy Conclusion Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisUsing a fresh reading of Barth's Church Dogmatics, Hunsinger advances a new interpretation of the Protestant theologian's work, and places it in relation to contemporary discussions of truth, justified belief, double agency, and religious pluralism.Trade ReviewBrings a thoroughness and carefulness to the daunting work of Barth interpretation ... He admirably and aptly accounts for the complexity and richness of Barth. * Journal of Religion *

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Book SynopsisA well researched account of gospel blues that encompasses the broader cultural and religious histories of the African-American experience between the late 1890s and the 1930s. Harris skilfully contextualizes sacred and secular music styles within African-American religious history and significant social developments of the period.Trade Review'In a text that is rich in historical, cultural and musical data and analysis, the discussion of the conflict over music in the 'old line' churches comes across strongly.' David Horn, University of Liverpool, Popular Music, Volume 13, Part 3 - 1994

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Book SynopsisIn this study, Irene Backus examines the fate of the Apocalypse at the hands of early Protestants in three centres of the Reformation: Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg. To do so, Backus systematically investigates sources and methods on the most important reformed and Lutheran commentaries of the Apocalypse from 1528-1584.Trade ReviewThe work is executed with meticulous scholarship, as one would expect from Irena Backus, and is a very worthy companion to Richard Bauckham's Tudor Apocalypse. * Journal of Ecclesiastical History *A valuable work of reference ... Backus has made a great deal of intriguing and obscure information easily accessible. * Reformation *This is a thorough, detailed, and valuable analysis of a field which has until now received little attention. * Journal of Theological Studies *There is much value in this book in that it includes material that has far too long lain undisturbed some way off from the well-beaten track. * tbr (theological book review, Feed The Minds) *Masterful treatment of the subject. * Sixteenth Century Journal *

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Book SynopsisFor much of his career as a Reformer John Calvin was involved in trinitarian controversy. Not only did these controversies span his career, but his opponents ranged across the spectrum of theological approaches-from staunch traditionalists to radical antitrinitarians. Remarkably, the heart of Calvin''s argument, and the heart of others'' criticism, remained the same throughout: Calvin claimed that the only-begotten Son of the Father is also, as the one true God, ''of himself''. Brannon Ellis investigates the various Reformation and post-Reformation responses to Calvin''s affirmation of the Son''s aseity (or essential self-existence), a significant episode in the history of theology that is often ignored or misunderstood. Calvin neither rejected eternal generation, nor merely toed the line of classical exposition. As such, these debates turned on the crucial pivot between simple unity and ordered plurality-the relationship between the processions and consubstantiality-at the heart of thTrade ReviewI have learned a lot from Ellis book and I highly appreciate it ... I recommend it warmly * Georg Plasger, Journal of Reformed Theology *The author's claim is that Calvin's autothean emphasis purifies such grammar, so making a significant contribution to Trinitarian theology. This erudite book will be of considerable interest to students of Reformed theology and (to a lesser extent) of Trinitarian theology more generally. * Paul Helm, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Brannon Ellis, throughout this book, has shown that he is surely such a theologian, in the very best and most helpful way. Ellis holds togetherbrilliantlyboth the depth and breadth of the issues, concerns, nuances, subtleties, and significant differences among a vast range of individual thinkers, movements, councils, and credal statements on the question of how the Son of God may be said to be a seof himselfyet also of the Father. * Robert C. Fennel, The Journal of Theological Studies *Editor Ashford and company are commended for their efforts * Mitchell Dick, Mid-America Journal of Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Calvin on the Aseity of the Son: The 1559 Institutes as Entry-Point ; 2. The Autothean Controversies: Calvin s Complex Solidarity ; 3. The Theological Shape of the Autothean Debates: Eternal Generation s Role in Classical Trinitarianism ; 4. Identity, Distinction, or Tension in Trinitarian Language?: Loose Approaches to the Son s Aseity ; 5. Tension In Distinction: Classical and Mainstream Reformed Approaches to the Son s Aseity ; 6. The Irreducible Triunity of God: The Reformed Minority Report s Strict Distinction of the Two Ways of Speaking ; 7. Of Himself, God Gives Himself

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Book SynopsisDewey Wallace tells the story of several prominent English Calvinist actors and thinkers in the first generations after the beginning of the Restoration. In the midst of conflicts between Church and Dissent and the intellectual challenges of the dawning age of Enlightenment, these five individuals and groups dealt with deism, anti-Trinitarianism, and scoffing atheism - usually understood as godlessness - by choosing different emphases in their defense and promotion of Calvinist piety and theology. In each case there was not only persistence in an earlier Calvinist trajectory, but also a transformation of the Calvinist heritage into a new mode of thinking and acting. The different paths taken illustrate the rich variety of English Calvinism in the period. This study offers description and analysis of the mystical Calvinism of Peter Sterry, the hermeticist Calvinism of Theophilus Gale, the evangelical Calvinism of Joseph Alleine and the circle that promoted his legacy, the natural theology of the moderate Calvinist Presbyterians Richard Baxter, William Bates, and John Howe, and the Church of England Calvinism of John Edwards. Wallace seeks to overturn conventional clichés about Calvinism: that it was anti-mystical, that it allowed no scope for the ''''ancient theology'''' that characterized much of Renaissance learning, that its piety was harshly predestinarian, that it was uninterested in natural theology, and that it had been purged from the established church by the end of the seventeenth century. Shapers of English Calvinism, 1660-1714 illuminates the religious and intellectual history of the era between the Reformation and modernity, offering fascinating insight into the development of Calvinism and also into English Puritanism as it transitioned into Dissent.Trade ReviewWallace ably demonstrates the life and death of Calvinism amoung English divines as well as the organic links between conformity and non-conformity in the half century following 1662. * Adam Richardson, Churchman *a humane, wise and informative account * Journal of Ecclesiastical History *a meaty but pleasurable read * Lee Gatiss, Theology *Wallace oVers a highly readable account of the continuing resilience and influence of Calvinism in the second half of the seventeenth century ... it is very carefully written and definitely proves his point that Calvinism was far from intellectually and spirituality stagnant. * Michael Brydon, Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; CONCLUSION; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisOne of the very few books to present a strong proposal on the issue of religious pluralism while maintaining a rock-solid evangelical stance, Wideness in God's Mercy will no doubt launch a decade of discussion on a higher level among many Christians.

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Book SynopsisMatthew L. Becker is Associate Professor of Theology at Valparaiso University, USA. An ordained Lutheran minister, Dr. Becker has served congregations in Chicago and Oregon, USA. He is author of The Self-Giving God (T&T Clark, 2004).Trade ReviewThe book labours to be user-friendly, offering questions for review and discussion and further reading in each chapter, extensive glossaries of key terms and names, and good indexes ... There is much stimulating orientation here for beginners ... [and it] should find an appreciative student readership in the settings for which it is designed. -- Ivor J. Davidson, University of St. Andrews, UK * Theology *Dr Becker's book is destined to become a standard textbook both in college and seminary courses of theology. I know of no better compendium of Christian theology to introduce beginning students to the study of theology. This book is encyclopaedic in scope, offering wide-ranging and judicious coverage of the foundational teachings and practices within the mainstream of the classical Christian tradition, beginning with their roots in the Scriptures and branching out in many and various ways in Eastern and Western Christianity, ancient, medieval, and modern, to the present-day. Students and teachers of theology will very much appreciate that this book combines two qualities in a commendable way: fair-mindedness both in its presentation of whatever subject matter is being treated and in its critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the positions under review. * Carl E. Braaten, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, USA *This is one of the highest praises I can bestow on a scholarly book that has been written for undergraduate students. Dr Becker has fulfilled a task that is not easy to do. As one of my teachers used to say to us, "It is easy to write complicated texts, but writing one that is comprehensible - that is tricky!" Dr Becker has written a thorough introduction to Christian theology which, nevertheless, is quite comprehensible. * Notger Slenczka, Humboldt University, Germany *In this text introducing students and general readers to the basis of Christian theology, Matthew Becker invites readers to wrestle with the most important questions facing Christians in our time. the best introductory textbooks respect students enough to ask them not only to know a subject's basic vocabulary and grammar but also to think through the material. Becker's is a student-friendly text not only because it provides learning helps, but most importantly because it hooks readers with the inner logic of faith's truth claims. * Mark C. Mattes, Grand View University, USA *This book's clarity and student-friendly approach is only possible because of the depth and range of Dr Becker's understanding of religion in the Western world. The wisdom of a careful mind and the passion for connecting theological themes with ordinary human experience come together in this outstanding demonstration of theological reflection. Highly recommended! * Terry D. Cooper, St. Louis Community College - Meramec and Webster University, USA *[Becker's] work develops as a useful narrative from which the distinctive voices of major theologians can emerge, as if within a dialogue across the centuries, and into which the students can interpolate their emerging theological intuitions. * New Blackfriars *Table of ContentsContents Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Part I: Theology Chapter One: Ways into Theology Chapter Two: Traditions of Christianity Chapter Three: Traditions of Christian Theology Chapter Four: What is Christian Theology? Part II: The Subject of Christian Theology Chapter Five: The Problem of God Chapter Six: The Natural Knowledge of God Chapter Seven: Natural and Philosophical Theology Chapter Eight: Special Revelation Chapter Nine: Themes in Special Revelation Chapter Ten: Sources and Norms of Christian Theology Chapter Eleven: Interpreting the Bible Part III: Christian Theology within the University Chapter Twelve: The Shape of Christian Theology as a University Discipline Chapter Thirteen: The Sub-disciplines of Christian Theology Chapter Fourteen: Christian Theology within the Humanities Chapter Fifteen: Christian Theology and the Sciences Afterword by Dr. Martin E. Marty Appendix: Martin Luther, "Concerning the Study of Theology" Glossary of Names Glossary of Terms Bibliography Biblical Index Index of Persons Index of Subjects

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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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