American Denominational History: Perspectives on the Past, Prospects for the Future (Religion and American Culture) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 081735512X ISBN 13: 9780817355128

Publisher: The University of Alabama Press, 2008

Synopsis

Rare Book

About this title

Review:

"This collection of scholarly essays by church historians focuses on the history of Christian denominations within the United States. Inspired to update William Warren Sweet's "Religion on the American Frontier," published between 1931 and 1946, editor Keith Harper expands Sweet's original coverage of four denominations (Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists) to include essays on Catholic and Mormon historiography and on Black Protestant, Pentecostal, and Evangelical religious movements. Each essay discusses recent research and publications and has extensive bibliographical notes. This is a good starting point for the study of denominational history."--"Congregational Libraries Today"

"This collection of scholarly essays by church historians focuses on the history of Christian denominations within the United States. Inspired to update William Warren Sweet's "Religion on the American Frontier," published between 1931 and 1946, editor Keith Harper expands Sweet's original coverage of four denominations (Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists) to include essays on Catholic and Mormon historiography and on Black Protestant, Pentecostal, and Evangelical religious movements. Each essay discusses recent research and publications and has extensive bibliographical notes. This is a good starting point for the study of denominational history."--"Congregational Libraries Today"

"The main contribution of this misleadingly titled volume is in updating historiography. In fact, 'American Denominational Families: Updating Their Historiography' would have been a more useful title. Denominational history has not been neglected to the degree that this book indicates. The updated items (mentioned in the text and endnotes) vividly illustrate this observation. The 'families' covered are Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist. Catholics, black Protestants, Mormons, Pentecostals, and Evangelicals hardly represent denominations. In addition, Mormons are simply another world religion, emerging from Christianity just as Christianity emerged from Judaism. George Marsden's and Martin Marty's multiple works on Fundamentalists and Evangelicals are far more useful than these brief chapters. The numerous excellent local histories that deal with individual denominational churches are not even mentioned. Perhaps the most useful chapter is 'Black Protestantism, ' though it includes a variety of denominations. The volume includes full notes, but unfortunately no index or central bibliography. In its present form, it is useful only to remind readers of the many works that have been written about some denominational families.Summing Up: Not recommended."
"CHOICE"
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Synopsis:

This work brings to various important topics and groups in American religious history the rigor of scholarly assessment of the current literature. The fruitful historiographic questions that are posed by the positions and experiences of the various groups are carefully examined. "American Denominational History" points the way for the next decade of scholarly effort.

About this edition

• Publisher: The University of Alabama Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 081735512X
• ISBN 13: 9780817355128
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 296
• Editor: Keith Harper