The Social Gospel of E.Nicholas Comfort: Founder of the Oklahoma School of Religion - Hardcover

Cottrell, Robert C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080612931X ISBN 13: 9780806129310

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997

Synopsis

A biography of the Rev E. Nicholas Comfort who founded the Oklahoma School of Religion, an early experiment in interdenominational religious education. It shows how he remained true to his belief in the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God despite the Depression and militarism.

About this title

From the Author:

A Very Favorably Reviewed Book
The OU Press referred to this work as a 'compelling biography' and an 'important contribution to the intellectual history of the Southwest.' A review in the Stillwater News Press declared its style 'most readable' and indicated that 'Cottrell does a good job of showing how Comfort's ideas grew out of 'the tradition of the homegrown radicalism of the American Southwest.'' Choice recommended The Social Gospel--which as The Western Historical Quarterly noted places 'the famed Oklahoma Presbyterian ... in an intellectual history approach'--for all readers: 'general; undergraduate; graduate; faculty.' A reviewer in The Journal of Southern History proclaimed this study 'a fascinating portrait of Oklahoma society in the first half of the twentieth century,' a byproduct of 'exhaustive' research, and 'valuable to anyone interested in Bible Belt versions of the social gospel or in Red Scare politics.' That reviewer asserted that 'Cottrell shows a particularly deft hand at political analysis. ... Indeed, most readers will recognize the author's harrowing account of Comfort's political battles as subtle, astute, and pertinent to contemporary debates in higher education.' A write-up in The Pacific Historical Review contended that 'Cottrell gives us a portrait of an energetic, engaging, even entertaining individual.' Furthermore, 'Cottrell provides a rich picture of American religion in the first half of the twentieth century ... Through Comfort, whose outspoken view gives us a flavor of the energetic fundamentalist/modernist controversy and the passion of the Social Gospel for economic reform, pacifism, and civil rights, Cottrell illuminates the latter years of the Social Gospel movement. Comfort's story helps us to understand these issues not only in the specific location of Norman, Oklahoma, but in the larger regions of the Southwest, Midwest, and South. ... Finally and most importantly, Cottrell successfully relates the difficult category of class to the complex history of the Social Gospel.' Thus, the reviewer offered, 'The Social Gospel of E. Nicholas Comfort will assist numerous people in understanding the history of Oklahoma, the history of the Social Gospel movement, and the larger developments of Protestantism in the twentieth century.' A review in History of Education Quarterly declared that 'Cottrell's understanding and placement of Comfort's life within a dynamic and fresh sociopolitical context make it a valuable contribution to the limited, but growing body of work that challenges us to add to our understanding of the Great Plains and Southwest.' The book, the review indicated, 'captures the relationship between the missionary ethic and education that led many men and women of the Great Plains and American Southwest to education and into teaching after the turn of the century. The review suggested that 'the most interesting and important part of the book shows how Comfort's interpretation of the social gospel led him into an eclectic mix of liberal, progressive, and radical politics as he established and fought to maintain a vital ministry through the School of Religion.' Using a wide range of sources, the review continued, 'Cottrell adeptly documents Comfort's interpretation and practice of the social gospel and records his encounters with some of the nation's leading reformers.' Termed 'particularly compelling' were the examinations of 'Pre-McCarthy' investigations of Reverend Comfort. The review concluded with the observation that 'while his story is interesting, it is the way that Cottrell locates it in the context of those decades that make (sic) it an interesting and valuable contribution to the big picture.'

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 080612931X
• ISBN 13: 9780806129310
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 338