Henry Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199246953
- eISBN:
- 9780191600463
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199246955.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This book provides a detailed narrative history of the first six centuries of the Christian Church, from the first followers of Jesus to the papacy of Gregory the Great (590–604). It describes how ...
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This book provides a detailed narrative history of the first six centuries of the Christian Church, from the first followers of Jesus to the papacy of Gregory the Great (590–604). It describes how Christianity, initially a persecuted sect, developed the ideas and organization to fulfil its ambition of being a universal faith, not tied to any particular people. The new religion had to separate itself completely from Judaism and set about the capture of the society and state of the Roman Empire during the centuries when the Empire divided into a Latin west and a Greek east and was beset by invasions by Christian and pagan barbarians, resulting in the disintegration of the western empire. Debates within Christianity, most fundamentally about the divine or human nature of Christ, are discussed in detail and in relation to both the politics and power struggles of the Empire and to the all‐important question of authority within the Church. The origins and fate of schismatic movements are considered in the context of the struggle for authority among the rival sees of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch. Christianity is discussed, therefore, in relation to its internal growth and divisions and also to how it was viewed by Jews and pagans, showing its debts to and division from both its Jewish origins and Graeco‐Roman philosophy. The major theological and ecclesiastical texts and debates are considered in relation to the diverse beliefs and practices of the people who attended churches and the local and regional conditions that profoundly affected the outcome of events. The major Christian thinkers and their contributions to the success of Christianity are examined in detail. The importance of theological, personal, and political factors is demonstrated in showing how they fostered divisions in the Church and prevented reconciliation and balanced against the desire of successive emperors to foster unity for political reasons. The Church captured society, east and west, but at the cost of long‐lasting divisions and conflicts.Less
This book provides a detailed narrative history of the first six centuries of the Christian Church, from the first followers of Jesus to the papacy of Gregory the Great (590–604). It describes how Christianity, initially a persecuted sect, developed the ideas and organization to fulfil its ambition of being a universal faith, not tied to any particular people. The new religion had to separate itself completely from Judaism and set about the capture of the society and state of the Roman Empire during the centuries when the Empire divided into a Latin west and a Greek east and was beset by invasions by Christian and pagan barbarians, resulting in the disintegration of the western empire. Debates within Christianity, most fundamentally about the divine or human nature of Christ, are discussed in detail and in relation to both the politics and power struggles of the Empire and to the all‐important question of authority within the Church. The origins and fate of schismatic movements are considered in the context of the struggle for authority among the rival sees of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch. Christianity is discussed, therefore, in relation to its internal growth and divisions and also to how it was viewed by Jews and pagans, showing its debts to and division from both its Jewish origins and Graeco‐Roman philosophy. The major theological and ecclesiastical texts and debates are considered in relation to the diverse beliefs and practices of the people who attended churches and the local and regional conditions that profoundly affected the outcome of events. The major Christian thinkers and their contributions to the success of Christianity are examined in detail. The importance of theological, personal, and political factors is demonstrated in showing how they fostered divisions in the Church and prevented reconciliation and balanced against the desire of successive emperors to foster unity for political reasons. The Church captured society, east and west, but at the cost of long‐lasting divisions and conflicts.
Daisy L. Machado
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195152234
- eISBN:
- 9780199834426
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152239.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The westward movement of people connected to the nineteenth‐century expansionism of the developing U.S. helped promote the growth and expansion of many of the mainline Protestant denominations that ...
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The westward movement of people connected to the nineteenth‐century expansionism of the developing U.S. helped promote the growth and expansion of many of the mainline Protestant denominations that traveled to the southwest borderlands of this country. Following the expanding western frontier, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) entered what is today the state of Texas and came face to face with the Tejanos. Bringing Protestantism as a new element in the southwest borderlands of Texas, the Disciples of Christ also carried with them the Euro‐American ideologies and self‐definitions that would function at two levels. First, these would shape their relationship as English‐speaking Protestants with the Spanish‐speaking Roman Catholic Tejanos, and secondly, an ethos was created that would influence the Disciples’ ministry to the Mexican population. This shaping and influence were notable in the often racist and paternalistic missionary ideology of the Disciples throughout the late nineteenth century, into the twentieth century, and even to the present day. This is one slice of the religious history of the nineteenth‐century borderlands where the frontier ethos – with its manifest destiny ideology about a chosen race, a virgin land, divine providence, and democracy – prevented Protestantism from developing and maintaining helpful and empowering relationships with the Tejano‐Mexican community it encountered.Less
The westward movement of people connected to the nineteenth‐century expansionism of the developing U.S. helped promote the growth and expansion of many of the mainline Protestant denominations that traveled to the southwest borderlands of this country. Following the expanding western frontier, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) entered what is today the state of Texas and came face to face with the Tejanos. Bringing Protestantism as a new element in the southwest borderlands of Texas, the Disciples of Christ also carried with them the Euro‐American ideologies and self‐definitions that would function at two levels. First, these would shape their relationship as English‐speaking Protestants with the Spanish‐speaking Roman Catholic Tejanos, and secondly, an ethos was created that would influence the Disciples’ ministry to the Mexican population. This shaping and influence were notable in the often racist and paternalistic missionary ideology of the Disciples throughout the late nineteenth century, into the twentieth century, and even to the present day. This is one slice of the religious history of the nineteenth‐century borderlands where the frontier ethos – with its manifest destiny ideology about a chosen race, a virgin land, divine providence, and democracy – prevented Protestantism from developing and maintaining helpful and empowering relationships with the Tejano‐Mexican community it encountered.
Philip Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195146165
- eISBN:
- 9780199834341
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195146166.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter traces the development of Southern Christianity in the post-colonial era and notes that with few exceptions and despite Western Christian concern, the new churches have survived and ...
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This chapter traces the development of Southern Christianity in the post-colonial era and notes that with few exceptions and despite Western Christian concern, the new churches have survived and flourished. Some of the greatest triumphs have been enjoyed precisely by the structures created by colonial authorities–the mainstream Catholic and Protestant mission churches. However, although these older churches and missions are the primary fact, there are also many smaller independent indigenous Christian cults/denominations, which have arisen where older groupings have proved inadequate for a changing society; these are often Pentecostal and may be either indigenous or Northern in origin. This type of growth is particularly evident in Latin America, where there has been a major defection from Catholicism to Protestantism (including Pentecostalism); the boom in Pentecostal sects in Latin America and the Catholic response to this are described, and similar Protestant and Pentecostal expansion in the African independent churches/denominations and in Asia outlined. The last part of the chapter investigates the reasons for the expansion of Christianity in diverse cultures, looking in particular at some of the radical Pentecostal communities that have developed and at the common characteristics of Pentecostal sects and what people want from them, the critical idea being that God intervenes directly in everyday life and provides solutions to problems; this is a clear differentiation from Northern Christianity.Less
This chapter traces the development of Southern Christianity in the post-colonial era and notes that with few exceptions and despite Western Christian concern, the new churches have survived and flourished. Some of the greatest triumphs have been enjoyed precisely by the structures created by colonial authorities–the mainstream Catholic and Protestant mission churches. However, although these older churches and missions are the primary fact, there are also many smaller independent indigenous Christian cults/denominations, which have arisen where older groupings have proved inadequate for a changing society; these are often Pentecostal and may be either indigenous or Northern in origin. This type of growth is particularly evident in Latin America, where there has been a major defection from Catholicism to Protestantism (including Pentecostalism); the boom in Pentecostal sects in Latin America and the Catholic response to this are described, and similar Protestant and Pentecostal expansion in the African independent churches/denominations and in Asia outlined. The last part of the chapter investigates the reasons for the expansion of Christianity in diverse cultures, looking in particular at some of the radical Pentecostal communities that have developed and at the common characteristics of Pentecostal sects and what people want from them, the critical idea being that God intervenes directly in everyday life and provides solutions to problems; this is a clear differentiation from Northern Christianity.
Daisy L. Machado
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195152234
- eISBN:
- 9780199834426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152239.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a Protestant denominational body born on the frontier of the U.S. As such, it was shaped by that environment and ethos. The impact of the frontier ethos ...
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The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a Protestant denominational body born on the frontier of the U.S. As such, it was shaped by that environment and ethos. The impact of the frontier ethos can be found in the many writings of Alexander Campbell, one of the founders of the Disciples. An examination of his prolific works makes it clear that the Disciples were able to develop a nineteenth‐century theology that did gain a great appeal among the Euro‐American frontier people. It was a theology in tune with the frontier values of democracy, separation of church and state, primitive Christianity, evangelism, Anglo‐Saxons as a chosen people, and the importance of freedom of ideas and beliefs.Less
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a Protestant denominational body born on the frontier of the U.S. As such, it was shaped by that environment and ethos. The impact of the frontier ethos can be found in the many writings of Alexander Campbell, one of the founders of the Disciples. An examination of his prolific works makes it clear that the Disciples were able to develop a nineteenth‐century theology that did gain a great appeal among the Euro‐American frontier people. It was a theology in tune with the frontier values of democracy, separation of church and state, primitive Christianity, evangelism, Anglo‐Saxons as a chosen people, and the importance of freedom of ideas and beliefs.
G. I. T. Machin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198217800
- eISBN:
- 9780191678271
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198217800.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
During this century, the Christian Churches of Britain have lost support and influence to the extent that their future is considered by some observers to be problematic. They have also been ...
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During this century, the Christian Churches of Britain have lost support and influence to the extent that their future is considered by some observers to be problematic. They have also been confronted with an unprecedented concentration of social changes, some of which have challenged central religious traditions and teachings. This multi-denominational study investigates these changes (public and private) across virtually the entire Christian spectrum. The book shows that while there are examples of growing division between Churches over some social issues, the more general response has been one of differences within Churches.Less
During this century, the Christian Churches of Britain have lost support and influence to the extent that their future is considered by some observers to be problematic. They have also been confronted with an unprecedented concentration of social changes, some of which have challenged central religious traditions and teachings. This multi-denominational study investigates these changes (public and private) across virtually the entire Christian spectrum. The book shows that while there are examples of growing division between Churches over some social issues, the more general response has been one of differences within Churches.
Philip Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195146165
- eISBN:
- 9780199834341
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195146166.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter looks at the nature of the religious changes involved in successful Christian missions and the resulting expansion of Christianity in Asia and Africa: success that is impossible to ...
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This chapter looks at the nature of the religious changes involved in successful Christian missions and the resulting expansion of Christianity in Asia and Africa: success that is impossible to understand if the new Christians were only responding out of fear or envy of imperial conquerors. The chapter starts by examining the view developing in the West in the mid-twentieth century that the Christian mission venture was solely misguided imperialism and an attempt to export Western culture. It goes on to analyse the reasons for Southern Christian expansion, and the synthesis of this Christianity into local cultures. The last two sections investigate the newer autonomous (independent) Christian churches in Africa; these are one of the most notable aspects of Southern Christianity and can be expected to play an increasing role in world Christianity.Less
This chapter looks at the nature of the religious changes involved in successful Christian missions and the resulting expansion of Christianity in Asia and Africa: success that is impossible to understand if the new Christians were only responding out of fear or envy of imperial conquerors. The chapter starts by examining the view developing in the West in the mid-twentieth century that the Christian mission venture was solely misguided imperialism and an attempt to export Western culture. It goes on to analyse the reasons for Southern Christian expansion, and the synthesis of this Christianity into local cultures. The last two sections investigate the newer autonomous (independent) Christian churches in Africa; these are one of the most notable aspects of Southern Christianity and can be expected to play an increasing role in world Christianity.
Judith Herrin
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153216
- eISBN:
- 9781400845217
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153216.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter discusses the place of icons in worship, their character, and the way they came to symbolize the holy and mediate between earth and heaven. In particular, as icons became a vivid focus ...
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This chapter discusses the place of icons in worship, their character, and the way they came to symbolize the holy and mediate between earth and heaven. In particular, as icons became a vivid focus of devotion, they began to embody human relations with God the Creator and Ruler of the entire Christian world. It is argued that women played a notable part in this developing cult of icons. The chapter concentrates on some features of Late Antique Mediterranean culture, shared by Jews and Gentiles, pagan and Christian alike. These provided a common social experience within which the artistic evolution of the Christian church took place. In particular, the first part of this chapter is devoted to a discussion of funerary art, for this represents one of the most striking ways whereby Christians transmitted pagan rituals and artistic forms to their new faith. The second part examines some of the reasons for the preservation of these forms, once assimilated to a Christian mode, when they came under attack in the East. It asks how much that response informs us about the role of women in the cult of icons.Less
This chapter discusses the place of icons in worship, their character, and the way they came to symbolize the holy and mediate between earth and heaven. In particular, as icons became a vivid focus of devotion, they began to embody human relations with God the Creator and Ruler of the entire Christian world. It is argued that women played a notable part in this developing cult of icons. The chapter concentrates on some features of Late Antique Mediterranean culture, shared by Jews and Gentiles, pagan and Christian alike. These provided a common social experience within which the artistic evolution of the Christian church took place. In particular, the first part of this chapter is devoted to a discussion of funerary art, for this represents one of the most striking ways whereby Christians transmitted pagan rituals and artistic forms to their new faith. The second part examines some of the reasons for the preservation of these forms, once assimilated to a Christian mode, when they came under attack in the East. It asks how much that response informs us about the role of women in the cult of icons.
Samuel Wells
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199571833
- eISBN:
- 9780191722264
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199571833.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter is organized into five parts. First, it takes Niebuhr's essay ‘Why the Christian Church is not Pacifist’, and sets out its arguments as a characteristic Niebuhr manifesto. It then ...
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This chapter is organized into five parts. First, it takes Niebuhr's essay ‘Why the Christian Church is not Pacifist’, and sets out its arguments as a characteristic Niebuhr manifesto. It then explores two weaknesses of the essay — its inadequate account of pacifism and its impoverished account of realism. Third, it is argued that at the heart of Niebuhr's theology, and significant in both the weaknesses already named, is his particular reading of the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13). This parable concerns the nature and destiny of humanity in the face of evil, and Niebuhr's treatment of the parable is seriously flawed. Fourth, the chapter suggests what a Christian pacifism free of Niebuhr's assumptions might look like. Finally, it explores what might make for a more appropriate sense of Christian realism than that offered by Niebuhr.Less
This chapter is organized into five parts. First, it takes Niebuhr's essay ‘Why the Christian Church is not Pacifist’, and sets out its arguments as a characteristic Niebuhr manifesto. It then explores two weaknesses of the essay — its inadequate account of pacifism and its impoverished account of realism. Third, it is argued that at the heart of Niebuhr's theology, and significant in both the weaknesses already named, is his particular reading of the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13). This parable concerns the nature and destiny of humanity in the face of evil, and Niebuhr's treatment of the parable is seriously flawed. Fourth, the chapter suggests what a Christian pacifism free of Niebuhr's assumptions might look like. Finally, it explores what might make for a more appropriate sense of Christian realism than that offered by Niebuhr.
Jeremy Morris
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199545315
- eISBN:
- 9780191602825
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199545315.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, History of Christianity
Frederick Denison Maurice’s understanding of the nation as one of the three forms of social life providentially ordained as part of the spiritual constitution implied that the Christian Church was ...
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Frederick Denison Maurice’s understanding of the nation as one of the three forms of social life providentially ordained as part of the spiritual constitution implied that the Christian Church was intrinsically related to national identity and character. A church truly possessed of Catholicity could be the church of the nation. Maurice himself did not much like the word ‘Established’, and claimed to prefer ‘English’ in its place. However, this depended on a particular reading of history. Only by tracing historically the lineaments of Catholicity in the Church of England could its identity as the Catholic Church in England be proved. By this means, Maurice sought to justify the state’s recognition of the Church of England against a rising tide of radical and dissenting criticism. This chapter deals with Maurice’s arguments concerning the relations between church and state.Less
Frederick Denison Maurice’s understanding of the nation as one of the three forms of social life providentially ordained as part of the spiritual constitution implied that the Christian Church was intrinsically related to national identity and character. A church truly possessed of Catholicity could be the church of the nation. Maurice himself did not much like the word ‘Established’, and claimed to prefer ‘English’ in its place. However, this depended on a particular reading of history. Only by tracing historically the lineaments of Catholicity in the Church of England could its identity as the Catholic Church in England be proved. By this means, Maurice sought to justify the state’s recognition of the Church of England against a rising tide of radical and dissenting criticism. This chapter deals with Maurice’s arguments concerning the relations between church and state.
G.I.T. Machin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198217800
- eISBN:
- 9780191678271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198217800.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
This book deals with the reactions of the Christian Churches in Britain to a succession of social and moral change that was unprecedented within a single century. During the twentieth century, not ...
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This book deals with the reactions of the Christian Churches in Britain to a succession of social and moral change that was unprecedented within a single century. During the twentieth century, not only did state collectivism establish itself as the central means of initiating and administering social policy, but so many changes took place in personal behaviour (some of them sanctioned and encouraged by legislation) that a virtual social revolution of a non-political variety took place. In the realm of social policy, the twentieth-century watershed was the 1940s, when the welfare state was established. In regard to personal morality and behaviour, the century's watershed was the 1960s, after which a markedly different climate prevailed in these matters than had previously been the case. Whatever the extent to which the Churches had helped to provide the original climate of thought in which twentieth-century social changes came to flourish, they were clearly challenged to defend or modify their traditional attitudes as the changes developed.Less
This book deals with the reactions of the Christian Churches in Britain to a succession of social and moral change that was unprecedented within a single century. During the twentieth century, not only did state collectivism establish itself as the central means of initiating and administering social policy, but so many changes took place in personal behaviour (some of them sanctioned and encouraged by legislation) that a virtual social revolution of a non-political variety took place. In the realm of social policy, the twentieth-century watershed was the 1940s, when the welfare state was established. In regard to personal morality and behaviour, the century's watershed was the 1960s, after which a markedly different climate prevailed in these matters than had previously been the case. Whatever the extent to which the Churches had helped to provide the original climate of thought in which twentieth-century social changes came to flourish, they were clearly challenged to defend or modify their traditional attitudes as the changes developed.
G.I.T. Machin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198217800
- eISBN:
- 9780191678271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198217800.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
In Britain, activities such as drinking and watching football and cricket matches, cycling and rambling, and reading books and newspapers were inherited from pre-war decades and did not change ...
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In Britain, activities such as drinking and watching football and cricket matches, cycling and rambling, and reading books and newspapers were inherited from pre-war decades and did not change radically in the 1920s and 1930s, though some of them showed a marked increase. But there was a particularly large growth in gambling opportunities, cinema, and broadcasting. There was wider acceptance and use of artificial contraceptive methods, and an increase in divorce and in the legal facilities for it. In some ways, the growth of unemployment probably contributed to the increased time spent on leisure, as more people had perforce a larger amount of time in which to engage in such pursuits. Personal behaviour embraces a vast range of actual or potential activities, and the Christian Churches would claim to have a natural interest in every one of them. The core of the Churches' interest in social questions was an attempt to instil and preserve morality in both public policy and personal behaviour.Less
In Britain, activities such as drinking and watching football and cricket matches, cycling and rambling, and reading books and newspapers were inherited from pre-war decades and did not change radically in the 1920s and 1930s, though some of them showed a marked increase. But there was a particularly large growth in gambling opportunities, cinema, and broadcasting. There was wider acceptance and use of artificial contraceptive methods, and an increase in divorce and in the legal facilities for it. In some ways, the growth of unemployment probably contributed to the increased time spent on leisure, as more people had perforce a larger amount of time in which to engage in such pursuits. Personal behaviour embraces a vast range of actual or potential activities, and the Christian Churches would claim to have a natural interest in every one of them. The core of the Churches' interest in social questions was an attempt to instil and preserve morality in both public policy and personal behaviour.
Adrian Hastings
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198263999
- eISBN:
- 9780191600623
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198263996.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This is the first major volume to chart the historical development and character of the whole Christian Church in Africa. Christianity provided the constitutive identity of historic Ethiopia from ...
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This is the first major volume to chart the historical development and character of the whole Christian Church in Africa. Christianity provided the constitutive identity of historic Ethiopia from long before the fifteenth century, and from the nineteenth century it entered decisively into the life and culture of an increasing number of other African peoples. In the course of the twentieth century, African Christians have become a major part of the world church, and arguably, modern African history as a whole is not intelligible without its powerful Christian element. This book links together Ethiopian Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and the numerous ‘Independent’ churches of modern times, and focuses throughout on the role of conversion, the shaping of church life and its relationship to traditional values, and the impact of political power. The author also compares the relation of Christian history with the comparable development of Islam in Africa. The period covered, in fact, goes beyond 1950 into the 1950s, although this decade is not covered in detail, since it has already been dealt with in A History of African Christianity 1950–1975 (1979). The intention of the book is to end with some account of where the churches had reached on the eve of the collapse of colonialism. It is arranged to cover three main periods: (1) 1450–1780, a medieval environment; (2) 1780–1890, from the anti‐slavery to total subjugation; and (3) 1890–1960, the Christianizing of half a continent.Less
This is the first major volume to chart the historical development and character of the whole Christian Church in Africa. Christianity provided the constitutive identity of historic Ethiopia from long before the fifteenth century, and from the nineteenth century it entered decisively into the life and culture of an increasing number of other African peoples. In the course of the twentieth century, African Christians have become a major part of the world church, and arguably, modern African history as a whole is not intelligible without its powerful Christian element. This book links together Ethiopian Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and the numerous ‘Independent’ churches of modern times, and focuses throughout on the role of conversion, the shaping of church life and its relationship to traditional values, and the impact of political power. The author also compares the relation of Christian history with the comparable development of Islam in Africa. The period covered, in fact, goes beyond 1950 into the 1950s, although this decade is not covered in detail, since it has already been dealt with in A History of African Christianity 1950–1975 (1979). The intention of the book is to end with some account of where the churches had reached on the eve of the collapse of colonialism. It is arranged to cover three main periods: (1) 1450–1780, a medieval environment; (2) 1780–1890, from the anti‐slavery to total subjugation; and (3) 1890–1960, the Christianizing of half a continent.
Robert T. Handy
- Published in print:
- 1976
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269106
- eISBN:
- 9780191683572
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269106.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The story of the beginnings of the Christian churches in the New World is closely related to the political and economic aspects of colonial origins. Christian beginnings in North America were thus ...
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The story of the beginnings of the Christian churches in the New World is closely related to the political and economic aspects of colonial origins. Christian beginnings in North America were thus closely related to the efforts at colonization made by the European nations. Much of the drama in the story of the churches lies in the way the initial patterns were altered and transformed through the centuries. The settlement of most of North America came after the Reformation. The Reformation did sever many of the links with the past, but it also preserved many things, often in an altered but still recognizable form. The churches that were transplanted in the westward movement of Christendom soon took root in North American soil. Over the centuries, their patterns have spread, multiplied, and changed in surprising ways.Less
The story of the beginnings of the Christian churches in the New World is closely related to the political and economic aspects of colonial origins. Christian beginnings in North America were thus closely related to the efforts at colonization made by the European nations. Much of the drama in the story of the churches lies in the way the initial patterns were altered and transformed through the centuries. The settlement of most of North America came after the Reformation. The Reformation did sever many of the links with the past, but it also preserved many things, often in an altered but still recognizable form. The churches that were transplanted in the westward movement of Christendom soon took root in North American soil. Over the centuries, their patterns have spread, multiplied, and changed in surprising ways.
G.I.T. Machin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198217800
- eISBN:
- 9780191678271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198217800.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
A study of the social concerns of Christian Churches in twentieth-century Britain begins at a time when both the Churches and the question of social reform were of great importance in that country. ...
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A study of the social concerns of Christian Churches in twentieth-century Britain begins at a time when both the Churches and the question of social reform were of great importance in that country. Already, however, while the Roman Catholics continued to grow apace, membership and attendance figures in the Protestant Churches were a lot less healthy, certainly when membership assessments are compared with the size of the population. The Churches as a whole had so far lost little of the active presence and influence they had gained so notably since the later eighteenth century. The diverse views of Christians on social policy were reflected in the different reforming plans adopted by governments in the course of the twentieth century. Much less straightforward was the development of personal morality and social behaviour in comparison with Christian attitudes at the beginning of the century.Less
A study of the social concerns of Christian Churches in twentieth-century Britain begins at a time when both the Churches and the question of social reform were of great importance in that country. Already, however, while the Roman Catholics continued to grow apace, membership and attendance figures in the Protestant Churches were a lot less healthy, certainly when membership assessments are compared with the size of the population. The Churches as a whole had so far lost little of the active presence and influence they had gained so notably since the later eighteenth century. The diverse views of Christians on social policy were reflected in the different reforming plans adopted by governments in the course of the twentieth century. Much less straightforward was the development of personal morality and social behaviour in comparison with Christian attitudes at the beginning of the century.
G.I.T. Machin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198217800
- eISBN:
- 9780191678271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198217800.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
Having won in the First World War, the Lloyd George Coalition in Britain wished also to win the peace — that is, to provide the much better social conditions which government ministers had extolled ...
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Having won in the First World War, the Lloyd George Coalition in Britain wished also to win the peace — that is, to provide the much better social conditions which government ministers had extolled as the anticipated fruits of both armed and electoral victory. In a similar vein, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall Davidson, called for a ‘new birth’ in April 1918. But the highly indebted state of the country and depressing economic developments soon reduced these hopes. A brief postwar boom ended by late 1920, and was replaced by recession and rising unemployment. Many leaders of the country's Christian Churches advocated the improvement of social conditions and more equality in society by means of increased state intervention. But few of them took what still appeared to be the fairly extreme line of socialism — and far fewer supported the other extreme of fascism — in order to urge this development. Christians who wanted social reform through collectivism had little hope of gaining what they wished in the inter-war years.Less
Having won in the First World War, the Lloyd George Coalition in Britain wished also to win the peace — that is, to provide the much better social conditions which government ministers had extolled as the anticipated fruits of both armed and electoral victory. In a similar vein, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall Davidson, called for a ‘new birth’ in April 1918. But the highly indebted state of the country and depressing economic developments soon reduced these hopes. A brief postwar boom ended by late 1920, and was replaced by recession and rising unemployment. Many leaders of the country's Christian Churches advocated the improvement of social conditions and more equality in society by means of increased state intervention. But few of them took what still appeared to be the fairly extreme line of socialism — and far fewer supported the other extreme of fascism — in order to urge this development. Christians who wanted social reform through collectivism had little hope of gaining what they wished in the inter-war years.
G.I.T. Machin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198217800
- eISBN:
- 9780191678271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198217800.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
The Christian Churches had been thoroughly bound up with the British effort during the Second World War, and were equally involved with the victory celebrations. Some of the social planning of the ...
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The Christian Churches had been thoroughly bound up with the British effort during the Second World War, and were equally involved with the victory celebrations. Some of the social planning of the war and before was realized in the rapid erection of a welfare state by the Labour Government of 1945–1950, with the wide agreement of opposition parties. The adoption of universal social security was the culmination and extension of forty years of intervention. The finished product provided family allowances, sickness and unemployment insurance, old age pensions, a National Health Service, and free primary and secondary education. The period also saw the opening of betting shops; legalization of abortion and homosexual practice; divorce reform and the questioning of marriage; widening use of a new contraceptive pill; the abolition of censorship of plays; and much more freedom of exhibition and speech in the cinema, theatre, broadcasting, books, magazines, and newspapers.Less
The Christian Churches had been thoroughly bound up with the British effort during the Second World War, and were equally involved with the victory celebrations. Some of the social planning of the war and before was realized in the rapid erection of a welfare state by the Labour Government of 1945–1950, with the wide agreement of opposition parties. The adoption of universal social security was the culmination and extension of forty years of intervention. The finished product provided family allowances, sickness and unemployment insurance, old age pensions, a National Health Service, and free primary and secondary education. The period also saw the opening of betting shops; legalization of abortion and homosexual practice; divorce reform and the questioning of marriage; widening use of a new contraceptive pill; the abolition of censorship of plays; and much more freedom of exhibition and speech in the cinema, theatre, broadcasting, books, magazines, and newspapers.
Nigel Biggar
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198264576
- eISBN:
- 9780191682728
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198264576.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This book offers a fresh and up-to-date account of the ethical thought of one of the 20th century's greatest theologians: Karl Barth. The book seeks to recover Barth's ethics from some widespread ...
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This book offers a fresh and up-to-date account of the ethical thought of one of the 20th century's greatest theologians: Karl Barth. The book seeks to recover Barth's ethics from some widespread misunderstandings, and also present a picture of it as a whole. Drawing on recently published sources, it construes the ethics of the Church Dogmatics as it might have been had Barth lived to complete it. However, this book is more than apology and description, for it recommends to contemporary Christian ethics the theological rigour with which Barth expounds the good life in terms of the living presence of God-in-Christ to his creatures; his conception of right human action as that which is able to hasten in the service of humanity precisely by waiting prayerfully upon God; and his discriminate openness to moral wisdom outside the Christian church. Among particular topics treated are: the concept of human freedom and of created moral order; moral norms and their relation to individual vocation; the relative ethical roles of the Bible, the Church, philosophy, and empirical science; moral character and its formation; and the problem of war.Less
This book offers a fresh and up-to-date account of the ethical thought of one of the 20th century's greatest theologians: Karl Barth. The book seeks to recover Barth's ethics from some widespread misunderstandings, and also present a picture of it as a whole. Drawing on recently published sources, it construes the ethics of the Church Dogmatics as it might have been had Barth lived to complete it. However, this book is more than apology and description, for it recommends to contemporary Christian ethics the theological rigour with which Barth expounds the good life in terms of the living presence of God-in-Christ to his creatures; his conception of right human action as that which is able to hasten in the service of humanity precisely by waiting prayerfully upon God; and his discriminate openness to moral wisdom outside the Christian church. Among particular topics treated are: the concept of human freedom and of created moral order; moral norms and their relation to individual vocation; the relative ethical roles of the Bible, the Church, philosophy, and empirical science; moral character and its formation; and the problem of war.
MICHAEL J. HOLLERICH
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263685
- eISBN:
- 9780191682636
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263685.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies, Biblical Studies
This chapter deals with the place of the church in Eusebius' exegesis of Isaiah. It discusses Eusebius' conception of the relation between the historical Christian church and the heavenly Jerusalem. ...
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This chapter deals with the place of the church in Eusebius' exegesis of Isaiah. It discusses Eusebius' conception of the relation between the historical Christian church and the heavenly Jerusalem. The third section considers the role of the episcopacy as the leaders of the city of God. The fourth section discusses the place that Eusebius gives to the Roman Empire. The chapter also looks into the hierarchical principle in the church; the juxtaposition of two classes of Christians, the totally committed and the nominal; and his expectations of the end of the world and history. Eusebius was convinced that this historic community was the Sion and Jerusalem spoken of by the prophet Isaiah.Less
This chapter deals with the place of the church in Eusebius' exegesis of Isaiah. It discusses Eusebius' conception of the relation between the historical Christian church and the heavenly Jerusalem. The third section considers the role of the episcopacy as the leaders of the city of God. The fourth section discusses the place that Eusebius gives to the Roman Empire. The chapter also looks into the hierarchical principle in the church; the juxtaposition of two classes of Christians, the totally committed and the nominal; and his expectations of the end of the world and history. Eusebius was convinced that this historic community was the Sion and Jerusalem spoken of by the prophet Isaiah.
Orri Vesteinsson
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207993
- eISBN:
- 9780191677885
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207993.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History, History of Religion
In this historical study of High-Medieval Iceland, the author investigates the influence of the Christian Church on the formation of the earliest state structures in Iceland, from the conversion in ...
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In this historical study of High-Medieval Iceland, the author investigates the influence of the Christian Church on the formation of the earliest state structures in Iceland, from the conversion in 1000 to the union with Norway in 1262. In the history of mankind, states and state structures have usually been established before the advent of written records. As a result historians are rarely able to trace with certainty the early development of complex structures of government. In Iceland, literacy and the practice of native history writing had been established by the beginning of the twelfth century; whereas the formation of a centralized government did not occur until more than a hundred years later. The early development of state-like structures has therefore been unusually well chronicled, in the Icelandic Sagas, and in the historical records of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Based on this material, this book contributes to the discussion on the formation of states.Less
In this historical study of High-Medieval Iceland, the author investigates the influence of the Christian Church on the formation of the earliest state structures in Iceland, from the conversion in 1000 to the union with Norway in 1262. In the history of mankind, states and state structures have usually been established before the advent of written records. As a result historians are rarely able to trace with certainty the early development of complex structures of government. In Iceland, literacy and the practice of native history writing had been established by the beginning of the twelfth century; whereas the formation of a centralized government did not occur until more than a hundred years later. The early development of state-like structures has therefore been unusually well chronicled, in the Icelandic Sagas, and in the historical records of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Based on this material, this book contributes to the discussion on the formation of states.
G.I.T. Machin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198217800
- eISBN:
- 9780191678271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198217800.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, History of Religion
Within a century in which the Christian Churches had to face and adapt to an unprecedented amount of social change in Britain, the 1960s provided the most intense concentration of innovation and ...
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Within a century in which the Christian Churches had to face and adapt to an unprecedented amount of social change in Britain, the 1960s provided the most intense concentration of innovation and challenge. The new morality found supporters and opponents in the Churches, as well as some who were undecided. On the one hand, it found a champion in Bishop John Robinson. Widely differing approaches were seen in reaction to all the practical manifestations of the moral changes — the relaxation of censorship and the licence shown in publications, films, plays, and television broadcasts; the legalization of abortion and homosexual ads; a notable liberalization of the divorce law; and the growth of premarital and extramarital sexual activity through the adoption of the contraceptive pill, among other reasons. The controversy over the treatment of coloured immigrants had involved Church leaders as much as any other members of society. These developments all happened in the 1960s, but their effects remained to be worked out over many years.Less
Within a century in which the Christian Churches had to face and adapt to an unprecedented amount of social change in Britain, the 1960s provided the most intense concentration of innovation and challenge. The new morality found supporters and opponents in the Churches, as well as some who were undecided. On the one hand, it found a champion in Bishop John Robinson. Widely differing approaches were seen in reaction to all the practical manifestations of the moral changes — the relaxation of censorship and the licence shown in publications, films, plays, and television broadcasts; the legalization of abortion and homosexual ads; a notable liberalization of the divorce law; and the growth of premarital and extramarital sexual activity through the adoption of the contraceptive pill, among other reasons. The controversy over the treatment of coloured immigrants had involved Church leaders as much as any other members of society. These developments all happened in the 1960s, but their effects remained to be worked out over many years.
