David A. Hollinger
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691158426
- eISBN:
- 9781400845996
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691158426.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
This chapter addresses the question of why “mainline” Protestant churches experienced a dramatic loss of numbers from the mid-1960s through the early twenty-first century, while the evangelical ...
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This chapter addresses the question of why “mainline” Protestant churches experienced a dramatic loss of numbers from the mid-1960s through the early twenty-first century, while the evangelical churches grew. It argues that evangelicals triumphed in the numbers game by continuing to espouse several ideas about race, gender, sexuality, nationality, and divinity that remained popular with the white public when these same ideas were abandoned by leaders of the mainline, ecumenical churches as no longer defensible. The chapter also considers the historical significance of ecumenical Protestantism for U.S. history since World War II. It argues that it facilitated an engagement with many aspects of a diverse modernity that millions of Americans would not have achieved without the support and guidance of the ecumenical churches.Less
This chapter addresses the question of why “mainline” Protestant churches experienced a dramatic loss of numbers from the mid-1960s through the early twenty-first century, while the evangelical churches grew. It argues that evangelicals triumphed in the numbers game by continuing to espouse several ideas about race, gender, sexuality, nationality, and divinity that remained popular with the white public when these same ideas were abandoned by leaders of the mainline, ecumenical churches as no longer defensible. The chapter also considers the historical significance of ecumenical Protestantism for U.S. history since World War II. It argues that it facilitated an engagement with many aspects of a diverse modernity that millions of Americans would not have achieved without the support and guidance of the ecumenical churches.
Michael S. Kogan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195112597
- eISBN:
- 9780199872275
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195112597.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The Vatican II Council of 1965 signaled a new era in the relationship of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Determined to free the Church of the anti-Jewish polemic which led to such widespread ...
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The Vatican II Council of 1965 signaled a new era in the relationship of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Determined to free the Church of the anti-Jewish polemic which led to such widespread suffering of the innocent, Catholic authorities completely revised their conceptions of Jews and Judaism. Soon, many mainstream Protestant churches also issued a series of official statements that affirmed the eternal nature of God's ancient covenant with Israel. An entirely new category of theology emerged as part of the developing Jewish-Christian dialogue, and gradually Jewish theologians began to respond. This book represents an advance in Jewish thinking about Christianity. It delves deeply into the theologies of the two faiths to locate precise points of difference and convergence and sees Christianity as the breaking open of the original Covenant to include gentile peoples. God has brought this about through the work of Jesus and his interpreters. If Christianity is a divinely inspired movement, then Judaism must re-evaluate its truth-claims. This will in no way compromise the truth of Judaism itself, but will cause Jews to understand their own faith more fully by locating it in the larger context of God's universal redemptive plan. This book calls for each tradition to receive the wisdom of the other as a means of self-understanding. Once each faith is freed to find God's purpose in the other, the way will be open to a liberating pluralism in which Jews and Christians come to see each other as Israelite siblings sharing a universal role as God's witnesses, the builders of God's Kingdom on earth. Neither faith can do this world-redemptive work alone.Less
The Vatican II Council of 1965 signaled a new era in the relationship of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Determined to free the Church of the anti-Jewish polemic which led to such widespread suffering of the innocent, Catholic authorities completely revised their conceptions of Jews and Judaism. Soon, many mainstream Protestant churches also issued a series of official statements that affirmed the eternal nature of God's ancient covenant with Israel. An entirely new category of theology emerged as part of the developing Jewish-Christian dialogue, and gradually Jewish theologians began to respond. This book represents an advance in Jewish thinking about Christianity. It delves deeply into the theologies of the two faiths to locate precise points of difference and convergence and sees Christianity as the breaking open of the original Covenant to include gentile peoples. God has brought this about through the work of Jesus and his interpreters. If Christianity is a divinely inspired movement, then Judaism must re-evaluate its truth-claims. This will in no way compromise the truth of Judaism itself, but will cause Jews to understand their own faith more fully by locating it in the larger context of God's universal redemptive plan. This book calls for each tradition to receive the wisdom of the other as a means of self-understanding. Once each faith is freed to find God's purpose in the other, the way will be open to a liberating pluralism in which Jews and Christians come to see each other as Israelite siblings sharing a universal role as God's witnesses, the builders of God's Kingdom on earth. Neither faith can do this world-redemptive work alone.
Christine Rosen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195156799
- eISBN:
- 9780199835218
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019515679X.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter further places religious leaders’ enthusiasm for eugenics in the context of both Progressivism and the Social Gospel movement. As eugenic ideas gained in popularity, religious leaders ...
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This chapter further places religious leaders’ enthusiasm for eugenics in the context of both Progressivism and the Social Gospel movement. As eugenic ideas gained in popularity, religious leaders such as Rev. Walter Taylor Sumner, a Protestant Episcopal Dean in Chicago, began crafting their own eugenic proposals, which they administered in their churches. Dean Sumner’s eugenic “marriage health certificate” plan garnered publicity and many imitators. This chapter describes such proposals and places them in the context of the growing social service movement in the Protestant churches in particular, and the public’s increasing interest in eugenics in general. It also discusses the many “eugenic family studies” published in the 1910s.Less
This chapter further places religious leaders’ enthusiasm for eugenics in the context of both Progressivism and the Social Gospel movement. As eugenic ideas gained in popularity, religious leaders such as Rev. Walter Taylor Sumner, a Protestant Episcopal Dean in Chicago, began crafting their own eugenic proposals, which they administered in their churches. Dean Sumner’s eugenic “marriage health certificate” plan garnered publicity and many imitators. This chapter describes such proposals and places them in the context of the growing social service movement in the Protestant churches in particular, and the public’s increasing interest in eugenics in general. It also discusses the many “eugenic family studies” published in the 1910s.
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.
Hugh McLeod
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199298259
- eISBN:
- 9780191711619
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298259.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter discusses the decline in religious practice in the Western world, in both Protest churches and the Roman Catholic Church. In the ten years between 1965 and 1975, large numbers of people ...
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This chapter discusses the decline in religious practice in the Western world, in both Protest churches and the Roman Catholic Church. In the ten years between 1965 and 1975, large numbers of people lost the habit of regular church going. Protestant churches saw a serious drop in membership. The Catholic Church saw a mass exit from the priesthood and a large fall in clerical recruitment.Less
This chapter discusses the decline in religious practice in the Western world, in both Protest churches and the Roman Catholic Church. In the ten years between 1965 and 1975, large numbers of people lost the habit of regular church going. Protestant churches saw a serious drop in membership. The Catholic Church saw a mass exit from the priesthood and a large fall in clerical recruitment.
Hugh McLeod
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199298259
- eISBN:
- 9780191711619
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298259.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines religious reform in the mid-1960s. Pope John said that the task of the Second Vatican Council would be aggiornamento — a bringing up to date, or renewal, of the church. Vatican ...
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This chapter examines religious reform in the mid-1960s. Pope John said that the task of the Second Vatican Council would be aggiornamento — a bringing up to date, or renewal, of the church. Vatican II offered the prospect not only of sweeping reforms in the Catholic Church but also of an end to many of the barriers separating Catholics from other Christians. New theologies, which privileged ‘action’ in ‘the world’, an ethic of individual freedom and responsibility and a positive view of modern science, were winning the support of many Protestants. Both Catholics and Protestants were actively involved in many of the social and political movements of the time, and were interpreting their activism as a necessary expression of their Christian faith. Yet in the euphoria of the times, many progressive Christians underestimated the strength both of more conservative denominations (often dismissed as sects) and of the conservative forces within their own denomination.Less
This chapter examines religious reform in the mid-1960s. Pope John said that the task of the Second Vatican Council would be aggiornamento — a bringing up to date, or renewal, of the church. Vatican II offered the prospect not only of sweeping reforms in the Catholic Church but also of an end to many of the barriers separating Catholics from other Christians. New theologies, which privileged ‘action’ in ‘the world’, an ethic of individual freedom and responsibility and a positive view of modern science, were winning the support of many Protestants. Both Catholics and Protestants were actively involved in many of the social and political movements of the time, and were interpreting their activism as a necessary expression of their Christian faith. Yet in the euphoria of the times, many progressive Christians underestimated the strength both of more conservative denominations (often dismissed as sects) and of the conservative forces within their own denomination.
Owen Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 1980
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269199
- eISBN:
- 9780191600487
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269196.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Traces the decline of political power in the Catholic Church in Europe from the period after the overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, and the return of the Pope to Rome. In the new Europe so ...
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Traces the decline of political power in the Catholic Church in Europe from the period after the overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, and the return of the Pope to Rome. In the new Europe so formed, Protestants were politically far stronger than Catholics. The different sections of the chapter cover the Austrian chancellor Metternich, the Age of the Concordats (agreements between Rome and the governments of different countries), Spain and the reaction to the revolution, the secret articles of Verona (Italy, 1822), revolution in Spanish America, reaction in Italy and the Prince of Canosa, the restored Pope, the Papal States, the Carbonari, Silvio Pellico, Pope Leo XII, the shadow of the Jansenists, the end of the campaign against celibacy, the structure of the restored Church (bishoprics, seminaries, brotherhoods), the jubilee of 1825, collegiate churches, the revival of the monks and monasteries, the revival of the Jesuits and other orders, new religious groups, virtus, and differences in parish life.Less
Traces the decline of political power in the Catholic Church in Europe from the period after the overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, and the return of the Pope to Rome. In the new Europe so formed, Protestants were politically far stronger than Catholics. The different sections of the chapter cover the Austrian chancellor Metternich, the Age of the Concordats (agreements between Rome and the governments of different countries), Spain and the reaction to the revolution, the secret articles of Verona (Italy, 1822), revolution in Spanish America, reaction in Italy and the Prince of Canosa, the restored Pope, the Papal States, the Carbonari, Silvio Pellico, Pope Leo XII, the shadow of the Jansenists, the end of the campaign against celibacy, the structure of the restored Church (bishoprics, seminaries, brotherhoods), the jubilee of 1825, collegiate churches, the revival of the monks and monasteries, the revival of the Jesuits and other orders, new religious groups, virtus, and differences in parish life.
Hugh McLeod
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199298259
- eISBN:
- 9780191711619
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298259.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines the social and religious upheavals of 1968. In the later 1960s, hopes for speedy and radical changes in both church and society were at a very high level. Christian radicals ...
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This chapter examines the social and religious upheavals of 1968. In the later 1960s, hopes for speedy and radical changes in both church and society were at a very high level. Christian radicals often suffered a double disappointment. Many radicals left their churches, and those Christian organizations that had been most sympathetic to ‘1968’ were severely upset. However, it would be wrong to exaggerate the extent either of the radical defeat or of the conservative resurgence. Many of those who had been influenced by the ideas and movements of that time remained within, or returned to their churches.Less
This chapter examines the social and religious upheavals of 1968. In the later 1960s, hopes for speedy and radical changes in both church and society were at a very high level. Christian radicals often suffered a double disappointment. Many radicals left their churches, and those Christian organizations that had been most sympathetic to ‘1968’ were severely upset. However, it would be wrong to exaggerate the extent either of the radical defeat or of the conservative resurgence. Many of those who had been influenced by the ideas and movements of that time remained within, or returned to their churches.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150550
- eISBN:
- 9781400839759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150550.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter examines the emergence of the Religious Right in Kansas. On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was murdered at the Reformation Lutheran Church in suburban Wichita. As one of the region's ...
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This chapter examines the emergence of the Religious Right in Kansas. On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was murdered at the Reformation Lutheran Church in suburban Wichita. As one of the region's few providers of legal late-term abortions, Tiller had earned the ire of antiabortion activists. No issue brought churches as directly into the political arena during the late 1980s and 1990s as abortion. The Religious Right in Kansas gained national attention because of its role in encouraging the Kansas State Board of Education to approve science standards that downplayed the teaching of evolution. The decision raised questions such as: why Kansas was such a hotbed of religious conservatism; or why it mattered that independent evangelical Protestant churches were now on the same side of many issues as conservative Roman Catholics. The chapter explores the implications of the debate over evolution for Kansas religion and politics.Less
This chapter examines the emergence of the Religious Right in Kansas. On May 31, 2009, Dr. George Tiller was murdered at the Reformation Lutheran Church in suburban Wichita. As one of the region's few providers of legal late-term abortions, Tiller had earned the ire of antiabortion activists. No issue brought churches as directly into the political arena during the late 1980s and 1990s as abortion. The Religious Right in Kansas gained national attention because of its role in encouraging the Kansas State Board of Education to approve science standards that downplayed the teaching of evolution. The decision raised questions such as: why Kansas was such a hotbed of religious conservatism; or why it mattered that independent evangelical Protestant churches were now on the same side of many issues as conservative Roman Catholics. The chapter explores the implications of the debate over evolution for Kansas religion and politics.
Philip N. Mulder
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195131635
- eISBN:
- 9780199834525
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195131630.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The American Revolution heightened the differences between Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists as the dissenters addressed the political crisis through petitions and met the resultant ...
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The American Revolution heightened the differences between Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists as the dissenters addressed the political crisis through petitions and met the resultant disestablishment of the Church of England on their own terms. Presbyterians generally embraced the Revolutionary cause, but they maneuvered primarily to achieve their long‐sought goal of gaining parity with the Anglican, now Protestant Episcopal Church, allowing for multiple establishments when the plans included Presbyterians. Baptists faced the matters resolved to maintain their absolute principles, and they were pleasantly surprised when Virginia, prompted by Thomas Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom, seemed to embrace some Baptist truth by striking down establishment. Francis Asbury dreamed that Methodists could stay neutral, truly separating religion from unholy matters, but he suffered when John Wesley rebuked the patriots and when most Methodist leaders fled the troubled colonies. Methodism would recover, but only by transforming into an American denomination and joining the other evangelicals already in contention for their own particular notions of religious liberty.Less
The American Revolution heightened the differences between Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists as the dissenters addressed the political crisis through petitions and met the resultant disestablishment of the Church of England on their own terms. Presbyterians generally embraced the Revolutionary cause, but they maneuvered primarily to achieve their long‐sought goal of gaining parity with the Anglican, now Protestant Episcopal Church, allowing for multiple establishments when the plans included Presbyterians. Baptists faced the matters resolved to maintain their absolute principles, and they were pleasantly surprised when Virginia, prompted by Thomas Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom, seemed to embrace some Baptist truth by striking down establishment. Francis Asbury dreamed that Methodists could stay neutral, truly separating religion from unholy matters, but he suffered when John Wesley rebuked the patriots and when most Methodist leaders fled the troubled colonies. Methodism would recover, but only by transforming into an American denomination and joining the other evangelicals already in contention for their own particular notions of religious liberty.
John Wigger
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195387803
- eISBN:
- 9780199866410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195387803.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
One measure of the church’s success was that it now had to deal with imposters who pretended to be Methodist preachers. Still, growth slowed in the 1790s and membership actually declined in the ...
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One measure of the church’s success was that it now had to deal with imposters who pretended to be Methodist preachers. Still, growth slowed in the 1790s and membership actually declined in the South. Despite nagging sickness Asbury traveled across the mountains to Kentucky in the spring of 1790. But he still faced sustained opposition to the council, particularly in southern Virginia where O’Kelly’s influence was greatest. In the midst of these troubles, Asbury’s piety remained little changed. The second (and last) meeting of the council in December 1790 accomplished little. Coke and O’Kelly demanded that a general conference be called for 1792. Meanwhile, Coke wrote a secret letter to Bishop William White of the Protestant Episcopal Church, proposing a reconciliation of the Methodist and Episcopal churches. John Wesley’s death in March 1791 threw all of Coke’s plans in disarray. As Coke returned to England, Asbury took a tour of New England, where there were yet few Methodists.Less
One measure of the church’s success was that it now had to deal with imposters who pretended to be Methodist preachers. Still, growth slowed in the 1790s and membership actually declined in the South. Despite nagging sickness Asbury traveled across the mountains to Kentucky in the spring of 1790. But he still faced sustained opposition to the council, particularly in southern Virginia where O’Kelly’s influence was greatest. In the midst of these troubles, Asbury’s piety remained little changed. The second (and last) meeting of the council in December 1790 accomplished little. Coke and O’Kelly demanded that a general conference be called for 1792. Meanwhile, Coke wrote a secret letter to Bishop William White of the Protestant Episcopal Church, proposing a reconciliation of the Methodist and Episcopal churches. John Wesley’s death in March 1791 threw all of Coke’s plans in disarray. As Coke returned to England, Asbury took a tour of New England, where there were yet few Methodists.
Zhaohui Hong
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813161150
- eISBN:
- 9780813161181
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813161150.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Chapter 7 pays particular attention to the poverty of rights of the Protestant house churches in their quest for religious freedom since 1999. The Protestant house churches can be defined as those ...
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Chapter 7 pays particular attention to the poverty of rights of the Protestant house churches in their quest for religious freedom since 1999. The Protestant house churches can be defined as those without official registration and government approval. This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of the poverty of rights endured by several tens of millions of house church members. They include the government’s placement of the house churches into a position of illegitimacy, restriction of their ability to build churches and their opportunities to worship, and deprivation of their rights to religious gatherings, in addition to the lack of protection of their private property. The chapter also discusses the multitude of reasons for the house churches’ poverty of rights before addressing several options for them to seek and protect their religious freedom.Less
Chapter 7 pays particular attention to the poverty of rights of the Protestant house churches in their quest for religious freedom since 1999. The Protestant house churches can be defined as those without official registration and government approval. This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of the poverty of rights endured by several tens of millions of house church members. They include the government’s placement of the house churches into a position of illegitimacy, restriction of their ability to build churches and their opportunities to worship, and deprivation of their rights to religious gatherings, in addition to the lack of protection of their private property. The chapter also discusses the multitude of reasons for the house churches’ poverty of rights before addressing several options for them to seek and protect their religious freedom.
David Ownby
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824839475
- eISBN:
- 9780824869731
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824839475.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
This chapter examines the intersection between nationalism, religion, and politics by documenting the revival of Protestant Christianity in post-Mao China. In particular, it looks at the House Church ...
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This chapter examines the intersection between nationalism, religion, and politics by documenting the revival of Protestant Christianity in post-Mao China. In particular, it looks at the House Church Protestant movement, which stands in contrast to the government-sponsored Protestant Church. The chapter begins with a discussion of Western-language studies of Protestant revival in China and how the revival was perceived in China before turning to Chinese Protestant voices in the Chinese diaspora, particularly in North America. Some of these Chinese Christians had already converted in China and came to North America to avoid persecution, but most converted after their arrival—some having gone into exile for political reasons. The chapter also considers the role of Chinese missionary groups in the diaspora such as the China Soul for Christ Foundation and their high-quality docudramas produced in the United States that “educate” Chinese Protestants on their own history and contemporary situation, suggesting that these dramas may serve as a unifying force for Protestantism in China.Less
This chapter examines the intersection between nationalism, religion, and politics by documenting the revival of Protestant Christianity in post-Mao China. In particular, it looks at the House Church Protestant movement, which stands in contrast to the government-sponsored Protestant Church. The chapter begins with a discussion of Western-language studies of Protestant revival in China and how the revival was perceived in China before turning to Chinese Protestant voices in the Chinese diaspora, particularly in North America. Some of these Chinese Christians had already converted in China and came to North America to avoid persecution, but most converted after their arrival—some having gone into exile for political reasons. The chapter also considers the role of Chinese missionary groups in the diaspora such as the China Soul for Christ Foundation and their high-quality docudramas produced in the United States that “educate” Chinese Protestants on their own history and contemporary situation, suggesting that these dramas may serve as a unifying force for Protestantism in China.
Chris Hann and Hermann Goltz (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520260559
- eISBN:
- 9780520945920
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520260559.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Anthropology, Religion
Sociocultural anthropologists have taken increasing interest in the global communities established by Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, but the many streams of Eastern Christianity have so far ...
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Sociocultural anthropologists have taken increasing interest in the global communities established by Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, but the many streams of Eastern Christianity have so far been neglected. This book fills this gap in the literature. The chapters in this collection examine the primary distinguishing features of the Eastern traditions—iconography, hymnology, ritual, and pilgrimage—through ethnographic analysis. Particular attention is paid to the revitalization of Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches that were repressed under Marxist–Leninist regimes.Less
Sociocultural anthropologists have taken increasing interest in the global communities established by Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, but the many streams of Eastern Christianity have so far been neglected. This book fills this gap in the literature. The chapters in this collection examine the primary distinguishing features of the Eastern traditions—iconography, hymnology, ritual, and pilgrimage—through ethnographic analysis. Particular attention is paid to the revitalization of Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches that were repressed under Marxist–Leninist regimes.
Matthew T. Corrigan
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813031606
- eISBN:
- 9780813039251
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813031606.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter discusses how the rise of the Republicans has impacted on the difficult relationship between religion and politics in the South. The important political influence of conservative ...
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This chapter discusses how the rise of the Republicans has impacted on the difficult relationship between religion and politics in the South. The important political influence of conservative Protestant churches and Catholic churches in the Republican Party has helped to mobilize churchgoing whites. In general, African American voters still view their churches as sources of political guidance. Since religious beliefs are particularly intense and consistent, the increased political activity of white churches has added another dynamic to the relationship between whites and blacks in the South. Since the end of the Civil War, religious worship in Jacksonville has been a source of racial segregation. Churches are now sources of political segregation as well, with Democrats dominating black churches and Republicans attending white churches. This phenomenon adds another layer of political separation between blacks and whites. Although blacks and whites who regularly attend church agree on many social issues, there is stark disagreement relating to economic issues and national security. Thus, black and white churches are centers of organization for competing political parties.Less
This chapter discusses how the rise of the Republicans has impacted on the difficult relationship between religion and politics in the South. The important political influence of conservative Protestant churches and Catholic churches in the Republican Party has helped to mobilize churchgoing whites. In general, African American voters still view their churches as sources of political guidance. Since religious beliefs are particularly intense and consistent, the increased political activity of white churches has added another dynamic to the relationship between whites and blacks in the South. Since the end of the Civil War, religious worship in Jacksonville has been a source of racial segregation. Churches are now sources of political segregation as well, with Democrats dominating black churches and Republicans attending white churches. This phenomenon adds another layer of political separation between blacks and whites. Although blacks and whites who regularly attend church agree on many social issues, there is stark disagreement relating to economic issues and national security. Thus, black and white churches are centers of organization for competing political parties.
Margaret Bendroth
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469624006
- eISBN:
- 9781469624020
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469624006.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This introductory chapter examines the role of the past in mainline Protestant churches—more specifically the Congregationalists—and how they have coped with modern, twentieth-century American life. ...
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This introductory chapter examines the role of the past in mainline Protestant churches—more specifically the Congregationalists—and how they have coped with modern, twentieth-century American life. The religious history of the modern era was as much about fortress building as it was about ecumenical cooperation: this urbane and presumably secular age saw far more debate about what it meant to be a Baptist or a Presbyterian or a Congregationalist—or, for that matter, a Roman Catholic or a Jew or an evangelical—than any earlier time. Congregationalists are especially apt for this kind of story. To begin with, from the early nineteenth century onward, they have played a major role in shaping American culture, exerting an influence well beyond their relatively modest numbers.Less
This introductory chapter examines the role of the past in mainline Protestant churches—more specifically the Congregationalists—and how they have coped with modern, twentieth-century American life. The religious history of the modern era was as much about fortress building as it was about ecumenical cooperation: this urbane and presumably secular age saw far more debate about what it meant to be a Baptist or a Presbyterian or a Congregationalist—or, for that matter, a Roman Catholic or a Jew or an evangelical—than any earlier time. Congregationalists are especially apt for this kind of story. To begin with, from the early nineteenth century onward, they have played a major role in shaping American culture, exerting an influence well beyond their relatively modest numbers.
Mark Newman
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496818867
- eISBN:
- 9781496818904
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496818867.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The chapter compares the response of the Catholic Church in the South to desegregation with that of the region’s larger white denominations: the Southern Baptist Convention, the Methodist Church, the ...
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The chapter compares the response of the Catholic Church in the South to desegregation with that of the region’s larger white denominations: the Southern Baptist Convention, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the Protestant Episcopal Church, and the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. It also makes comparisons with Catholics outside the South and with southern Jews, a minority, like Catholics, subject to suspicion and even hostility from the Protestant majority, and with the Northern (later American) Baptist Convention and the Disciples of Christ, both of which had a substantial African American membership. The comparison suggests that white lay sensibilities, more than polity or theology, influenced the implementation of desegregation in the South by the major white religious bodies. Like the major white Protestant denominations, Catholic prelates and clergy took a more progressive approach to desegregation in the peripheral than the Deep South.Less
The chapter compares the response of the Catholic Church in the South to desegregation with that of the region’s larger white denominations: the Southern Baptist Convention, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the Protestant Episcopal Church, and the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. It also makes comparisons with Catholics outside the South and with southern Jews, a minority, like Catholics, subject to suspicion and even hostility from the Protestant majority, and with the Northern (later American) Baptist Convention and the Disciples of Christ, both of which had a substantial African American membership. The comparison suggests that white lay sensibilities, more than polity or theology, influenced the implementation of desegregation in the South by the major white religious bodies. Like the major white Protestant denominations, Catholic prelates and clergy took a more progressive approach to desegregation in the peripheral than the Deep South.
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226804743
- eISBN:
- 9780226804767
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226804767.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
How can the churches be the Church? That central question remains pressing for the mainline Protestant churches in American public life. This sharpened in the wake of Interfaith Impact for Justice ...
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How can the churches be the Church? That central question remains pressing for the mainline Protestant churches in American public life. This sharpened in the wake of Interfaith Impact for Justice and Peace's demise, which cleared institutional ground for new ecumenical efforts by the National Council of Churches and others to join the mainline Protestant churches more closely in public advocacy. Specific issues spurred this undertaking. Chief among them was continuing opposition in the churches to tight-fisted “welfare reform” and half-hearted health care coverage in the 1990s, along with growing support for campaign finance reform. These advocacy efforts played out against the backdrop of continuing appeals by Bill Clinton's administration to mainline-church leaders for public involvement and moral unity to help sway voters and members of Congress to its policies. Such engagement with the mainline churches offered a striking contrast to the Republican administrations before and after the Clinton years, especially to the silence of President George W. Bush in response to the churches' protests against war in Iraq and deepening poverty and hardship at home.Less
How can the churches be the Church? That central question remains pressing for the mainline Protestant churches in American public life. This sharpened in the wake of Interfaith Impact for Justice and Peace's demise, which cleared institutional ground for new ecumenical efforts by the National Council of Churches and others to join the mainline Protestant churches more closely in public advocacy. Specific issues spurred this undertaking. Chief among them was continuing opposition in the churches to tight-fisted “welfare reform” and half-hearted health care coverage in the 1990s, along with growing support for campaign finance reform. These advocacy efforts played out against the backdrop of continuing appeals by Bill Clinton's administration to mainline-church leaders for public involvement and moral unity to help sway voters and members of Congress to its policies. Such engagement with the mainline churches offered a striking contrast to the Republican administrations before and after the Clinton years, especially to the silence of President George W. Bush in response to the churches' protests against war in Iraq and deepening poverty and hardship at home.
Sharon Erickson Nepstad
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199778201
- eISBN:
- 9780199897216
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199778201.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This chapter focuses on the 1989 East German uprising. East Germans found that shifting international dynamics—linked to Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost policies and Hungary’s decision to open ...
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This chapter focuses on the 1989 East German uprising. East Germans found that shifting international dynamics—linked to Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost policies and Hungary’s decision to open its border—enabled them to mobilize. As tens of thousands of East Germans emigrated through Hungary, a labor shortage and an economic crisis developed. When state officials stopped emigration, citizens expressed opposition to regime policies through demonstrations, which were initially tied to Protestant churches’ peace prayer services. As demonstrations expanded, regime leaders tried to repress the movement. But troops defied orders and many deserted, since protesters’ nonviolent demeanor made it difficult to justify the use of force. Hence security force defections, combined with the loss of emigrants’ labor skills, paralyzed the regime. Subsequently, the Berlin Wall fell, and the East German state was dismantled.Less
This chapter focuses on the 1989 East German uprising. East Germans found that shifting international dynamics—linked to Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost policies and Hungary’s decision to open its border—enabled them to mobilize. As tens of thousands of East Germans emigrated through Hungary, a labor shortage and an economic crisis developed. When state officials stopped emigration, citizens expressed opposition to regime policies through demonstrations, which were initially tied to Protestant churches’ peace prayer services. As demonstrations expanded, regime leaders tried to repress the movement. But troops defied orders and many deserted, since protesters’ nonviolent demeanor made it difficult to justify the use of force. Hence security force defections, combined with the loss of emigrants’ labor skills, paralyzed the regime. Subsequently, the Berlin Wall fell, and the East German state was dismantled.
Larry A. Witham
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195315936
- eISBN:
- 9780199851089
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315936.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about American clergy. This book examines the alleged shortage facing American clergy and describes the status or conditions of ...
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This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about American clergy. This book examines the alleged shortage facing American clergy and describes the status or conditions of various ministries including those of the Protestants, Catholics, Southern Baptists, and Episcopal Church. It also discusses the entry of women into the clergy and the role of new debates concerning leadership, morality, and the power of the mass media.Less
This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about American clergy. This book examines the alleged shortage facing American clergy and describes the status or conditions of various ministries including those of the Protestants, Catholics, Southern Baptists, and Episcopal Church. It also discusses the entry of women into the clergy and the role of new debates concerning leadership, morality, and the power of the mass media.
