B.W. Young
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199256228
- eISBN:
- 9780191719660
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199256228.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
The Victorians were preoccupied by the 18th century. It was central to many 19th-century debates, particularly those concerning the place of history and religion in national life. This book explores ...
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The Victorians were preoccupied by the 18th century. It was central to many 19th-century debates, particularly those concerning the place of history and religion in national life. This book explores the diverse responses of key Victorian writers and thinkers — Thomas Carlyle, John Henry Newman, Leslie Stephen, Vernon Lee, and M. R. James — to a period which commanded their interest throughout the Victorian era, from the accession of Queen Victoria to the opening decades of the 20th century. They were, on the one hand, appalled by the apparent frivolity of the 18th century, which was denounced by Carlyle as a dispiriting successor to the culture of Puritan England, and, on the other they were concerned to continue its secularizing influence on English culture, as is seen in the pioneering work of Leslie Stephen, who was passionately keen to transform the legacy of 18th-century scepticism into Victorian agnosticism. The Victorian interest in the 18th century was never a purely insular matter, and the history of 18th-century France, Germany, and Italy played a dominant role in the 19th-century historical understanding. A debate between generations was enacted, in which Romanticism melded into Victorianism. The Victorians were haunted by the 18th century, both metaphorically and literally, and the book closes with consideration of the culturally resonant 18th-century ghosts encountered in the fiction of Vernon Lee and M. R. James.Less
The Victorians were preoccupied by the 18th century. It was central to many 19th-century debates, particularly those concerning the place of history and religion in national life. This book explores the diverse responses of key Victorian writers and thinkers — Thomas Carlyle, John Henry Newman, Leslie Stephen, Vernon Lee, and M. R. James — to a period which commanded their interest throughout the Victorian era, from the accession of Queen Victoria to the opening decades of the 20th century. They were, on the one hand, appalled by the apparent frivolity of the 18th century, which was denounced by Carlyle as a dispiriting successor to the culture of Puritan England, and, on the other they were concerned to continue its secularizing influence on English culture, as is seen in the pioneering work of Leslie Stephen, who was passionately keen to transform the legacy of 18th-century scepticism into Victorian agnosticism. The Victorian interest in the 18th century was never a purely insular matter, and the history of 18th-century France, Germany, and Italy played a dominant role in the 19th-century historical understanding. A debate between generations was enacted, in which Romanticism melded into Victorianism. The Victorians were haunted by the 18th century, both metaphorically and literally, and the book closes with consideration of the culturally resonant 18th-century ghosts encountered in the fiction of Vernon Lee and M. R. James.
John Demos
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195128901
- eISBN:
- 9780199853960
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195128901.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
The year 2000 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of this title. The study examines the family in the context of the colony founded by the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. Basing ...
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The year 2000 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of this title. The study examines the family in the context of the colony founded by the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. Basing his work on physical artifacts, wills, estate inventories, and a variety of legal and official enactments, the author portrays the family as a structure of roles and relationships, emphasizing those of husband and wife, parent and child, and master and servant. The book's most startling insights come from a reconsideration of commonly held views of American Puritans and of the ways in which they dealt with one another. The author concludes that Puritan “repression” was not as strongly directed against sexuality as against the expression of hostile and aggressive impulses, and he shows how this pattern reflected prevalent modes of family life and child rearing. The result is an in-depth study of the ordinary life of a colonial community, located in the broader environment of seventeenth-century America. This second edition includes a new foreword and a list of further reading.Less
The year 2000 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of this title. The study examines the family in the context of the colony founded by the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. Basing his work on physical artifacts, wills, estate inventories, and a variety of legal and official enactments, the author portrays the family as a structure of roles and relationships, emphasizing those of husband and wife, parent and child, and master and servant. The book's most startling insights come from a reconsideration of commonly held views of American Puritans and of the ways in which they dealt with one another. The author concludes that Puritan “repression” was not as strongly directed against sexuality as against the expression of hostile and aggressive impulses, and he shows how this pattern reflected prevalent modes of family life and child rearing. The result is an in-depth study of the ordinary life of a colonial community, located in the broader environment of seventeenth-century America. This second edition includes a new foreword and a list of further reading.
Crawford Gribben
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195325317
- eISBN:
- 9780199785605
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195325317.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This book is the first comprehensive description of some of the many kinds of Protestantism that competed for the souls of Cromwellian Ireland. Its principal purpose is to document the period's most ...
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This book is the first comprehensive description of some of the many kinds of Protestantism that competed for the souls of Cromwellian Ireland. Its principal purpose is to document the period's most important theological debates, arguing that they were both a cause and consequence of protestant experiences in that turbulent period and that they illustrate surprising contests between and within several English, Scottish, and Irish varieties of protestant identity. Cromwellian protestants were sometimes less puritan, and often much less united by religious convictions, than has often been supposed. Even their resolute opposition to Roman Catholicism has, at times, been exaggerated. The military campaign and its aftermath have been associated with eschatological stringency and anti‐Catholic rhetoric, but this rhetoric is largely absent from the treatises that survived the 1650s. In fact, where Antichrist does appear, it is almost always within the community of the godly. His presence marks the constantly shifting boundaries of projected systems of truth. These shifting boundaries reflect a sustained introspection that allows historians to trace the evolution of religious identities throughout this period. That introspection provides a key to our understanding of the period's events, for the Cromwellian regime had an evidently religious base, and its exponents worked self‐consciously for a second reformation. Nevertheless, the state failed to endorse an ecclesiastical ideal, and that failure made sectarian disagreements inevitable. This book documents the tenor and impact of these debates.Less
This book is the first comprehensive description of some of the many kinds of Protestantism that competed for the souls of Cromwellian Ireland. Its principal purpose is to document the period's most important theological debates, arguing that they were both a cause and consequence of protestant experiences in that turbulent period and that they illustrate surprising contests between and within several English, Scottish, and Irish varieties of protestant identity. Cromwellian protestants were sometimes less puritan, and often much less united by religious convictions, than has often been supposed. Even their resolute opposition to Roman Catholicism has, at times, been exaggerated. The military campaign and its aftermath have been associated with eschatological stringency and anti‐Catholic rhetoric, but this rhetoric is largely absent from the treatises that survived the 1650s. In fact, where Antichrist does appear, it is almost always within the community of the godly. His presence marks the constantly shifting boundaries of projected systems of truth. These shifting boundaries reflect a sustained introspection that allows historians to trace the evolution of religious identities throughout this period. That introspection provides a key to our understanding of the period's events, for the Cromwellian regime had an evidently religious base, and its exponents worked self‐consciously for a second reformation. Nevertheless, the state failed to endorse an ecclesiastical ideal, and that failure made sectarian disagreements inevitable. This book documents the tenor and impact of these debates.
Nicholas Tyacke
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201847
- eISBN:
- 9780191675041
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201847.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
Along with various other issues, religion played a major contributory role in the English Civil War. The religious fears voiced in the late 1620s were given increasing substance during the 1630s. The ...
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Along with various other issues, religion played a major contributory role in the English Civil War. The religious fears voiced in the late 1620s were given increasing substance during the 1630s. The term Arminian is the least misleading among the terms which can be used to describe the religious change of this time. The term Arminian denotes a coherent body of anti-Calvinist religious thought, which was gaining ground in various regions of early 17th-century Europe. Calvinism was also attacked as being unreasonable. The rise of English Arminianism challenged the Calvinist world picture, which envisaged the forces of good and evil involved in a struggle that would only end with the final overthrow of the Antichrist.Less
Along with various other issues, religion played a major contributory role in the English Civil War. The religious fears voiced in the late 1620s were given increasing substance during the 1630s. The term Arminian is the least misleading among the terms which can be used to describe the religious change of this time. The term Arminian denotes a coherent body of anti-Calvinist religious thought, which was gaining ground in various regions of early 17th-century Europe. Calvinism was also attacked as being unreasonable. The rise of English Arminianism challenged the Calvinist world picture, which envisaged the forces of good and evil involved in a struggle that would only end with the final overthrow of the Antichrist.
Michael Brydon
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199204816
- eISBN:
- 9780191709500
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199204816.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This introduction crystallizes the debates in the last twenty years regarding the theological positioning of Hooker. It posits that although there has been a tendency to locate his Anglican identity ...
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This introduction crystallizes the debates in the last twenty years regarding the theological positioning of Hooker. It posits that although there has been a tendency to locate his Anglican identity amongst the 19th-century advocates of the Oxford Movement, it is actually a creation of the 17th century. Through a study of printed material, a programme of chronological analysis is outlined from the Jacobean period to the death of Queen Anne.Less
This introduction crystallizes the debates in the last twenty years regarding the theological positioning of Hooker. It posits that although there has been a tendency to locate his Anglican identity amongst the 19th-century advocates of the Oxford Movement, it is actually a creation of the 17th century. Through a study of printed material, a programme of chronological analysis is outlined from the Jacobean period to the death of Queen Anne.
Terryl C. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195167115
- eISBN:
- 9780199785599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167115.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Disapproval of theater goes back to the Puritans, and was typical in most religious traditions. Mormons built the Salt Lake Theatre soon after arrival in the Valley. Young forebad tragedy, but it ...
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Disapproval of theater goes back to the Puritans, and was typical in most religious traditions. Mormons built the Salt Lake Theatre soon after arrival in the Valley. Young forebad tragedy, but it flourished anyway. They pioneered little theater and the road show. Several pageants continue to be more evangelistic than dramatic.Less
Disapproval of theater goes back to the Puritans, and was typical in most religious traditions. Mormons built the Salt Lake Theatre soon after arrival in the Valley. Young forebad tragedy, but it flourished anyway. They pioneered little theater and the road show. Several pageants continue to be more evangelistic than dramatic.
Thomas Davis
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
The point of this book is that, despite all the changes and challenges, and despite Calvinism’s ultimate failure to hold the American consciousness, and despite an especially fervent effort to ...
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The point of this book is that, despite all the changes and challenges, and despite Calvinism’s ultimate failure to hold the American consciousness, and despite an especially fervent effort to dismiss the Calvinist outlook from American culture by sermon (Channing, and, after him, by the new religious movements that numerically overwhelmed the old Puritan faith, such as Methodism) or by the art of letters and the novel (Sedgwick and others, yes, but also those deep within the tradition of Calvinism who brought their most anguished complaints against it to the light of day through their written work—one thinks of the Beecher children) or by the sardonic newspaper column (H. L. Mencken), the fact remained and remains that Calvinism in America has had an impact on American society and culture in every century of American life, even if at times it goes unrecognized. And behind Calvinism stands Calvin. This book examines the influence of John Calvin and his various (and, at times, competing) heirs on American life. It explores Calvin’s influence—whether direct or mediated—from the beginnings of the United States until the present day, analyzing it in relation to such areas as society (including economics, government, and democracy), theology, and letters. The essays span the history of the United States, from the arrival of Puritans in the seventeenth century up to works of fiction published in the twentieth-first century. Thus, the book is unique in terms of its examination of the breadth and depth of Calvin’s influence on American life.Less
The point of this book is that, despite all the changes and challenges, and despite Calvinism’s ultimate failure to hold the American consciousness, and despite an especially fervent effort to dismiss the Calvinist outlook from American culture by sermon (Channing, and, after him, by the new religious movements that numerically overwhelmed the old Puritan faith, such as Methodism) or by the art of letters and the novel (Sedgwick and others, yes, but also those deep within the tradition of Calvinism who brought their most anguished complaints against it to the light of day through their written work—one thinks of the Beecher children) or by the sardonic newspaper column (H. L. Mencken), the fact remained and remains that Calvinism in America has had an impact on American society and culture in every century of American life, even if at times it goes unrecognized. And behind Calvinism stands Calvin. This book examines the influence of John Calvin and his various (and, at times, competing) heirs on American life. It explores Calvin’s influence—whether direct or mediated—from the beginnings of the United States until the present day, analyzing it in relation to such areas as society (including economics, government, and democracy), theology, and letters. The essays span the history of the United States, from the arrival of Puritans in the seventeenth century up to works of fiction published in the twentieth-first century. Thus, the book is unique in terms of its examination of the breadth and depth of Calvin’s influence on American life.
Charles T Mathewes and Christopher McKnight Nichols (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195342536
- eISBN:
- 9780199867042
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195342536.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book explores the surprisingly similar expectations of religious and moral change voiced by major American thinkers from the time of the Puritans to modern times. These predictions of ...
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This book explores the surprisingly similar expectations of religious and moral change voiced by major American thinkers from the time of the Puritans to modern times. These predictions of “godlessness” in American society — sometimes by those favoring the foreseen future, sometimes by those fearing it — have a history as old as America, and indeed seem crucially intertwined with it. This book shows that there have been and continue to be patterns to these prophesies. They determine how some people perceive and analyze America's prospective moral and religious future, how they express themselves, and powerfully affect how others hear them. While these patterns have taken a sinuous and at times subterranean route to the present, when we think about the future of America we are thinking about that future largely with terms and expectations first laid out by past generations, some stemming back before the very foundations of the United States. Even contemporary atheists and those who predict optimistic techno-utopias rely on scripts that are deeply rooted in the American past. This book excavates the history of these prophesies. Each chapter attends to a particular era, and each is organized around a focal individual, a community of thought, and changing conceptions of secularization. Each chapter also discusses how such predictions are part of all thought about “the good society,” and how such thinking structures our apprehension of the present, forming a feedback loop of sorts.Less
This book explores the surprisingly similar expectations of religious and moral change voiced by major American thinkers from the time of the Puritans to modern times. These predictions of “godlessness” in American society — sometimes by those favoring the foreseen future, sometimes by those fearing it — have a history as old as America, and indeed seem crucially intertwined with it. This book shows that there have been and continue to be patterns to these prophesies. They determine how some people perceive and analyze America's prospective moral and religious future, how they express themselves, and powerfully affect how others hear them. While these patterns have taken a sinuous and at times subterranean route to the present, when we think about the future of America we are thinking about that future largely with terms and expectations first laid out by past generations, some stemming back before the very foundations of the United States. Even contemporary atheists and those who predict optimistic techno-utopias rely on scripts that are deeply rooted in the American past. This book excavates the history of these prophesies. Each chapter attends to a particular era, and each is organized around a focal individual, a community of thought, and changing conceptions of secularization. Each chapter also discusses how such predictions are part of all thought about “the good society,” and how such thinking structures our apprehension of the present, forming a feedback loop of sorts.
Steven K. Green
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195399677
- eISBN:
- 9780199777150
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195399677.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Religion and Society
This begins a three-chapter discussion of legal disestablishment, of the development and decline of the maxim that Christianity formed part of the common law. It traces the origins of the maxim in ...
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This begins a three-chapter discussion of legal disestablishment, of the development and decline of the maxim that Christianity formed part of the common law. It traces the origins of the maxim in higher-law notions, British common law, and Puritan legal codes. It discusses the influence of jurists William Blackstone, Joseph Story, and James Kent and the maxim’s early application in blasphemy and Sunday law cases. The chapter argues that the maxim influenced early legal attitudes toward understandings of disestablishment.Less
This begins a three-chapter discussion of legal disestablishment, of the development and decline of the maxim that Christianity formed part of the common law. It traces the origins of the maxim in higher-law notions, British common law, and Puritan legal codes. It discusses the influence of jurists William Blackstone, Joseph Story, and James Kent and the maxim’s early application in blasphemy and Sunday law cases. The chapter argues that the maxim influenced early legal attitudes toward understandings of disestablishment.
Mark Valeri
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
This chapter explores the mixed history of Calvin’s influence on economic mores and practices in early America. It retraces Calvin’s ideal for economic discipline over the emergent market in Geneva. ...
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This chapter explores the mixed history of Calvin’s influence on economic mores and practices in early America. It retraces Calvin’s ideal for economic discipline over the emergent market in Geneva. It shows how three different communities in colonial America transposed Calvinist ideals: Puritans in Boston, with their localized conceptions of social order; Dutch Reformed leaders in New York, with their urbane mercantile associations; and Huguenots in Charleston, with their dispersed social networks. Calvin promulgated a flexible and pragmatic approach to scripture that allowed his adherents to adapt economic instruction to the needs of their religious communities. Early American Calvinists followed this method when they transformed their teaching about commerce and the nascent market economy in the context of colonization. Throughout, this chapter challenges how the Weber thesis has been misapplied to the American context.Less
This chapter explores the mixed history of Calvin’s influence on economic mores and practices in early America. It retraces Calvin’s ideal for economic discipline over the emergent market in Geneva. It shows how three different communities in colonial America transposed Calvinist ideals: Puritans in Boston, with their localized conceptions of social order; Dutch Reformed leaders in New York, with their urbane mercantile associations; and Huguenots in Charleston, with their dispersed social networks. Calvin promulgated a flexible and pragmatic approach to scripture that allowed his adherents to adapt economic instruction to the needs of their religious communities. Early American Calvinists followed this method when they transformed their teaching about commerce and the nascent market economy in the context of colonization. Throughout, this chapter challenges how the Weber thesis has been misapplied to the American context.
David Little
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
Samuel P. Huntington argued that American national identity was and still is profoundly influenced by what he called Anglo-Protestant culture. He attributed the major part of that influence to ...
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Samuel P. Huntington argued that American national identity was and still is profoundly influenced by what he called Anglo-Protestant culture. He attributed the major part of that influence to Calvin’s heirs, the New England Puritans. In particular, Huntington drew a connection between the Puritans and what is known as the American creed, which is a collection of legal and political ideals associated with American constitutionalism. Huntington concluded that America was from the start and still is a Christian nation. John Witte’s work, however, shows that, while some Puritans (John Winthrop and John Cotton, for example) were close to Huntington’s point of view, others (Roger Williams, for example) were not. This chapter argues that the deep division over religion and national identity did not originate with the New England Puritans. Rather, that ambivalence is at the root of the Calvinist tradition, going back to John Calvin.Less
Samuel P. Huntington argued that American national identity was and still is profoundly influenced by what he called Anglo-Protestant culture. He attributed the major part of that influence to Calvin’s heirs, the New England Puritans. In particular, Huntington drew a connection between the Puritans and what is known as the American creed, which is a collection of legal and political ideals associated with American constitutionalism. Huntington concluded that America was from the start and still is a Christian nation. John Witte’s work, however, shows that, while some Puritans (John Winthrop and John Cotton, for example) were close to Huntington’s point of view, others (Roger Williams, for example) were not. This chapter argues that the deep division over religion and national identity did not originate with the New England Puritans. Rather, that ambivalence is at the root of the Calvinist tradition, going back to John Calvin.
M. Gail Hamner
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195155471
- eISBN:
- 9780199834266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195155475.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
A brief look is taken at the meanings of the terms ‘Puritans’, ‘Puritanism’ and ‘Puritan imagery’, giving a clarification of what they mean, and how they affect the author's reading of the ...
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A brief look is taken at the meanings of the terms ‘Puritans’, ‘Puritanism’ and ‘Puritan imagery’, giving a clarification of what they mean, and how they affect the author's reading of the pragmatists. An examination is also made of how the meaning of ‘Puritan’ changed over the course of the nineteenth century. In order to establish the cultural force of Puritan imagery, an investigation is also made of the context and means by which the American pragmatists took hold of and reinvented certain European scientific concepts. By examining the appeals to Puritanism from the Second Great Awakening to the Civil War, and from Reconstruction to the Gilded Age, it is shown how at different times and on behalf of particular causes, different stories about the history and destiny of America were inflected, in selective and specialized ways, by this or the other understandings of Puritanism.Less
A brief look is taken at the meanings of the terms ‘Puritans’, ‘Puritanism’ and ‘Puritan imagery’, giving a clarification of what they mean, and how they affect the author's reading of the pragmatists. An examination is also made of how the meaning of ‘Puritan’ changed over the course of the nineteenth century. In order to establish the cultural force of Puritan imagery, an investigation is also made of the context and means by which the American pragmatists took hold of and reinvented certain European scientific concepts. By examining the appeals to Puritanism from the Second Great Awakening to the Civil War, and from Reconstruction to the Gilded Age, it is shown how at different times and on behalf of particular causes, different stories about the history and destiny of America were inflected, in selective and specialized ways, by this or the other understandings of Puritanism.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter examines charismatic flares in Africa during the 1970s. This period witnessed a sudden surge in influence of young puritan preachers in Africa. This signified a new cycle of revivalism ...
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This chapter examines charismatic flares in Africa during the 1970s. This period witnessed a sudden surge in influence of young puritan preachers in Africa. This signified a new cycle of revivalism that swept through the continent in the post-independence period, and they brought with them a religious tradition whose face has changed drastically in every decade since and whose full import is still in the making. This is illustrated in this chapter with two brief sketches of the rise of charismatic movements in western and eastern Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania) between the years 1966-86. It is argued that this form of pneumatic response to the gospel bore deep resonance to the earlier phases as a “setting work” of missionary preaching; a recovery of the old evangelical spirit that had catalyzed mission; a seepage to the surface of the type of charismatic Christianity that appealed to Africans; and the new missionary opportunities unleashed by the process of decolonization. The case studies show that an indigenous missionary impulse has been central in African Christianity and that the quest for African identity in religious power has taken different routes.Less
This chapter examines charismatic flares in Africa during the 1970s. This period witnessed a sudden surge in influence of young puritan preachers in Africa. This signified a new cycle of revivalism that swept through the continent in the post-independence period, and they brought with them a religious tradition whose face has changed drastically in every decade since and whose full import is still in the making. This is illustrated in this chapter with two brief sketches of the rise of charismatic movements in western and eastern Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania) between the years 1966-86. It is argued that this form of pneumatic response to the gospel bore deep resonance to the earlier phases as a “setting work” of missionary preaching; a recovery of the old evangelical spirit that had catalyzed mission; a seepage to the surface of the type of charismatic Christianity that appealed to Africans; and the new missionary opportunities unleashed by the process of decolonization. The case studies show that an indigenous missionary impulse has been central in African Christianity and that the quest for African identity in religious power has taken different routes.
Wilson N. Brissett
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195342536
- eISBN:
- 9780199867042
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195342536.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter reviews the development of the puritan jeremiad tradition within the logic of covenant theology and suggests ways that its influence persisted in American culture after the era of ...
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This chapter reviews the development of the puritan jeremiad tradition within the logic of covenant theology and suggests ways that its influence persisted in American culture after the era of regional puritan ascendancy. This chapter shows how the jeremiad, while wholly negative on the surface of its moral argument, was driven by an attempt to return to the social origin, correct the moral trajectory of society, and so prevent the social consequences of godlessness it so vividly prophesied. Later, the jeremiad proved to be a flexible cultural tool that could serve the purpose of dissent from established authority. In the end, it is the power of the jeremiad form to oppose social abuses, and advocate moral reform by recalling “originary principles,” that survives into the revolutionary and early republican periods.Less
This chapter reviews the development of the puritan jeremiad tradition within the logic of covenant theology and suggests ways that its influence persisted in American culture after the era of regional puritan ascendancy. This chapter shows how the jeremiad, while wholly negative on the surface of its moral argument, was driven by an attempt to return to the social origin, correct the moral trajectory of society, and so prevent the social consequences of godlessness it so vividly prophesied. Later, the jeremiad proved to be a flexible cultural tool that could serve the purpose of dissent from established authority. In the end, it is the power of the jeremiad form to oppose social abuses, and advocate moral reform by recalling “originary principles,” that survives into the revolutionary and early republican periods.
Jason C. Bivins
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340815
- eISBN:
- 9780199867158
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340815.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter establishes four contextual factors shaping the Religion of Fear: the history of evangelicalism, political fear, American Christian demonology, and the evangelical mediascape. By ...
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This chapter establishes four contextual factors shaping the Religion of Fear: the history of evangelicalism, political fear, American Christian demonology, and the evangelical mediascape. By situating the Religion of Fear historically and comparing it with both political fear and earlier forms of demonology, this chapter reveals its specific contours. The chapter examines the fearful qualities of religion. It then describes the emergence of evangelicalism within a cluster of concerns to establish religious identity against fearful Others. This chapter next describes the way in which elements of horror and the Gothic resonate with religious strategies of alterity. The chapter concludes by describing the evangelical culture industry, which is part of the work on religious identities.Less
This chapter establishes four contextual factors shaping the Religion of Fear: the history of evangelicalism, political fear, American Christian demonology, and the evangelical mediascape. By situating the Religion of Fear historically and comparing it with both political fear and earlier forms of demonology, this chapter reveals its specific contours. The chapter examines the fearful qualities of religion. It then describes the emergence of evangelicalism within a cluster of concerns to establish religious identity against fearful Others. This chapter next describes the way in which elements of horror and the Gothic resonate with religious strategies of alterity. The chapter concludes by describing the evangelical culture industry, which is part of the work on religious identities.
Peter J. Thuesen
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195174274
- eISBN:
- 9780199872138
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174274.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Church History
Predestination—the idea that God foreordains each person's eternal destiny—is one of the most fascinating and controversial doctrines in Christianity. For centuries, theologians assumed that outright ...
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Predestination—the idea that God foreordains each person's eternal destiny—is one of the most fascinating and controversial doctrines in Christianity. For centuries, theologians assumed that outright denial of the dogma amounted to atheism but disagreed on whether God elected persons for salvation unconditionally (apart from foreknowledge of their actions) or conditionally (because of their foreseen merit or faith). The book argues that today's denominational landscape cannot be understood apart from such predestinarian disputes dating back 1,600 years to Augustine. The age-old riddle of divine sovereignty versus human free will was only one facet of the problem. A more practical religious concern was predestination's relationship to the sacraments: If a person's fate was already sealed, did baptism or the Eucharist have any saving effect? Predestination was also inseparable from questions about the doctrine of original sin, the existence of purgatory and hell, and the extent of God's providential involvement in human affairs. The book reexamines not only familiar predestinarians such as the New England Puritans and many later Baptists and Presbyterians, but also non-Calvinists such as Catholics and Lutherans, who struggled to reconcile otherworldly predestination with confidence in this-worldly ritual. In addition, the book shows how a variety of newer groups, from Methodists to Mormons, derived a surprising measure of their initial energy from opposition to predestination. Even contemporary megachurches, which shun theological technicalities, preach a “purpose-driven” outlook owing much to the American career of this contentious doctrine.Less
Predestination—the idea that God foreordains each person's eternal destiny—is one of the most fascinating and controversial doctrines in Christianity. For centuries, theologians assumed that outright denial of the dogma amounted to atheism but disagreed on whether God elected persons for salvation unconditionally (apart from foreknowledge of their actions) or conditionally (because of their foreseen merit or faith). The book argues that today's denominational landscape cannot be understood apart from such predestinarian disputes dating back 1,600 years to Augustine. The age-old riddle of divine sovereignty versus human free will was only one facet of the problem. A more practical religious concern was predestination's relationship to the sacraments: If a person's fate was already sealed, did baptism or the Eucharist have any saving effect? Predestination was also inseparable from questions about the doctrine of original sin, the existence of purgatory and hell, and the extent of God's providential involvement in human affairs. The book reexamines not only familiar predestinarians such as the New England Puritans and many later Baptists and Presbyterians, but also non-Calvinists such as Catholics and Lutherans, who struggled to reconcile otherworldly predestination with confidence in this-worldly ritual. In addition, the book shows how a variety of newer groups, from Methodists to Mormons, derived a surprising measure of their initial energy from opposition to predestination. Even contemporary megachurches, which shun theological technicalities, preach a “purpose-driven” outlook owing much to the American career of this contentious doctrine.
William E. Nelson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195327281
- eISBN:
- 9780199870677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327281.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
Church and state were intimately conjoined in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was founded to be a Puritan utopia. The law of God was enforced in the courts, and individuals who disputed the ...
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Church and state were intimately conjoined in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was founded to be a Puritan utopia. The law of God was enforced in the courts, and individuals who disputed the church's teachings or disobeyed its precepts were routinely punished. Government also intervened in church affairs to preserve religious harmony. Significant judicial effort was devoted to enforcing Puritanical moral standards and to regulation of the economy so as to protect the weak and the poor. Morality served to restrain the exercise of power by those who held it. Finally, Puritanism and its related ideal of harmonious community kept 17th-century Massachusetts from becoming the debt-ridden outpost of British imperialism that Virginia became. Debt collection was never the main stuff of adjudication in the Bay Colony; more important was building the infrastructure of the interior towns essential for civilized community living.Less
Church and state were intimately conjoined in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was founded to be a Puritan utopia. The law of God was enforced in the courts, and individuals who disputed the church's teachings or disobeyed its precepts were routinely punished. Government also intervened in church affairs to preserve religious harmony. Significant judicial effort was devoted to enforcing Puritanical moral standards and to regulation of the economy so as to protect the weak and the poor. Morality served to restrain the exercise of power by those who held it. Finally, Puritanism and its related ideal of harmonious community kept 17th-century Massachusetts from becoming the debt-ridden outpost of British imperialism that Virginia became. Debt collection was never the main stuff of adjudication in the Bay Colony; more important was building the infrastructure of the interior towns essential for civilized community living.
William E. Nelson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195327281
- eISBN:
- 9780199870677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327281.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
Like Massachusetts, the smaller New England colonies of Connecticut, New Haven, Plymouth, and Rhode Island all possessed a distinctively Puritan legal regime. Of course, there were differences among ...
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Like Massachusetts, the smaller New England colonies of Connecticut, New Haven, Plymouth, and Rhode Island all possessed a distinctively Puritan legal regime. Of course, there were differences among them—differences elaborated in this chapter. Unlike Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Rhode Island, for example, did not support its churches through taxation, and Plymouth tried, unsuccessfully, to do the same. Nonetheless, as in Massachusetts, the law of God was the foundation of New England law, was judicially enforced, and served to restrain the exercise of power by the strong against the weak. As in Massachusetts, debt collection was never the main stuff of adjudication; more important was building the infrastructure of the interior towns essential for civilized community living.Less
Like Massachusetts, the smaller New England colonies of Connecticut, New Haven, Plymouth, and Rhode Island all possessed a distinctively Puritan legal regime. Of course, there were differences among them—differences elaborated in this chapter. Unlike Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Rhode Island, for example, did not support its churches through taxation, and Plymouth tried, unsuccessfully, to do the same. Nonetheless, as in Massachusetts, the law of God was the foundation of New England law, was judicially enforced, and served to restrain the exercise of power by the strong against the weak. As in Massachusetts, debt collection was never the main stuff of adjudication; more important was building the infrastructure of the interior towns essential for civilized community living.
William E. Nelson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195327281
- eISBN:
- 9780199870677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327281.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: early to 18th Century
Maryland was founded as a refuge for upper-class Roman Catholics, and its early law served their needs. Later, Puritans settled in Maryland, took control of its government, and attempted to impose ...
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Maryland was founded as a refuge for upper-class Roman Catholics, and its early law served their needs. Later, Puritans settled in Maryland, took control of its government, and attempted to impose New England law on the province. When Lord Baltimore, the Catholic proprietor, regained control, economic forces similar to those in Virginia pushed Maryland's planters to emulate the legal system of their southerly neighbor. The end result was that Maryland developed a common-law based legal order that focused on obtaining labor from servants, collecting debts, and thereby encouraging English investors to lend money to Maryland planters.Less
Maryland was founded as a refuge for upper-class Roman Catholics, and its early law served their needs. Later, Puritans settled in Maryland, took control of its government, and attempted to impose New England law on the province. When Lord Baltimore, the Catholic proprietor, regained control, economic forces similar to those in Virginia pushed Maryland's planters to emulate the legal system of their southerly neighbor. The end result was that Maryland developed a common-law based legal order that focused on obtaining labor from servants, collecting debts, and thereby encouraging English investors to lend money to Maryland planters.
Dan P. McAdams
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195176933
- eISBN:
- 9780199786787
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176933.003.0002
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter begins with a case study of a highly generative African-American schoolteacher and a content analysis of lead stories in People magazine in order to introduce the theme of redemption in ...
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This chapter begins with a case study of a highly generative African-American schoolteacher and a content analysis of lead stories in People magazine in order to introduce the theme of redemption in people's life stories and in American cultural texts. It examines the theme of redemption in (1) psychological research on confession, self-disclosure, and benefit-finding in the face of personal adversity, and (2) such quintessential American narratives as the Puritans' accounts of spiritual transformation, Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Horatio Alger stories, and narratives of escaped African-American slaves in the 19th century. Psychological and cultural analysis suggests six different languages of redemption in American society: atonement (religious), emancipation (political), upward mobility (economic), recovery (medical, psychological), enlightenment (education), and development (familial, psychological).Less
This chapter begins with a case study of a highly generative African-American schoolteacher and a content analysis of lead stories in People magazine in order to introduce the theme of redemption in people's life stories and in American cultural texts. It examines the theme of redemption in (1) psychological research on confession, self-disclosure, and benefit-finding in the face of personal adversity, and (2) such quintessential American narratives as the Puritans' accounts of spiritual transformation, Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Horatio Alger stories, and narratives of escaped African-American slaves in the 19th century. Psychological and cultural analysis suggests six different languages of redemption in American society: atonement (religious), emancipation (political), upward mobility (economic), recovery (medical, psychological), enlightenment (education), and development (familial, psychological).
