Americans as a religious people experience both tension and indecision as they wrestle with a variety of critical issues every day. American society continually struggles with its religious past. The primary and secondary materials included in this volume track religious America's efforts to articulate its identity and destiny and implement its religious creeds and ideals in an ever-changing society.
"Designed to encourage critical thinking about history, the [book] introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays on important topics in U.S. history. [The book] presents a ... selected group of readings in a format that asks students to evaluate primary sources, test the interpretations of distinguished historians and others, and draw their own conclusions"--P. [4] of cover.
On many occasions Americans as a religious people have experienced tension and indecision as they have wrestled with a variety of critical issues crossing their paths. How to implement their religious creeds and ideals in an ever-changing society is recorded in the religious language of the people as they have sought to articulate their identity and destiny. Critical Issues in American Religious History identifies fifteen key, chronologically arranged issues that have prompted considerable debate and discussion over the years. The distinctive element of this work is the singular thematic thread which runs from cover to cover: America's religious experience reflects four interrelated dimensions of religious tension. The carefully selected primary and secondary materials speak to the tension between the secular and sacred, beliefs and behaviors, inclusion and exclusion, and conflict and consensus. Each chapter theme is woven around a particular critical issue pertaining to one or more of these four tensions. Ideally suited for classroom use, Mathisen's work enlarges the reader's critical thinking through an examination of primary and secondary sources of America's religious past. Special features in each chapter include: -- Introductory commentary -- Primary and secondary source readings -- Questions for reflection and discussion -- Suggested readings for further study
A History of Religion in America: From the End of the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century provides comprehensive coverage of the history of religion in America from the end of the American Civil War to religion in post 9/11 America. The volume explores major religious groups in the United States and examines the following topics: The aftermath of the American Civil War Immigration’s impact on American religion The rise of the social gospel The fundamentalist response Religion in Cold War America The 60’s counterculture and the backlash Religion in Post-9/11 America Chronologically arranged and integrating various religious developments into a coherent historical narrative, this book also contains useful chapter summaries and review questions. Designed for undergraduate religious studies and history students A History of Religion in America provides a substantive and comprehensive introduction to the complexity of religion in American history.
Frankel examines some of the religious liberty cases in the last half century, including the use of peyote, exempting Amish children from school, and the prosecution of religous fraud.
Following in the very successful tradition of Critical Terms for Literary Studies and Critical Terms for Art History, this book attempts to provide a revitalized, self-aware vocabulary with which this bewildering religious diversity can be accurately described and responsibly discussed. Leading scholars working in a variety of traditions demonstrate through their incisive discussions that even our most basic terms for understanding religion are not neutral but carry specific historical and conceptual freight.
There may be no group in American society that is more talked about but so little understood as Evangelical Christians. Sometimes dismissed as violent fundamentalists and ignorant flat earthers, few can doubt the political, cultural, and religious significance of the Evangelicals. Barry Hankins puts the Evangelical movement in historical perspective, reaching back to its roots in the Great Awakening of the eighteenth century and leading up to the formative moments of contemporary conservative Protestantism. Taking on key topics such as the standing of science, the authority of scripture, and gender and racial equality, Hankins analyzes what is most essential for us to understand today about this potent movement.
Religion, race, and American history. America's Religious History is an up-to-date, narrative-based introduction to the unique role of faith in American history. Moving beyond present-day polemics to understand the challenges and nuances of our religious past, leading historian Thomas S. Kidd interweaves religious history and key events from the larger story of American history, including: The Great Awakening The American Revolution Slavery and the Civil War Civil rights and church-state controversy Immigration, religious diversity, and the culture wars Useful for both classroom and personal study, America's Religious History provides a balanced, authoritative assessment of how faith has shaped American life and politics.
How American conflicts about religion have always symbolized our foundational political values When Americans fight about “religion,” we are also fighting about our conflicting identities, interests, and commitments. Religion-talk has been a ready vehicle for these conflicts because it is built on enduring contradictions within our core political values. The Constitution treats religion as something to be confined behind a wall, but in public communications, the Framers treated religion as the foundation of the American republic. Ever since, Americans have translated disagreements on many other issues into an endless debate about the role of religion in our public life. Built around a set of compelling narratives—George Washington’s battle with Quaker pacifists; the fight of Mormons and Catholics for equality with Protestants; Teddy Roosevelt’s concept of land versus the Lakota’s concept; the creation-evolution controversy; and the struggle over sexuality—this book shows how religion, throughout American history, has symbolized, but never resolved, our deepest political questions.
A collection of original essays exploring the history of the various American religious traditions and the meaning of their many expressions The Blackwell Companion to American Religious History explores the key events, significant themes, and important movements in various religious traditions throughout the nation’s history from pre-colonization to the present day. Original essays written by leading scholars and new voices in the field discuss how religion in America has transformed over the years, explore its many expressions and meanings, and consider religion’s central role in American life. Emphasizing the integration of religion into broader cultural and historical themes, this wide-ranging volume explores the operation of religion in eras of historical change, the diversity of religious experiences, and religion’s intersections with American cultural, political, social, racial, gender, and intellectual history. Each chronologically-organized chapter focuses on a specific period or event, such as the interactions between Moravian and Indigenous communities, the origins of African-American religious institutions, Mormon settlement in Utah, social reform movements during the twentieth century, the growth of ethnic religious communities, and the rise of the Religious Right. An innovative historical genealogy of American religious traditions, the Companion: Highlights broader historical themes using clear and compelling narrative Helps teachers expose their students to the significance and variety of America’s religious past Explains new and revisionist interpretations of American religious history Surveys current and emerging historiographical trends Traces historical themes to contemporary issues surrounding civil rights and social justice movements, modern capitalism, and debates over religious liberties Making the lessons of American religious history relevant to a broad range of readers, The Blackwell Companion to American Religious History is the perfect book for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in American history courses, and a valuable resource for graduate students and scholars wanting to keep pace with current historiographical trends and recent developments in the field.
