Major Problems in American Religious History

by Allitt, Patrick

• ISBN13: 9780395964194
• ISBN10: 0395964199
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-12-20
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

This text presents a carefully selected group of readings organized to allow students to evaluate primary sources, test the interpretations of distinguished historians, and draw their own conclusions. Each chapter includes introductions, source notes, and suggested readings.

Table of Contents

Preface	xvii
Approaches to American Religious History	1	(23)
Essays
Religious Vitality and Church-State Separation	2	(5)
Philip Schaff
America's Geographical Diversity Encourages Numerous Religious Denominations	7	(5)
H. Richard Niebuhr
Church Membership Has Increased Throughout American History, Especially in the Most Demanding Groups	12	(5)
Roger Finke
Rodney Stark
Religious Outsiders and ``Civil Religion''	17	(7)
R. Laurence Moore
Further Reading	22	(2)
European-Indian Encounters	24	(35)
Documents
Bernal Diaz del Castillo Describes Cortes' Replacement of Human Sacrifice with the Cult of the Virgin Mary, c. 1519	25	(3)
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish Castaway, Becomes an Indian Healer, 1542	28	(2)
Joseph Jouvency, a Jesuit Priest, Discusses Death and Hell with Canadian Indians, 1610	30	(2)
Roger Williams Explains Rhode Island Indians' Language and Religion, 1643	32	(2)
Mary Jemison Describes the Five Feasts by Which the Seneca Marked the Changing Seasons, c. 1750	34	(2)
Tecaughretanego Explains Why the Great Spirit Sometimes Permits Men to Go Hungry Before Feeding Them, 1758	36	(2)
John Heckwelder Describes the Delaware Indians' View of Bear Spirits, c. 1750	38	(1)
John Muir Witnesses the Conversion of Thlinkit Indians to Christianity, c. 1876	39	(2)
Essays
American Indians' Nature Religion	41	(9)
Catherine Albanese
Indians' Views of Christian Missionaries	50	(9)
James P. Ronda
Further Reading	57	(2)
Religious Life in the British Colonies: 1620-1700	59	(32)
Documents
John Winthrop Outlines His Plan for a Godly Settlement, 1630	61	(1)
William Bradford Sees God's Mercy and Judgment in New England's Changing Fortunes, 1654	62	(2)
Why Harvard College Was Founded, 1643	64	(2)
Maryland's Act of Religious Toleration, 1649	66	(1)
Anne Bradstreet Commemorates Two Childrens' Deaths in Poems of 1669	67	(1)
William Penn Gives Scriptural Justifications for His Pennsylvania Frame of Government, 1681	68	(2)
Morgan Godwin Describes the Troubles of the Anglican Church in Virginia, 1684	70	(2)
Cotton Mather Advises John Richards on Detecting Witches, 1692	72	(3)
Essays
The Puritans' Errand into the Wilderness	75	(8)
Perry Miller
Anglicans in Virginia	83	(8)
Edward L. Bond
Further Reading	90	(1)
Awakening and Revolution: 1730-1790	91	(35)
Documents
Jonathan Edwards Describes the Great Awakening in Northampton, Massachusetts, 1738	92	(3)
Nathan Cole, Connecticut Farmer, Hears the Preaching of George Whitefield and Is Born Again (1741), 1765	95	(4)
Phillis Wheatley's Elegy at George Whitefield's Death, 1770	99	(1)
Benjamin Franklin Explains His Religious Views in a Letter, 1756	100	(2)
John Witherspoon Preaches the Revolutionary War as God's Test to Sinners, 1776	102	(2)
Jonathan Boucher's Loyalist Sermon Denounces the Revolution, 1775	104	(3)
Anthony Benezet, Quaker, Denounces War, 1776	107	(1)
Isaac Jackson, Quaker, Protests Persecution, 1777	108	(1)
Thomas Jefferson Establishes Religious Freedom in Virginia, 1786	109	(2)
Essays
The Great Awakening	111	(7)
Patricia U. Bonomi
How the Revolution Stimulated New Religious Movements	118	(8)
Stephen Marini
Further Reading	125	(1)
Religion in the Early Republic: 1790-1850	126	(35)
Documents
Lucy Wight Meets Shaker Leader Mother Ann Lee (c. 1780), 1826	127	(3)
Orestes Brownson Recalls His Quest for the Right Religion as a Young Man (c. 1820), 1857	130	(2)
Charles Grandison Finney Stirs Up Religious Emotions at Revival Meetings, c. 1835	132	(2)
Joseph Smith Explains How an Angel Guided Him to Found the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), 1842	134	(3)
Ralph Waldo Emerson Describes the ``Over-Soul,'' 1841	137	(1)
Anonymous Ex-Slave Sees the Ghost of Her Dead Master c. 1850	138	(2)
Henry Bibb, a Slave, Uses Conjuring to Prevent Harm and Attract Women, 1849	140	(2)
Samuel Ringgold Ward Escapes from Slavery and Becomes a Minister (1820), 1855	142	(3)
Essays
Christianity and Democratic Politics	145	(7)
Nathan O. Hatch
The Slaves' Own Religion	152	(9)
Albert J. Raboteau
Further Reading	159	(2)
Antebellum Immigration and Social Tensions: 1830-1860	161	(35)
Documents
Alexis de Tocqueville Sees Catholicism and Democracy as Compatible, 1835	162	(3)
Maria Monk Shocks Protestant Readers with Allegations of Sex and Violence in a Nunnery, 1836	165	(3)
John Francis Maguire Recounts the Suffering of Irish Catholic Immigrants (1846), 1887	168	(4)
Benjamin Roth Warns His Emigrant Son Solomon About Moral and Religious Dangers in America, 1854	172	(2)
Harriet Beecher Stowe Advocates Enlightened Observance of the Sabbath, 1853	174	(2)
Angelina Grimke Uses the Bible to Justify Abolishing Slavery, 1838	176	(3)
Frederick Douglass Compares Southern Slaveowners' Religion with That of Jesus, 1845	179	(1)
Thornton Stringfellow Argues That the Bible Is Proslavery, 1860	180	(3)
Essays
Catholic Charity and Protestant Suspicions	183	(5)
Jay P. Dolan
Slaveholders and the Bible	188	(8)
Eugene D. Genovese
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese
Further Reading	194	(2)
War, Defeat, and Apocalyptic Religion: 1860-1890	196	(30)
Documents
Robert Ryland Reminds His Son That the Confederate Cause Is Godly, 1861	198	(2)
Lemuel Moss Describes the Christian Commission's Work with the Union Army in 1863 (1868)	200	(2)
Thomas Wentworth Higginson Witnesses the Religious Life of Black Soldiers, 1864	202	(2)
George Barton Remembers a Pious Irish-American Nun Nursing the Wounded at Shiloh, 1863	204	(1)
Union Sermons Mourn Abraham Lincoln, 1865	205	(2)
Gilbert Haven	205	(1)
Phillips Brooks	206	(1)
Daughter of a Freed Slave Describes Her Conversion Experience, c. 1870	207	(2)
Charles Taze Russell Argues That the ``End Times'' Are Imminent, 1889	209	(1)
E. A. Dyer, Sr., Remembers Wovoka, a Paiute Indian Who Originated the Ghost Dance Religion, 1889	210	(3)
Essays
Civil War as Battle of Armageddon	213	(6)
James Moorehead
Confederates' Defeat as Chastisement from God	219	(7)
Charles Reagan Wilson
Further Reading	225	(1)
The New Immigration and Urban Reform: 1880-1925	226	(32)
Documents
Rosa, an Immigrant, Contrasts Her Italian Catholicism with the American Version, c. 1890	228	(2)
Mary Lathbury Pays Tribute to Frances Willard, Temperance Activist, 1886	230	(2)
Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science, Denies the Reality of Suffering, Sin, and Death, 1887	232	(2)
Swami Vivekananda Describes His Life as a Hindu Celebrity in America, 1893	234	(2)
Booth Tucker Describes the Salvation Army's Social and Gospel Work in Slums and Saloons, 1900	236	(3)
Abraham Cahan Shows How American Business Life and Religious Pluralism Shattered a Russian Jewish Immigrant's Traditional Faith, 1916	239	(2)
Anzia Yezierska Confronts an Orthodox Jewish Father over Changing Patterns of Religion and Women's Work, 1925	241	(4)
Essays
An Italian-American Street Festival to Honor the Virgin Mary	245	(4)
Robert Orsi
The Salvation Army Adapts Popular Culture in Spreading Its Gospel	249	(9)
Lillian Taiz
Further Reading	256	(2)
Intellectual Controversies: 1860-1925	258	(32)
Documents
Charles Hodge Denounces Darwin's Theory of Evolution as Atheistic, 1874	259	(2)
Lyman Abbott Argues That Christianity and Evolutionary Theory Are Compatible, 1892	261	(2)
Harold Frederic's Fictional Methodist Preacher Discovers His Ignorance of Biblical History, 1896	263	(3)
Washington Gladden Explains Higher Criticism, 1894	266	(2)
William Jennings Bryan Defends Biblical Infallibility, 1924	268	(2)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Finds Feminist Implications in Genesis, 1895	270	(2)
George Herron Depicts Jesus as a Revolutionary Socialist, 1899	272	(1)
Russell Conwell Squares Christianity with Worldly Success, 1915	273	(2)
Essays
Presbyterian Ideas About Truth	275	(6)
George Marsden
Popular Versions of Jesus	281	(9)
Patrick Allitt
Further Reading	289	(1)
Assimilation and Adaptation: 1920-1960	290	(37)
Documents
Clara Grillo Recalls Protestant-Catholic Tensions in Cleveland, c. 1920	291	(2)
Jacob Sonderling, Immigrant Rabbi, Observes American Jewish Life, c. 1930	293	(3)
Sinclair Lewis Satirizes the Narrowness of Midwestern Baptists, 1927	296	(3)
Walter Lippmann Traces the Fading of Religious Confidence, 1929	299	(3)
Mordecai Kaplan Defends Jews' Life in Two Civilizations, 1948	302	(3)
Will Herberg Analyzes Religion and Assimilation, 1955	305	(3)
Donald Thorman Assesses New Roles for Catholic Laity, 1962	308	(3)
Essays
Catholic Assimilation	311	(6)
Edward R. Kantowicz
Jewish Food and Jewish Identity	317	(4)
Jenna Weissman Joselit
Jewish Intellectuals and Secularization	321	(6)
David Hollinger
Further Reading	326	(1)
War and Religion: 1914-1985	327	(31)
Documents
John Haynes Holmes Appeals for Christian Pacifism in World War I, 1916	329	(1)
Edward Leigh Pell Justifies Christian Warfare, 1917	330	(1)
Reinhold Niebuhr Explains the Christian Case for Fighting Nazism (c. 1939), 1966	331	(2)
Dorothy Day Compares World War II to the Class War, 1942	333	(2)
Christian Century Editors Urge Christian Unity in an Era of Total War, 1945	335	(2)
John Courtney Murray, S.J., Argues That the Cold War Is a Spiritual Confrontation, 1960	337	(2)
James E. Wood Surveys Church Protests Against Nuclear Weapons, 1983	339	(4)
Essays
Preachers and the Great War Euphoria	343	(4)
Ray H. Abrams
Reinhold Niebuhr in World War II	347	(5)
Richard W. Fox
The Idea of a Judeo-Christian Tradition	352	(6)
Mark Silk
Further Reading	356	(2)
Religion and Protest Movements: 1955-1990	358	(36)
Documents
Martin Luther King, Jr., Preaches on the Power of Love, 1963	360	(2)
James Baldwin Becomes a Boy Preacher in Harlem (c. 1936), 1963	362	(4)
National Conference of Black Churchmen Demands Equal Power, 1966	366	(1)
Christianity Today Criticizes Black Americans' Intimidation of White Churches, 1969	367	(2)
Richard Hein Describes His Work as a Military Chaplain in Vietnam, 1968	369	(1)
Commonweal Supports Symbolic Attacks on the Vietnam Draft Board, 1968	370	(2)
Renny Golden Describes Religious Women's Work in the Sanctuary Movement, 1986	372	(4)
Tina Bell Joins an Anti-Abortion Demonstration, 1988	376	(3)
Essays
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Leadership	379	(5)
David J. Garrow
Urban Catholics and the Civil Rights Movement	384	(10)
John T. McGreevy
Further Reading	392	(2)
Religion and Counterculture: 1970-1995	394	(34)
Documents
Jacob Needleman Discovers the Appeal of Eastern Religions, 1970	395	(3)
Hal Lindsey Foresees the Millennial ``Rapture,'' 1970	398	(2)
J. Stillson Judah Explains Why Hippies Join the Hare Krishnas, 1974	400	(3)
David Chidester Traces the People's Temple to Its Mass Suicide in Guyana (1978), 1988	403	(4)
Starhawk Advocates Witchcraft, 1979	407	(2)
Carol Christ Is Initiated into Goddess Worship, 1987	409	(3)
Mary Ann Flaherty Sympathizes with Planet Earth Under the Threat of War, 1994	412	(2)
Essays
Social Psychology of the Rajneesh Cult	414	(6)
Ted Mann
Rise and Fall of the New Age Movement	420	(8)
J. Gordon Melton
Further Reading	426	(2)
New Immigrants and Religious Multiculturalism: 1970-2000	428	(36)
Documents
Jesse Nash and Elizabeth Trinh Nguyen Observe Vietnamese Immigrants Courting at Church in New Orleans, 1995	429	(2)
Charles Munzy Attends Vietnamese Funerals in Oklahoma City, 1989	431	(3)
Richard Rodriguez Recalls His Hispanic-Catholic Childhood, 1981	434	(3)
Kambiz GhaneaBassiri Explains Muslims' Mixed Feelings About American Culture, 1997	437	(3)
Richard Wormser Describes Pressures on Muslim Teenagers in American High Schools, 1994	440	(4)
Prema Kurien Explains Hindus' Adjustments to American Life, 1998	444	(4)
Essays
Latino Religion in the United States	448	(4)
Eldin Villafane
Muslim Adaptation in America	452	(5)
John O. Voll
Contrasting Immigrant Buddhists and ``White Buddhists''	457	(7)
Rick Fields
Further Reading	463	(1)
Religion, Politics, and the Constitution: 1960-2000	464	(38)
Documents
Billy Graham Urges a Troubled Nation to Turn Back to God, 1965	465	(3)
C. Stanley Lowell Explains His Fear of Catholics in 1960	468	(3)
Joseph M. Hopkins Deplores the Supreme Court's Decision Against School Prayer, 1963	471	(1)
Evangelicals for Social Action Offer Guidance on Voting Biblically, 1980	472	(3)
Langdon Gilkey Opposes Creation Science, 1985	475	(2)
Christianity Today Describes Political Coalition-Building to Restore Religion in Schools, 1984	477	(2)
Wilfred M. McClay Warns Against the Political Contamination of Religion, 1988	479	(4)
Michael W. McConnell Fears for American Religious Freedom, 1990	483	(4)
Essays
The Supreme Court and the First Amendment	487	(8)
James Reichley
Fundamentalism and Politics	495	(7)
Nancy Ammerman
Further Reading	502