Religion in America

by Hudson, Winthrop Still; Corrigan, John

• ISBN13: 9780023251320
• ISBN10: 0023251328
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Summary

This comprehensive narrative account of religion in America from 1607 through the present depicts the religious life of the American people within the context of American society. It addresses topics spanning from the European/Puritan origins of American religious thought, encompassing the ramifications of the "Great Awakening" and the effect of nationhood on religious practice, and extending through to the shifting religious configuration of the late 20th century.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Introduction: Land, People, and Nation	1	(8)
PART I Religion in a Colonial Context, 1492-1789	9	(116)
1. Backgrounds and Beginnings	11	(27)
Native Peoples A distinctive worldview. Belief and performance. A myth of purity and decay.	11	(11)
The Spanish Religious Interest Old Spain and New Spain. "The Friars Were Watching."	22	(9)
French Missions and Institutions Religious disagreements and the problem of organization. Catholicism in the St. Lawrence Valley. Institutional support.	31	(7)
2. England and America	38	(43)
England as the "Bridge" from the Old World to the New Protestant predominance. The Puritan heritage. Religious diversity.	39	(6)
A New Beginning in a New Land The importance of the laity. The breakdown of the parish system. The possibility of thoroughgoing reform. The sense of expectancy. The outsiders.	45	(8)
Religious Characteristics of the Different Colonies The southern colonies. The New England colonies. The middle colonies.	53	(7)
The English-speaking Denominations The Anglicans. The Congregationalists. The Presbyterians. The Baptists. The Quakers. The Roman Catholics.	60	(12)
Denominations of Continental Origin The Dutch and French Reformed. Mennonites, Dunkers, and Moravians. The German Lutherans and the German Reformed. The Jews.	72	(6)
Popular Religious Beliefs	78	(3)
3. The Great Awakening	81	(21)
Transatlantic Influences The transmission of ritual forms. Theological change and public piety in New England.	83	(3)
The First Stirrings of Revival Theodore J. Frelinghuysen. The Tennents. Jonathan Edwards.	86	(4)
The Great Awakening "The Grand Itinerant." The mounting opposition. The southern phase of the Awakening.	90	(7)
The Impact of the Awakening Institutional consequences. The theological temper generated by the Awakening. The denominational concept.	97	(5)
4. The Birth of the Republic	102	(23)
Religion and Politics The Puritan political heritage. Fears generated by Anglican aggressiveness. Deism.	102	(10)
The Winning of Independence The attitude of the various denominations. The role of the clergy. Religious freedom. Separation of church and state.	112	(9)
African Traditions and Christianization	121	(4)
PART II The New Nation, 1789-1865	125	(82)
5. The Republic and the Churches	127	(16)
The Mission of America The religion of the republic. Church religion.	128	(4)
The Reordering of Denominational Life Anglicans. Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and Baptists. Methodists and "Christians." Roman Catholics.	132	(10)
Estimating the Influence of the Churches	142	(1)
6. Protestant Expansion and Consolidation	143	(22)
The Second Awakening Camp meetings. New measures. Role of women.	146	(9)
Missionary and Educational Activity Early missionary societies. Voluntary societies and a national strategy. Contributions to education. The mood of the South. Overseas missions.	155	(10)
7. Countervailing Trends and the Triumph of Methodism	165	(21)
Unitarians and Universalists	166	(2)
The Resurgence of Old School "Confessionalism"	168	(4)
"High Church" Sentiment: John W. Nevin and John Henry Hobart	172	(3)
Transcendentalism	175	(2)
The Mediating Theology of Horace Bushnell	177	(1)
The Growth of Methodism	178	(3)
The Continuing Importance of Preaching	181	(5)
8. Utopianism, Millennialism, and Humanitarianism	186	(21)
The Utopian Vision The Shakers. The Oneida community. Transcendentalism's "wild oats."	187	(6)
New Visions The Mormons. The Millerites. The Spiritualists.	193	(7)
The Humanitarian Impulse The expanding concern. The slavery controversy. The disruption of the churches.	200	(7)
PART III Years of Midpassage, 1865-1918	207	(108)
9. Post-Civil War America	209	(24)
Reconstituting the Nation The bond of religion. The failure of reconstruction. The Southern churches.	210	(9)
The Churches and the Freedmen The growth of African-American churches.	219	(5)
Renewal of Home Missionary Concern Church extension in the West. Urban revivalism. The Sunday school movement.	224	(9)
10. The New Americans	233	(23)
The Response of the Older Americans Nativist concerns. Protestant-Catholic tensions. Protestant ministries to the immigrants.	234	(7)
Adjustments and Tensions Within Roman Catholicism Institutional development. "Americanism."	241	(11)
Other Immigrant Faiths and Accessions Lutheran accessions. Other Protestant accessions. Judaism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.	252	(4)
11. The New Intellectual Climate	256	(20)
Protestant Liberalism The fundamental issue of biblical authority. Evangelical liberalism. Scientific modernism. Protestant conservatism.	258	(10)
New Departures The religion of humanity. Esoteric wisdom from the East. Science, religion, health.	268	(8)
12. New Frontiers for the Churches	276	(39)
The Roles of Women and Men Churchgoing women. The segregated clergy. Social reform. Religious innovation. Masculinizing religion.	277	(12)
The Challenge of the Cities New techniques for city churches. The institutional church.	289	(7)
The Churches and the Economic Order The gospel of wealth. The rise of social discontent. The social gospel. The "progressive" movement.	296	(12)
Imperialism and World Missions Dollar diplomacy and religion. The evangelization of the world.	308	(7)
PART IV Modern America, 1918-	315	(104)
13. The Shifting Religious Configuration	317	(27)
Judaism Reform Judaism. The great immigration. Reconstructionism and Zionism. Jewish religious revivals at midcentury.	317	(11)
Eastern Orthodox Christianity The Orthodox churches. Orthodoxy in America.	328	(3)
"Disaffected" Protestants The Holiness movement. The pentecostal churches. Millennialism.	331	(7)
The Black Churches	338	(3)
Mid-Twentieth-Century Religious Profile	341	(3)
14. Protestantism's Uneasy Journey to the Comfortable Fifties	344	(25)
The Transitional Years The postwar generation. The Fundamentalist controversy. Merchandising religion.	345	(11)
Protestant "Revivals" Theological reassessment. The religious revival of the fifties.	356	(8)
Other Manifestations of Religious Vitality	364	(5)
15. The Maturing of Roman Catholicism	369	(15)
The External Marks of Maturity The effect of World War I. Increase in numbers and wealth. Changing status of Catholics in American life.	369	(5)
Expressions of New Vitality The social program of the church. Intellectual life. The religious revival.	374	(6)
Hispanic Catholicism	380	(1)
Interfaith Relationships	381	(3)
16. "Old and New Centers"	384	(35)
The Fracturing of Protestantism Protestant disarray.	384	(6)
Roman Catholic Euphoria, Vacillation, Dissidence, and Retrenchment Euphoria and vacillation. Dissidence. Retrenchment.	390	(6)
New Centers The Jesus cult. The authoritarian strain. Religion and identity.	396	(8)
World Religions in America Islam. Buddhism. Hinduism.	404	(9)
The Marketplace of Religion and the American Mission	413	(2)
Religion, Nature, and Health Nature religion and holistic living. Development of a health ministry.	415	(4)
Epilogue	419	(4)
Suggestions for Further Reading	423	(4)
Index	427