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| 1587435764
| 4.20
| 488
| unknown
| Aug 15, 2023
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it was amazing
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I have been commissioned to review American Idolatry for the Journal of Discipliana. Therefore, I'm not posting a lengthy review. However, I will say
I have been commissioned to review American Idolatry for the Journal of Discipliana. Therefore, I'm not posting a lengthy review. However, I will say here that this is both an accessible and detailed response to the growing presence of Christian Nationalism, but in this book, he is more focused on the threat of Christian Nationalism to Christianity than on democracy. That is a threat, but for the purposes of this book, the focus is on its effect on the church. I will say this as well, this is a must-read book for those concerned about Christian nationalism, everyone should be concerned. ...more |
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Oct 10, 2023
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Oct 19, 2023
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Oct 10, 2023
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| B003COZAIS
| 3.66
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really liked it
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| 080287858X
| 9780802878588
| 080287858X
| 4.19
| 392
| Sep 01, 1999
| Nov 29, 2022
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it was amazing
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There have been few truly great American Presidents. Most have been mediocre. A few have risen to the top, and generally, that's because they took off
There have been few truly great American Presidents. Most have been mediocre. A few have risen to the top, and generally, that's because they took office during difficult moments in America's history. We might not always agree with their actions, but they demonstrated leadership that stood out. Of course, George Washington is numbered among the greats for he was the first. Jefferson, Jackson, and the two Roosevelts, are among the few. Between the presidencies of Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt, only one person stood out. That was, of course, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, like Washington, carries almost mythological dimensions to his identity. Truly there have been many hagiographical biographies that offer him up as almost superhuman. He might not be Abraham Lincoln, "Vampire Slayer," but almost. There, of course, biographies that offer up a much more balanced and realistic picture. Not all of these are of the same caliber, but they try to present Lincoln in more balanced terms. Allen Guelzo's "Redeemer President" is one of the best presentations of Lincoln's life. This particular book under review is the second edition. As I did not read the first edition, this is my first engagement with Guelzo's detailed portrayal of Lincoln the thinker, politician, and war-time leader. This is very much an intellectual biography, something Guelzo makes clear upfront. This biography of Lincoln is Guelzo's contribution to Eerdmans' "Library of Religious Biography." What is interesting about this particular contribution to that series is that religion is not the dominant topic in this biography. Guelzo was reluctant to write about Lincoln for a series focusing on religious biography because most books covering Lincoln and religion were not good and tended to sink the authors of those books "into the quicksand of academic obloquy." He didn't want to fall into that hole. Nevertheless, he finally agreed to write the biography but with the stipulation that it would be an intellectual biography that located "Lincoln on the larger map of American religion and liberal democratic political theory in the nineteenth century" (p. xi). The first edition appeared in 1999. The degree to which he revised is hard for me to discern, so I read it as if it were a brand-new contribution. As this is an intellectual biography, details about family and other relationships are not front and center. Yes, we learn about his upbringing and his eventual marriage to Mary Todd, as well as some conversation about his children, but the details are still rather spare. What Guelzo brings into the book are details that help us center Lincoln's thinking about various dimensions of American political and religious life. If you're looking for more personal details, you'll want to consult other books. What we learn from this biography is that Lincoln was always eager to learn. He was a voracious reader of many different genres. Though, as a lawyer, he wasn't all that interested in reading lawbooks, except when necessary. He would rather read Shakespeare or perhaps John Stuart Mill. Politically, he was an old-school Henry Clay Whig, who believed in the superiority of free wage labor and internal improvements, something that the Jeffersonian agrarians were opposed to. It should then not surprise us that as a lawyer he represented railroads and that as President he signed the bill that led to the building of the transcontinental railroad. Religiously, he was brought up by a father who embraced a hard-edged Calvinist predestinarian belief system. Though he rejected the Calvinist Baptist tradition of his father and became something of a free thinker who appreciated Thomas Paine and John Stuart Mill. Nevertheless, those predestinarian roots continued to influence his general belief in providence, even if that belief was naturalistic, it had dimensions of his roots. This vision would influence his behavior and decision-making as a lawyer, politician, and most of all as a war-time President. The story begins, not with Lincoln's birth but with the intellectual milieu in which he lived. As noted he was a Henry Clay Whig, who stood opposed to the southern agrarianism of Jefferson and Jackson. At the same time, he was a great believer in the importance of the Declaration of Independence, which served as the foundation of his argument against the extension of slavery. It's important to remember that Lincoln was not an abolitionist, but he believed that slave labor was inferior to wage labor and that if contained slavery would eventually disappear. Guelzo notes that Lincoln was born three weeks before Jefferson finished his second term in office. While living in Jefferson's shadow throughout much of his life, their value system was very different. Specifically, Lincoln stood opposed to Jefferson's patrician values. Instead of patrician landowners, most of whom were slave owners, Lincoln represented middle-class northern and western merchants and professionals. Born on a farm, he didn't see that life as one to be embraced. In other words, Lincoln was very much the capitalist who embraced middle-class values. Guelzo takes through Lincoln's life journey that landed him in Springfield, Illinois, where he eventually became an attorney and politician. He served in the Illinois legislature and for one term served in Congress. We learn about the dynamics surrounding his marriage to Mary Todd, whose family he had come to know well in Springfield. We learn about his devoted support to Henry Clay and his support as well of Whig candidates for President including Zachary Taylor. The first half of the book gets us to the eve of his election as President, including his famous debates with Stephen Douglas. We learn that while Lincoln won more popular votes, it was the Democratic-controlled legislature that elected senators. Thus, he did not win. But, his star was rising, and with the Democrats divided north and south over how to deal with slavery in the territories, a concern that was exacerbated by Roger Taney's "Dred Scott" decision, the possibility of secession was quite real. So, by the time the election occurred in 1860, the nation was divided north and south, and since the Democratic part divided along sectional lines, Lincoln was able to win. However, he inherited a divided nation that before too long would be at war. While Lincoln was a great orator and debater, he wasn't an administrator. He had been a legislator, but not a manager. Thus, when he became President he struggled to manage his administration and deal with the challenges facing him. We've heard much about Lincoln's team of rivals, but what Guelzo reveals is that while there were strong personalities in the Cabinet, who represented different viewpoints, Lincoln largely ignored them. He treated them as department administrators, not as advisors. He largely took his own counsel or that of others he trusted, mostly from Illinois. So much for the team of rivals. After South Carolina seceded, a militia lay siege to Fort Sumter before finally firing on it before relief could be brought in support of the beleaguered defenders, Lincoln was faced with the reality that war was inevitable. The challenge that faced him was balancing the positions between northern non-slave states and the border states where slavery was still present. This included Maryland, which provided the northern border of the north-south divide. So, we walk through the story of the Civil War, including Lincoln's challenge in finding competent generals willing to fight. As we know from other sources, Lincoln's first priority reuniting the country. Only later did he come to understand that slavery had to go. The South wanted to extend slavery into the territories, and the leadership would fight for that right. Thus, emancipation, at least in recaptured territories became necessary and feasible only after the Union started winning battles, especially in the east. Thus, it was only after Antietam that he could move in that direction. Much of this story is well known, and since this book has a religious dimension, we learn that Lincoln was never a believer, though in Washington he went to New York Avenue Presbyterian, which was served by an old-school Calvinist (of the Charles Hodge type). Nevertheless, he never became a believer. However, he did affirm the reality of providence and saw himself enveloped by it. In other words, he was a fatalist. While he wasn't a believer, he did believe that religion played a valuable role in public life. The Whigs, unlike the Jeffersonian Democrats, had always embraced religion as an important part of their identity. Thus, Lincoln called for the appointment of chaplains for the army, something the Democrats had always opposed. Of course, in the end, he was assassinated while going to the theater, a reality that posed a problem for some of his hagiographers and evangelical supporters, nevertheless they found ways of rationalizing the place of his death. His death was in many ways due to his own fatalism. Whether he lived or died was a matter of providence, and so he tended to go out without escort or seek to evade his escort. That night he went to the theater with only two escorts, and thus John Wilkes Booth found easy access to his box. Guelzo offers us an important portrait of a man who is sometimes more myth than reality that is direct and detailed. This is very much a scholarly biography, even if it does not have footnotes/endnotes. It does carry "A Note On Sources." As an intellectual biography, it is rather dense. There are few light stories in this book. So it will take a bit of diligence to move through it. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile effort. With so much pseudo-history out there (I'm surprised Eric Metaxas hasn't written one of his famous faux bios), this should continue to be a standard biography of one of America's most important political figures. ...more |
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Dec 25, 2022
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Jan 20, 2023
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Dec 25, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 1503631621
| 9781503631625
| 1503631621
| 4.17
| 12
| unknown
| Jun 07, 2022
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really liked it
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The question has long been asked. When did the Pentecostal Movement actually begin? Was it the night of January 1, 1901, when Agnes Ozman first spoke
The question has long been asked. When did the Pentecostal Movement actually begin? Was it the night of January 1, 1901, when Agnes Ozman first spoke in tongues during a watchnight service at Charles Parham's Bethel Bible School in Topeka, Kansas? Or was it the Azusa Revival that broke out in Los Angeles in 1906? The question revolves around whether speaking in tongues as initial evidence is the foundation piece, or whether a revival that birthed missionary movements, new denominations, and more is central. Mixed into all of this is the question of race. Parham was a white holiness preacher. William Seymour, a former associate of Parham's, was black. In fact, Azusa Street was marked both by its black leadership and its roots in black religious life, including practices that emerged during slavery. There are political and cultural issues at work here, and it should be noted that Parham was marked by racism and was highly critical of the Azusa Street movement, as were other white holiness preachers (not to mention the larger white Christian community). Having experienced the Pentecostal movement (International Church of the Foursquare Gospel) during my late adolescence and early adulthood, I have long been interested in the history of the Pentecostal movement, especially the story of Aimee Semple McPherson. In addition, one of my seminary professors, Mel Robeck is a scholar of the Azusa Street Revival. What has fascinated me about the Azusa Street Revival is its racial/ethnic/gender diversity. I have always grieved over the fact that within a short period of time the diversity of Azusa Street gave way, within Pentecostalism, to largely segregated denominations. Where the movement of the Holy Spirit seemed to be drawing people together and empowering those who had been on the margins (women and people of color), before too long that all ended. In recent years, especially since the centennial of Azusa Street in 2006, significant work has been done on Azusa Street and other parts of the Pentecostal story. It's not surprising as Pentecostalism is the fastest growing segment of the Christian movement, especially outside the USA and Europe. But there is still much to learn. With that in mind, we turn to Keri Day's book "Azusa Reimagined." Day dives deep underneath the revival, looking not to its theology and the role of speaking in tongues, but the social-political-cultural dynamics. She's especially interested in the role that race and gender play in the rise of the revival and how it was received. She sees Azusa not only as a religious revival, but as an expression of a black religious/social dynamic that reflects both the social location of the participants at the moment of the revival, but going back to slavery. Central to Day's thesis is her belief that "Azusa's religious life embodied a critique of America's racial-capitalist order" (p. 3). It was, in her view, a subversive movement that rejected American racial capitalism, and empowered a political order that stood outside the white-dominated system, one that excluded them from participation. I find it interesting that Day's book comes out at a time when we are witnessing a white backlash against antiracism and a focus on diversity in schools and businesses. In other words, the message that Day seeks to bring forth is the same one that is being resisted, especially by white evangelicals. The message here will be uncomfortable for many white Christians, and yet to understand Azusa Street one must understand the racial/gender/ethnic margins that gave birth to the revival. She begins by contrasting Azusa Street with the World's Fairs in Philadephia and Chicago, at the end of the 19th century. These fairs emphasized American and European superiority. She points out that at both fairs, there was expressed a vision of Pentecost, but one that reflected a white nationalist industrial capitalism. With that as the backdrop, Day is able to set up Azusa as a movement that contested these "orthodoxies." Central to this was black religiosity, which is rooted in slave religious practices that were deemed demonic by white observers. A signicant element in the story is the diversity of leadership, especially black leadership to the revival. We know the story of William Seymour, but what stands out here is the role that black women domestic works played in the revival. She speaks in chapter 3 of "Black Female Genius." She notes that black women served as domestic workers, beginning with house slaves and moving forward through time, such that as late as 1960, 90 percent of domestic workers in the south were black. Though they filled this economic role, we learn here that they provided the backbone of the leadership of the revival. She writes that "the leadership of black women domestics also directly challenged the plantation patriarchy that shaped and guided black churches and black communities more broadly." (p. 83). Even within the revival there was pushback, especially from husbands that were dismayed that their wives were busy preaching rather than doing laundry. That lead even to Seymour to try to limit women's roles, though originally he supported full participation. Thus, while Symour sought to support gender equality he got caught up in the resistance. That entire chapter (chapter 3) is fascinating and worth reading closely. That chapter is followed by one speaks of the "erotic life of racism. She addresses the racist sensibilities about black religious experience, which was described as erotic and inappropriate, especially when men and women of different races were dancing in the Spirit. There was a certain intimacy in the worship that was seen as inappropriate, and Day addresses that critique, and its racist origins. Not only were the participants charged with being sexually provocative, but also lawless. Day takes that critique up and sets it as a critique of American democracy. She notes that the police were often called out due to the charge by the LA Ministerial Association of disturbing the peace. Azusa then becomes a critique of a racist political system that does not include but suppresses people of color and women, many of whom were not at the time allowed to participate in a political system that was geared to white men of property. Thus, the revival transgressed political boundaries. Within this conversation she addresses both the apocalyptic and the premillennialism present in the revival, that is anything but quiescent. Yes, they believed that the second coming was close at hand, but they were also concerned about current situations and creating an alternative to that reality., I should note that in speaking of the apocalypticism of the movement, she notes Ernst Kasemann's discussions of apocalypticism that have political implications, such that it resists oppressive movements. She closes with a discussion of Azusa's vision of a democracy to come. While much of Pentecostalism today has embraced prosperity and Christian nationalism, that was not true of Azusa. The revival gave birth to a longing for a better world. Thus, Azusa was in reality a subversive movement of the margins, especially among persons of color. It's understandable then that a person like Charles Parham, with racist tendencies, would reject the movement. The question then is what makes Pentecostalism Pentecostal? Is it Topeka or Azusa Street? Parham or Seymour and the black women domestic workers? Day makes a compelling case for the latter and for the socio-cultural dimensions of the revival. . ...more |
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Jul 04, 2022
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Jul 20, 2022
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Jul 04, 2022
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| 9781532310270
| 3.00
| 1
| unknown
| 2015
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liked it
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Cane Ridge, Kentucky is the site of one of America's great revivals. It is also a foundational site for the various branches of the Stone-Campbell Mov
Cane Ridge, Kentucky is the site of one of America's great revivals. It is also a foundational site for the various branches of the Stone-Campbell Movement as well as the ecumenical movement writ large. The name Barton Stone might not be well known to many people, even within the movement that he helped found, but he is an important figure and it is at Cane Ridge, he first made his mark on America's religious life. Saving Cane Ridge focuses its attention not on the original revival or Stone's ministry, though that is part of the story told here. Rather, this is the story of a building, a shrine, that serves as a pilgrimage point for those communities that descend from Stone's ministry. That includes the Disciples, the Churches of Christ, and the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. It also includes the Christian Churches that long ago merged with the Congregationalists, who then merged with other groups to form the United Church of Christ. The author, Robert Steffer, is a former curator at the Cane Ridge Historic Site. He tells the story of how this church that was in use from the late 18th century until 1921 was saved from demolition and/or determination. It says something about Stone's legacy within the movement that this site faced more challenging prospects than the sites connected with Alexander Campbell. Gaining financial support from the churches was difficult, and yet due to several key figures, it was saved and continues to this day to be an important witness to the ministry of Barton Stone and the importance of Cane Ridge to American religious history. The book tells the story of how it was saved as well as the events and activities held there over the years. At points, it could use some editing, but those who wish to know something about this shrine, and the efforts undertaken to preserve it, will find this to be a helpful and informative book. ...more |
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May 25, 2021
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Jun 06, 2021
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May 25, 2021
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Paperback
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| 1258345501
| 9781258345501
| 1258345501
| 3.00
| 2
| unknown
| 2012
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liked it
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None
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Notes are private!
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not set
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Jan 1986
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May 10, 2021
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Hardcover
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| 0252062744
| 9780252062742
| 0252062744
| 3.68
| 50
| 1965
| Mar 01, 1993
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liked it
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Notes are private!
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not set
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Jan 1986
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May 10, 2021
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| 069104581X
| 9780691045818
| 069104581X
| 3.50
| 4
| Nov 1968
| Nov 21, 1968
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liked it
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Notes are private!
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not set
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Jan 1986
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May 10, 2021
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Hardcover
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| 0664267203
| 9780664267209
| 0664267203
| 4.60
| 5
| unknown
| Mar 02, 2021
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really liked it
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Racism has been called America’s “original sin.” It is a sin that led to the genocide of much of the Native American population and was expressed in t
Racism has been called America’s “original sin.” It is a sin that led to the genocide of much of the Native American population and was expressed in the chattel slavery of persons brought to this continent from Africa. It has been expressed in laws that denied Asians either the opportunity to immigrate or achieve citizenship in the United States. It has been expressed in the treatment of Latinos/as—a community of peoples, many of whom trace their ancestry to a time before much of the Southwest was part of the United States. The ramifications of this original sin of racism remain with us. While many hoped that the election of Barack Obama would usher in a post-racial age, nothing of the sort has transpired. Racism remains a scourge on our land. We’ve seen it play out in various ways in recent years, coming to a head during the final year of Donald Trump’s term, when a racial reckoning coincided with a global pandemic. The aftereffects remain with us even after the end of the Trump term. Even as attempts are made to build relationships, educate against racism, and reform institutions change has proven to be slow. Indeed, the names Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown that gave birth to the “#BlackLivesMatter” movement, along with the rise of the Birther Movement, growing Islamophobia, and the rise of anti-Asian violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, are all signs that there is much work to do. Simply claiming to be color-blind will not suffice. As a white male Christian, reading books about race and racism isn't comfortable. Neither is acknowledging white privilege. Yet, whether asked for or not, certain privileges have been accorded to me that are related to my color. By understanding that these privileges exist I put myself in a better position to stand as an ally with those whose ethnicity and race exclude them from these privileges. It is important to understand that these privileges have little to do with economics and everything to do with color. As an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) I am expected to participate in anti-racism training. This training is designed to sensitize clergy to the realities just mentioned so that we can help our congregations move forward toward being anti-racist communities. Educating ourselves to these realities is important, and there is an increasing number of books and resources that help us in this regard. One of these books is Race in America. Race in America is a revision of the book Race in Post-Obama America: The Church Responds, which was edited by David Maxwell and appeared in 2016 as President Obama’s term was ending and just before the beginning of Donald Trump’s term. The book is edited by David Maxwell and Laura Cheifetz. While Maxwell served as editor of the original edition, Cheifetz has joined him for this new edition. While the original edition drew on ten contributors, this edition has thirteen. They write as members of a committee, so identities are largely hidden. Therefore, the book represents a conversation among a group of people with a shared concern for the church and the broader world. One of the contributors, the Rev. Mary Gene Boteler, writes in the introduction that the book is especially poignant for white Christians living in the United States so that they might "read, discuss with others, and initiate or continue a plan of action to confront racism" (p. xvi-xvii). The book both educates and calls the reader to action. The book is divided into three parts. Part one defines and recounts racism in five chapters. The first chapter provides definitions of terms used in the book. That chapter is followed by one that explores the relationship of the Bible to racism. This is followed by two chapters that explore the “White and Nonwhite Binary.” These two chapters take a look at the history of the United States through the lens of whiteness. That is, who qualifies as white and what that means for how we live in this nation. These two chapters replace three chapters that look at U.S. history. Finally, part one is closed out with a chapter on “Trumpism.” This chapter is new and informative. It speaks to how the illusion of racial progress symbolized by Obama’s election was broken by the election of Donald Trump and the surge in white identity politics. Each of these chapters reminds us that while progress has been made at points, we are far from reaching any real post-racial age. If Part I offers definitions and recounts history, Part II focuses on the realities of racism today. There are four chapters in this section. The first chapter explores the relationship between colonialism, immigration, and assimilation. Chapter seven focuses on police brutality and the Black Lives Matter Movement, which was born before Trump, but took the lead in the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. Chapter 8 focuses on the role of social media, which has played both a positive and a negative role in the current crisis. It has been used to promote hate and bigotry and to organize responses. The authors do a good job of lifting up both the benefits and the challenges posed by social media regarding the continuing racial divide in America. The final chapter in this section is titled “Do Segregated Churches Imply Racism?” The authors agree with Martin Luther King’s declaration that the reality that eleven o'clock on Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week, and that this reality is a sign of racism. However, they aren’t sure that integrated worship is a true salve for the problem of racism in America if we continue with a melting pot vision of assimilation in which we all adopt the worship practices of the majority culture. While truly integrated worship is to be welcomed, a case can be made for, at least at this moment, the continuing existence of ethnic churches. But if we do move toward multi-cultural worship it needs to be more than simply a reflection of the dominant culture's preferences without allowing for other expressions to exist. So, in place of the melting pot, a better image for integrated worship is that of the salad, where distinctive elements are present and celebrated! We have a long way to go before this reality is widespread. Part three is titled “What to Do?” In chapter ten, a word is addressed to white people like me by contributors who are white. This chapter addresses the challenges of white supremacy and white privilege. It serves to remind us that racism is more than prejudice. It is systemic. We who are white often miss the signs. It is telling that 80% of white youth and young adults don't like talking about race and assume that they live by a color-blind code. So, what do we do? The authors provide us with eight excellent suggestions for how we who are white can address white privilege and work toward the elimination of racism. Among these include recognizing our privilege, along with educating ourselves as to what this means, and then speaking up and showing up. This chapter is not a comfortable read, but then it's not supposed to be. Finally, in chapter 11, we turn to the church's response. While we may want to quickly move toward a color-blind beloved community, they tell us that there must be justice before there can be reconciliation. That will take a lot of work. It means addressing questions of reparations and looking at how we engage in mission. The authors conclude that "racism is hard-wired into this country from its founding and then through its constitution and religious, social, economic, and political life. Undoing it will take more than reading a book or going to one protest. But change and transformation and hope are also in the DNA of the Christian Disciple" (p. 134). Addressing the challenge won't be easy, but this should not deter us or lead to complacency. That is not an option. It's a tough read, but like the numerous books that have emerged over the past decade, that is to be expected. It challenges and educates. Nonetheless, as the current political situation reminds us, there is much work to be done if we're to truly become that Beloved Community envisioned by Dr. King. The goal is not becoming color-blind, for that simply negates the wonderful diversity that is humanity. Rather it is a move toward respect and celebration of our diversity so that out of the many we might be one. ...more |
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Mar 12, 2021
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Mar 22, 2021
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Mar 12, 2021
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| 083085486X
| 9780830854868
| 083085486X
| 4.43
| 5,393
| Sep 01, 2020
| Sep 01, 2020
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it was amazing
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It has become clear that our social location influences how we read Scripture. I am a white male Protestant living in the United States. For good or i
It has become clear that our social location influences how we read Scripture. I am a white male Protestant living in the United States. For good or ill that reality influences the way I view everything. I am, thankfully, aware of this, but that doesn't mean I easily break free of it. Therefore it is important to listen to other voices who speak from other social locations, especially when it comes to reading Scripture. I love the Bible, but I know that it has been used to oppress and suppress myriads of peoples through the ages. That has led many to abandon it. I'm not ready to do that, but I know I must be aware of the dangers of misinterpretations and misapplication. I read Esau McCaulley's "Reading While Black" with great interest. It is a nominated book for a Book Awards effort that I am part of it, so I had to read it with that in mind. However, as I read I became intrigued by the author's profound understanding of scripture and its implications. McCaulley approaches this conversation from a particular location. He is Black and Evangelical. He finds himself caught between two poles. On one hand, there are white evangelicals who seem unaware or unwilling to take seriously the concerns of African American Christians. On the other hand, Black progressives can be suspicious of evangelical readings of Scripture. With this book, he seeks to offer a third perspective, one that is thoroughly aware of the realities faced by African Americans while seeking to honor a more conservative/evangelical view of Scripture. It's not an easy task, but whether agree on every matter, I commend him for this effort. In his introductory chapter, he places himself within the Southern Black Christian context. He speaks from within a Black ecclesial context. While the Black Christian tradition isn't monolithic, he notes that it is "largely orthodox in its theology in the sense that it holds to many of the things that all Christians have generally believed." However, on matters of social justice, they embrace much of what Black progressives embrace. (p. 5). Thus, he wants to argue that the Black ecclesial tradition has something important to say to the Black community. What McCaulley does here is engage in a conversation that brings to bear a rather orthodox reading of Scripture with the realities faced by the Black community. He writes that the book is offered as an "attempt to show that the instincts and habits of Black biblical interpretation can help us use the Bible to address the issues of the day. It is an attempt to show that for Black Christians the very process of interpreting the Bible can function as an exercise in hope and connect us to the faith of our ancestors" (pp. 23-24). With this in mind, McCaulley starts right out by addressing one of the most troubling issues faced by the Black community and that is policing. This is an important chapter because it speaks to current concerns. He speaks as one who has been targeted by police simply for being Black. So, he offers a New Testament Theology of Policing, one that speaks of freedom without fear. As one might expect, he deals with Romans 13, offering a very helpful interpretation of that passage. He points out that the early Christians understood over-policing since Rome used its military to police the empire. Thus, engaging with Scripture, including Paul, he offers guidance as to finding path to structural reform that would offer freedom to people of color. He's not asking that the police be done away with, but he does offer a possible path to true reform, one that is rooted in a theology of freedom. From there in chapter three he speaks to the political witness of the church. He takes note of Dr. King's efforts. Turning to the New Testament he finds significant resources for political resistance, especially in the Gospels. He reminds that Herod feared Jesus not because he was a compassionate healer but because this healing ministry was a sign the reign of God was breaking into the world. As one who is evangelically inclined, so that he affirms the work of discipleship and evangelism, as well as personal holiness, he makes it clear that for the Black Christian faith also "includes bearing witness to a different and better way of ordering our societies in a world whose default instinct is oppression. To do less would be to deny the kingdom" (p. 70). He dives deeper in chapter four to explore the concept of justice as revealed in the biblical story as it is understood in light of the Black experience. Thus, he finds there, especially in the Gospels, a message of liberation. He finds there not necessarily a full policy outline, but principles and critiques that can equip Black Christians for living and working in the United States. For some reason, many white folks get uncomfortable when people who are Black or Brown or Asian or indigenous claim a certain pride in their heritage and ethnicity. For some reason, it's seen as inappropriate to declare that to be Black is to be beautiful, though that declaration is found in the Song of Songs itself. What he does in chapter five is claim a place for folks who are Black in the Biblical story. He brings to the fore stories, such as Simon of Cyrene or the Ethiopian Eunuch, who are Africans and part of the story. He makes it clear in response to those who claim that Christianity is a white man's religion, that the church has been present within the African context from the very beginning of Christian history. He notes that in his view Christianity is a story about God and God's purposes, and among those purposes is the creation of a diverse community that worships God. So, "when the Black Christian enters the community of faith, she is not entering a strange land. She is finding her way home" (p. 117). For some chapter six will be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary chapter. He asks the question what should African Americans do with their rage? He affirms the reality of the anger and the hurt experienced by African Americans. He doesn't tell the reader to suppress the anger. Instead, he shows how Scripture gives voice to anger through lamentation and imprecatory psalms. Scripture actually helps give voice to rage, so that the truth can be made known and redress can be made. He also finds hope in the message of the cross and resurrection. Because Scripture has been used to support or explain away the awfulness of slavery, he devotes an important chapter to the way Scripture has been interpreted and used to abuse. He acknowledges the challenges posed by texts such as 1 Timothy 6, which enjoin obedience to masters. The way he approaches the question is to place these texts in the context of God's intent, so that slavery is a reality faced by ancient peoples, but it is not part of God's creational intent. Thus, we cannot explain it away or support such an institution as being of God. McCaulley concludes this important book by affirming the value and contribution of the Black Ecclesial Tradition. He affirms the possibilities of allowing Scripture to speak to Black Lives, making it clear without necessarily using the term that Black Lives Matter. My starting point as a more progressive white mainliner might be different from McCaulley's, but I found his engagement with Scripture, the Christian faith, and the African American social location to be insightful and instructive. I recommend this book highly as a word to us all. ...more |
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| 0827200862
| 9780827200869
| 0827200862
| 4.17
| 12
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| Apr 28, 2020
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really liked it
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What makes something sacred or holy? Does it have to be a religious site for someone to find spiritual value in a site, whether its part of the natura
What makes something sacred or holy? Does it have to be a religious site for someone to find spiritual value in a site, whether its part of the natural world or something human-created? Brad Lyons and Bruce Barkhauer explored that question in relation to the National Parks in the United States under the title America's Holy Ground: 61 Faithful Reflections on Our National Parks. Now they've added a sequel in America's Sacred Sites. This book points us to fifty National Monuments and Historic Landmarks, all of which are managed by the National Park Service. As with the original book, they engage with these sites spiritually, offering spiritual reflections on what they term sacred sites. I must admit that I've only visited a handful of the sites explored in the book. I've not even been to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, which lies in my home state of Oregon, or Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in my current home state of Michigan. However, I have been to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California. Still, there are many places yet to visit. In this book, they take us to all fifty states and point us to a site worth considering. It should be noted that some of the sites cross over state lines and so could have fit under more than one state. In America's Sacred Sites, Brad and Bruce focus on sites that might be natural, like Pictured Rock National Monument, but might also be home to a particular event in history such as Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Site. They take us to Pearl Harbor and the Statue of Liberty, Kitty Hawk, and Ebenezer Baptist Church (part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park). With each site, the authors provide a defining word. Thus, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in North Dakota is linked to the word "Hospitality." West Virginia's Harper's Ferry National Historical Park carries the term "resistance." Each reflection is accompanied by a scripture reference as well. Bruce and Brad offer a book filled with color photos, some of which they have taken, but most come from the National Park Service. They describe the site, offering insight as to its importance. This is followed by a spiritual application. They write that "what is most remarkable to us is that there is a place in every state of our union that has some significance in shaping us and our history. Consequently, there is a place near you right now where a visit can get you started on discovering more of America's holy ground." (p. 13). Like me, they've only visited some of the sites in the book. Thus, much of the book is based on research. As with the first book, this is not simply a travel guide, though it does provide significant background information about the sites. It functions differently in that the authors want to draw our attention to the deeper meaning that lies within or beneath the site. They want us to open ourselves up to the possibility that there is something spiritual resonate about a site. Since they include Pear Harbor in the book, I can bear witness to the somewhat eerie but holy feeling you get as you travel the short distance to the memorial. When you get off the boat, if your fellow travelers are also open, there will be silence and a feeling of a connection to those who died that day on the ship. They comment, regarding the silence, pointing to Moses' experience in the presence of God, noting that "God was in the holy silence. God filled the silence that, for a moment, Moses and the Divine shared. Moses was never the same" (p. 59). You are never the same after visiting the memorial. As with their first book, I highly recommend this for the spiritual journey that takes us to the different corners of a nation, that is often in turmoil. That turmoil is present in the sites chosen, from Little Big Horn to Fort Sumter to the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. All is not wonderful, but there is something to consider in each sacred site. ...more |
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Aug 23, 2020
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Sep 2020
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Aug 23, 2020
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| 1467452572
| 9781467452571
| B07NPTDGVX
| 4.62
| 8
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| Feb 12, 2019
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really liked it
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A festschrift for Douglas Foster, a Stone-Campbell historian, with a keen interest in the role of race in Christianity, and especially the Stone-Campb
A festschrift for Douglas Foster, a Stone-Campbell historian, with a keen interest in the role of race in Christianity, and especially the Stone-Campbell Movement. This collection of essays, mostly from within the movement, explores the history and impact of the legacy of slavery on White Christianity in America. The essays cover a lot of different elements of this sorrowful history. I especially point to Richard Hughes's piece on White Supremacy. It is a must-read for our moment in time.
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Sep 30, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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| 0062743147
| 9780062743145
| 0062743147
| 4.23
| 115
| unknown
| May 07, 2019
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it was amazing
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The United States prides itself on its protections of religious freedom. We tell the story of how the Pilgrims came to these shores so they might have
The United States prides itself on its protections of religious freedom. We tell the story of how the Pilgrims came to these shores so they might have religious liberty. Truth be told, they were only interested in freedom for themselves. The same was true of most of those who made their way to the shores of North America. At the time that the nation was founded, most states had some form of an established church. Most often that was either Anglican or Congregational. There were a few states, like Rhode Island and Pennsylvania that offered religious freedom, but they were the exception. Even after the Constitution was ratified, some states kept their establishment, and until the 14th Amendment, the First Amendment protections were not applied to the states, only the federal government. Down through time, religious freedom has been a contested issue. Many assumed that it applied only to Christians, and by Christian that meant Protestant. Steven Waldman's book Sacred Liberty tells the story of how this nation dealt with religious freedom. There is a belief that the United States has always been a beacon of religious freedom, but such is not the case. From the very earliest colonists, those in the majority set the rules for others. In New England, it was the Congregationalists who dominated. In the South, it tended to be Anglicans. Only a few colonies offered some form of freedom. These stories, including the stories of the persecution of Catholics and especially Quakers, is told as a precursor to independence and the establishment of a constitutional republic that at least at the federal level precluded religious tests for office and promised religious freedom, including free exercise. It is with chapter two and the exploration of "Madison's Model," as expressed in the First Amendment, that we get started with the conversation. Madison established the model, but as we see in chapter three, it is the eruption of the Second Great Awakening that undermined the state establishments. While this was true, freedom remained the province of Protestants. The first big question facing the nation was whether Catholics could be granted religious freedom. When the nation was founded Catholics formed a distinct minority of the population, but as time went on and immigration, especially from Ireland and later from southern Europe, this became an urgent concern. It wasn't really resolved until the 1960s. But, it wasn't just Catholics that faced suppression. There was a distinct effort to suppress the religious freedom of African slaves, some of whom were Muslim. Both African spiritualities and Islam were suppressed, and Christianity only reluctantly shared. In chapter six, Waldman notes that the religious freedoms promised by the First Amendment were first applied generally to the states only after the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment. This amendment and its application resulted from the efforts of John Bingham. While we think of the Fourteenth Amendment in terms of ending slavery nationwide, religion was a significant beneficiary. What is important to note is that Bingham believed that this amendment was part of his understanding of a "Divine Plan." (p. 90). The battle for liberty was not yet won. The nation faced the challenge of Mormonism and its practice of polygamy. Mormons defended it based on the free exercise of their religious faith. The courts disagreed, and eventually, polygamy was set aside, but the battle raised important questions about the limits of one's free exercise. Then there was the government effort to ban Native American spiritual practices, including the dances that defined their spirituality. Instead, the government sought to impose Christianity on them, so as to "kill the Indian" within them. Again, not one of our better moments. We hear that God has been run out of the schools, because of the ban on prayer and Bible reading in the schools. What partisans of this effort seem not to understand is that government-sponsored prayer was largely an effort to keep Protestantism in a dominant position. In the early 20th century the KKK emerged as a foe to Catholic immigration. Catholic school systems were developed because of debates over which Bible translation could be used in school. Much of this was rooted in anti-immigration efforts, largely directed at Italians. Again, not one of our better moments, but one that is largely forgotten. What about the Jehovah's Witnesses and their freedom to practice their faith. Their unwillingness to salute the flag, believing it to be idol worship, led to children being suspended from school, adults arrested and sometimes beaten nearly to death. But they persisted in the courts, and some of our freedoms we have today result from their efforts to confront attempts to institute coercive laws against religious communities. World War II saw the elevation of religious freedom and the inclusion of Jews at the table. This is the era in which we began to talk about the Judeo-Christian world. As this was going on the Supreme Court began to rule on religious issues, helping to sort out what establishment and free exercise means. This chapter, chapter 12, is an important one. Melissa Rogers' book Faith in American Public Life goes into much greater detail on these matters, but this is an excellent starting point. Even as the courts began to settle matters, and Protestants, Catholics, and Jews began to solidify their relationships, Congress passed important immigration reforms that allowed millions of Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus to come to the United States, which opened up the nation to much greater religious diversity. While this was happening conservative Protestants and Catholics began to work together on issues like abortion, as they left aside old animosities. Moving closer to home, evangelicals, perhaps feeling the impact of changing demographics moved from claiming to be the moral majority to being a persecuted minority. That, as we are seeing, has produced political implications. Since 9-11 greater focus has been placed on Islam and its presence in our nation, so Waldman devotes two chapters to the place of Islam in the country. Interestingly, 70% of Muslims voted for George W. Bush in 2000, but in 2016 Donald Trump won as a Republican on a platform that included the suppression of Islam in America. These chapters explore how Islam has navigated these challenges and what it means for the religious freedom of all. Is it only for Christians, or does it apply across the board? As Waldman notes, one effort underway is to delegitimize Islam as a religion, defining it as a political ideology and thus not subject to First Amendment protections. Waldman closes the book with a summation of the journey the nation has been on regarding religious freedom. He points out areas where progress has been made and areas where it is deficient. In other words, this is a contested space. The Constitution may offer protections, but how these protections are applied merits great concern. There are places where I might quibble, especially his reference to David Barton as an influential evangelical historian. Barton is not a historian, he's a propagandist. Otherwise, I was very happy with the presentation. I believe it merits close attention as we try to live out the freedoms imagined by James Madison, where religion flourishes because it is set free from government interference. Waldman is a journalist, but he has a good eye for history. This is worth spending much time with, especially as we debate religious freedom at this time. What will be the future of religious liberty at home? Take a read, a very close read. ...more |
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Jan 23, 2020
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| 0253028507
| 9780253028501
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| 3.60
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| Oct 01, 1999
| Oct 22, 1999
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really liked it
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None
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Dec 10, 2019
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Apr 08, 2020
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Dec 10, 2019
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Kindle Edition
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| 0802876854
| 9780802876850
| 0802876854
| 4.04
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| Jul 16, 2019
| Jul 16, 2019
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it was amazing
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Sometimes books come out at just the right moment. That may be true of this biography of Franklin Roosevelt. At a time when the President of the Unite
Sometimes books come out at just the right moment. That may be true of this biography of Franklin Roosevelt. At a time when the President of the United States displays an utter disregard for the teachings of the Christian faith, even as he garners support from the same community, what might we learn from the life of another President who embodied a very different sense of himself and his faith? To find out, one must read "A Christian and a Democrat." Having read the biography of FDR's wife Eleanor in Eerdman's Religious Biography series, I was, of course, curious about this biography. What might it say about a man who was by all measures ambitious and at times ruthless as a politician? We know from history (and from the biography of Eleanor) that he was a man with many flaws. Yet, according to this biography, when FDR was asked about his political ideology, he declared that he was a "Christian and a Democrat." The question then is, what does this mean? Before getting to that question, which is the subject of the book, I should take note of the author. The primary author was the late John Woolverton, a longtime professor of church history at Virginia Theological Seminary and editor of "Anglican and Episcopal History." It is the latter responsibility that links me to him, as he was the editor when I was submitting articles for publication (and fortunately articles he accepted). For that reason, I wanted to read the book. The book lay unpublished at his death, which is where James Bratt comes in. Bratt is professor emeritus of history at Calvin University, and he took up the project of editing Woolverton's manuscript at the suggestion of David Holmes, a professor at the College of William and Mary (whom I also know). Bratt reduced the text by one quarter and brought things to completion. I am impressed with the work he did to bring the book to publication. Then there is the author of the foreword. You might recognize it as the name of the former head of the FBI. It has been known that Comey was a devotee of Reinhold Niebuhr. It is Woolverton who introduced Niebuhr to Comey as a visiting faculty member at the College of William and Mary. That makes the book all the more intriguing. Roosevelt came from a wealthy and politically connected family, with Theodore Roosevelt being a relative. He was raised with a sense of social responsibility that drew upon his upbringing in the Episcopal Church. Perhaps most influential on his development as a Christian and a Democrat came from the influence of his parents and years spent at Groton School, a boarding school in Massachusetts, where he came under the influence of Endicott Peabody, the headmaster and an Episcopal priest who had a strong Social Gospel bent. Peabody would be a strong influence until well into FDR's presidency. Woolverton speaks of Peabody as FDR's spiritual father, and in many ways, his father, as his own father was much older. The form of Christianity Peabody passed on to FDR was a muscular social Christianity that drew from figures such as Charles Kingsley and Phillips Brooks. Thus the form of Christianity passed on to FDR was a liberal form that welcomed scientific discoveries and sought to address social problems confronting the nation and world. Woolverton notes that part of the ethos of this social gospel Christianity was a positive, happy vision of the future. It envisioned ongoing progress. This is important because at the end of the book Woolverton shares the stories of conversations between FDR and a young Episcopal priest from St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House, conversations that introduced FDR to Kierkegaard, which helped him better understand his adversary. We learn too of the influence of Eleanor and another woman who would play an important role in his life -- Francis Perkins, who was a leader in the labor movement and a future Secretary of Labor. We learn about the influence of his time at Groton and at Harvard, all of which prepared him for what was to come. All of this forms Part 1 of the Book -- titled Formation. Part 2 of the book is titled "Faith." It's here that we discern the true nature of both FDR's faith and his politics. The first three chapters in this section are titled "Hope," "Charity," and "Faith." These terms are taken from his favorite text -- 1 Corinthians 13. Chapter 4 (the first chapter in the section) deals with FDR's contracting of polio and the realities of the Great Depression. It is the same sense of hope that enabled him to overcome the effects of polio that enabled him to deal with compassion and vision the effects of the Great Depression. He drew upon his faith to face the realities of life with polio, and the two together gave him a sense of compassion for others who faced difficulties (the Great Depression). Chapter five focuses on Charity -- that is love as a social ethic and a political goal. In his understanding of things the good work of charities and social service agencies needed to be aided by the government (at all levels). We see this in the development of programs like the CCC and the WPA. In other words, he believed in the value of work, and if the private sector couldn't provide it the government should. For FDR, charity is to be understood as social mindedness. As Woolverton describes his understanding of charity, it was connected to democracy: "Charity, properly understood, involved fellow feeling and the simple rules of human conduct: justice for the poor, sufficiency for all." (p. 128). As for Faith -- chapter 6 -- Woolverton notes that FDR was at heart a "very simple Christian." That is, he was a deep theological thinker, but he held his beliefs close, and drew from his Christian faith in his governing principles. He drew from the faith passed on to him by his family and by his time at Groton. It was rooted in the Book of Common Prayer and the hymns, he had sung throughout life. As noted in chapter seven, he functioned as "prophet, priest, and President" during the years of World War II. He led a nation that at least until Pearl Harbor was largely isolationist and noninterventionist. How do you prepare for war, without entering into it? During this period he provided leadership that drew upon public prayer, which he found himself leading. Hope, Charity, Faith. These were terms he embraced, along with Jesus teaching on loving one's neighbor. His was an optimistic faith, rooted in the traditions of the Episcopal Church as understood in light of the Social Gospel. In other words, this was a progressive Christian vision. But was it sufficient? Part 3 is titled "Interpretation." The penultimate chapter of the book is fascinating (chapter 8). Titled "Who is Kierkegaard?" It riffs on a series of conversations between FDR and a young priest -- Howard Johnson -- who would later serve on the faculty of Virginia Theological Seminary with Woolverton. This chapter draws on Johnson's recollections of those conversations that occurred at the White House in 1944. Johnson had been working with Walter Lowrie, who was translating Kierkegaard, and thus he was intimately acquainted with the Danish philosopher. During conversations with FDR who was trying to make sense of Hitler, Kierkegaard came up, and the President asked who he was, and that led to conversations about Kierkegaard's more dour view of humanity and the reality of radical evil. What is important here is that these conversations are among the few records of deep theological conversation on the part of the President. In an afterword, Woolverton compares and contrasts Roosevelt with Lincoln and Herbert Hoover. In doing so the author can help us understand Roosevelt's character and motives. I found the section comparing the Episcopalian Roosevelt with the Quaker Hoover. We think of Quakers as pacifists, which they are, but what we see here is the individualism that is present in Quakerism that informed some of Hoover's intransigence on government engagement. He believed strongly in private relief, but not government relief. This chapter is intriguing and worth spending time with. FDR is considered one of America's greatest Presidents. He was a man of ambition, but also compassion (in part fueled by his religious training, but aided as well by his experience with polio). He was wealthy and yet he believed in equality of all, which fueled his social programs. Like most of us, he was complex. He was devout and yet earthy. He had his flaws. He wasn't a deep thinker, but as Woolvertion notes, he knew how to connect the dots. Hoover (an engineer) got caught in the minutiae and couldn't catch the big picture. That was FDR's forte. He understood the big picture, and thus he was a successful President. As noted at the beginning, in light of the current situation, this is a biography that needs to be widely read. We can thank John Woolverton for the foresight to write this manuscript, and for David Holmes and James Bratt for realizing that it needed to be published (even if in an edited version). Being a book for our times, we can heed this word from James Comey, who suggests that if Woolverton was still preaching he might say that "things are a mess, but that only increases the urgency to step into the public square." As we do so, as we approach our fellow Americans, "we must approach them with Christian love and true humility as we try to heal our divisions" (p. viii). ...more |
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Aug 30, 2019
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Sep 06, 2019
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Sep 06, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 0190885203
| 9780190885205
| 0190885203
| 3.91
| 877
| Mar 01, 2019
| Mar 01, 2019
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really liked it
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I have been fascinated with the Mormonism from an early age. My family visited Salt Lake when I was a child. I remember visiting Temple Square. There
I have been fascinated with the Mormonism from an early age. My family visited Salt Lake when I was a child. I remember visiting Temple Square. There was a museum that told the story of the Mormon trek across the country to Utah. There was the Tabernacle with its famed organ, which we heard played. Then the Temple itself stands out, especially to a child of about eight. We were good Episcopalians, so we had no interest in joining, but the story was intriguing. Over time a number of friends were Mormons. They were good people. They were loyal friends. Later on, as I entered my teenage years, my interest in history led to my reading of Fawn Brodie's biography of Joseph Smith - No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith. After I became active in Pentecostal churches I began to look deeper into the theology, and the evangelical critiques. I would even debate the missionaries who knocked on our door. I offer this up as a foundation for my decision to ask for a review copy of Jana Riess' "The Next Mormons." The subtitle is enlightening and a bit misleading. It is a book about how Millennials are changing the LDS church, but it is more than that. Riess holds a Ph.D. in American Religious History, though she has devoted her attention to journalism rather than the academy, invites us to take a deep dive into the current state of the LDS church. Standing at the base of the book is a sociological survey she conducted, with help, which is titled "The Next Mormons Survey. Riess and political Scientist Benjamin Knoll created the survey, which focused on 1,156 Mormons and 540 former Mormons of all ages. Thus, this is a comparative study. Riess writes that "We wanted to understand who Mormons are, what they believe, and what generational differences may pertain among them. One thing stated up front is that the LDS church, while still growing, has slowed down Whereas it was growing at about a 5-6% clip per year in the 1970s to 1990s, more recently it is growing at about .05 percent. Growth yes, but barely. In other words, the same challenges affecting other traditions are starting to hit it as well. Part of the change is to be found among millennials. The book is divided into three parts. Part One focuses on foundations. In three chapters, Riess notes the continuity of religious belief, but even here there is change. What is continuous across generations is that they believe Mormonism gives them peace, they affirm the idea of eternal families (a strong element within its attractiveness) and the emphasis on Christ as savior. When it comes to believing in God, there is a strong affirmation, but older generations are more certain than younger ones. Having laid out the basic religious/theological affirmations, Riess moves to the Missionary experience and its implications for Mormon life. It is interesting that Millenials are much more likely to have gone on missions than earlier generations. Finally, she takes us on a tour of the rites of passages, such as baptism, temple endowments, and ordinations, all of which occur within the Temples, and are open only to Mormons in good standing. I will note here that Riess shows tremendous respect. While she is a convert to Mormonism, she shows not only respect but objectivity. I should note that n the book she doesn't identify herself as a Mormon, and her references to Temple activities are based not on personal experience but the stories told by others. Part Two focuses on "Changing Definitions of Family and Culture. As anyone who knows something of Mormonism, this is a culturally conservative religious community. It values family above all things. But there are some cracks showing, even if Mormon Millennials are becoming more liberal than their parents, they still are generally more conservative than their peers. The four chapters in this section focus on single Mormons, who are trying to make their way in a faith community that emphasizes marriage and child-bearing. There is a chapter on Millennial women and the way they are navigating shifting gender expectations. Again, they are more conservative, generally, than their peers, but cracks are showing. Women are still excluded from leadership, but there is some pushing going on. There is an important chapter on minorities and racial attitudes. This is quite illuminating. The LDS church is and has been largely white, and until 1978 excluded African American males from the priesthood and Blacks generally from the Temple rites. In other words, you could attend "sacrament meetings" but not truly become a Mormon. Riess goes into the various defenses of this policy, shares stories of the challenges facing minorities, to this day, and the demographic numbers that reveal the challenges. Then, there is the role of LGBT folks within the church. Since the LDS churches were strong backers of Prop 8 in California that was designed to prevent marriage equality, and until just recently (since the book was published) overturned a ruling from 2015 that forbade the baptism of children of gay and lesbian parents. Things are still difficult, but there are changing attitudes, especially among Millennials. Finally, in Part Three, Riess focuses on Passages of faith and doubt. Here she focuses on religious practices among the upcoming generation. What do they find important and valuable? Interestingly, on some issues, they are more traditional than earlier generations. At the same time, they are more likely to show doubt. There is a chapter on social and political views, comparing current and former Mormons. The chapter on attitudes toward Religious Authority is quite revealing. Millennials are less likely than older generations to trust their own spiritual feelings but are more likely to trust local leaders over general authorities. In fact, there is a lot of distrust of these general authorities. The final chapter n this section speaks to the perspectives of Millennial former Mormons. Why did they leave? Where do they go from there? Interestingly men are more likely than women to seek a different religious home. Both in general, most former Mormons don't look to join other religious communities. They may even continue attending sacrament meetings, but stop going to the Temple and wearing the special Temple garments (Riess discusses these garments, but not in any detail). It is attitudes toward them that she is interested in, not telling us much about them. As she concludes the book she raises the question. To what degree will the LDS church adapt and accommodate to changing mores and views. Because they value continuing revelation, they have been able to adapt over time. There is both an other-worldly dimension to Mormonism, and a pragmatic side. The church has sought to keep these in balance. The question is, where will this lead them. The question of LGBT inclusion is an important test case. She notes that what until recently was seen as an asset -- the focus on the traditional family -- is now coming into question. How will they navigate this going forward? This is how Riess closes: "The LDS Church has accommodated change before, and it can do so again. The issue is whether it will choose to." (p. 235). As I noted at the beginning. I have long been fascinated by the Mormon church and its story. Personally, I find many of its beliefs and practices odd and counter to everything we know about history and science. What is interesting is that Mormons are generally well-educated and that the more educated they are, the more devout. So, while I may not understand how one embraces doctrines I find odd, I know that the same is said of some of the positions I take. So, why read this? My reason would be, it will help you understand your neighbor. You might not agree, but it will help you understand. This is an academic study, with a lot of numbers and charts and graphs. However, Riess is both a good scholar and a good storyteller (see her memoir Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor). Thus, it is accessible scholarship. ...more |
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Apr 19, 2019
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Apr 30, 2019
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Apr 19, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 039958983X
| B079KV32KF
| 4.26
| 15,030
| May 08, 2018
| May 08, 2018
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really liked it
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1
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Dec 26, 2018
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Jan 11, 2019
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Dec 26, 2018
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Kindle Edition
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| 019502494X
| 9780195024944
| 019502494X
| 3.54
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| Jan 01, 1979
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really liked it
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1
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not set
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Jan 1982
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Sep 04, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1944394281
| 9781944394288
| 1944394281
| 4.11
| 9
| unknown
| Oct 31, 2017
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really liked it
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The first half of the 19th century was a period of religious and cultural ferment as the American nation pushed west into new territory. It was a peri
The first half of the 19th century was a period of religious and cultural ferment as the American nation pushed west into new territory. It was a period of religious experimentation and expansion, with new and often heterodox movements emerging. Many of these movements claimed to be restoring an earlier pure form of religion on the frontier. Among those restorationist traditions, two were led by Joseph Smith and Alexander Campbell. Both spoke of restoring the ancient order of things, but their visions of restoration were quite different. Several attempts have been made to compare and contrast the visions of the two men, the latest being that of RoseAnn Benson, a historian affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and jointly published by BYU Press and Abilene Christian University Press. The book features forewords by Church of Christ scholar Thomas Olbricht and LDS scholar Robert Millet. This is an intriguing book, that gives insight into both movements, which were emerging at the same time in the same regions of the country. Whereas Campbell pursued a rather narrow rationalist vision of restoration, which sought to stick close to the New Testament, Smith offered a vision that was expansive, going far beyond the New Testament in what I believe are imaginative ways. Campbell is fairly easy to examine as his vision was fairly consistent and rationalist. He was a cessationist, believing that the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament were for a particular time and place, and not available to the contemporary Christian. All the revelation one needed was to be found in the New Testament, which superseded the Old Testament. Smith, on the other hand, embraced the ongoing presence of the gifts mentioned in Scripture. He believed especially in the ongoing role of prophetic utterance, proclaiming himself a prophet through whom God was revealing new words from God, addressing contemporary issues and concerns, from the mundane to the important. Of course, he introduced new forms of scripture, with the Book of Mormon being of first importance. For Disciples reading this book, and I think it is worth reading, one will especially find interesting the sections of the book dealing with Sidney Rigdon, one of the leading evangelists among the Disciples in Ohio, and second in effectiveness only to Walter Scott. Rigdon wasn't the first Disciple to convert to Mormonism, but his conversion led a large number of his own converts into Smith's fold. What is key here is that Rigdon found Campbell's vision of restoration too narrow. He wanted to pursue such things as living in community, which Campbell rejected. That left him open to Smith's more communal views, and also laid him open to Smith's embrace of an expansive understanding of spiritual gifts. Benson has done a nice job of laying out the two visions of restoration, though she seems to be beholden to older historical sources in several cases. She misidentifies a Church of Christ writer for a Disciple. But these are minor. For the most part, I think she gets our side of the story correct. We even learn a bit about Campbell that only an outsider can see. Concerning Smith, Benson is a devout Mormon, who gives credence to visions that an outsider like me might find incredible. I don't know where Smith got his Book of Mormon, but I don't think it was from a collection of gold plates hidden in a hill in New York state. As to whether he borrowed from Solomon Spaulding or not, no one knows for sure. What we know is that Smith drew to himself a large number of folks on the frontier, not as many as Campbell, but still a large number, which gave birth to one of the fastest-growing and influential religious traditions in the United States and beyond. Even if you're not part of either of these two religious communities, you will find this intriguing if you're interested in 19th century American religious and cultural life. Thus, I recommend. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jul 14, 2018
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Aug 03, 2018
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Jul 14, 2018
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Paperback
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| 0830845283
| 9780830845286
| 0830845283
| 3.84
| 32
| unknown
| Apr 24, 2018
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really liked it
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As what became the United States transitioned from being a collection of British colonies to an independent nation, the founders wrestled with the rel
As what became the United States transitioned from being a collection of British colonies to an independent nation, the founders wrestled with the relationship of church and state. During the colonial period, each colony had its own rules. In much of New England, congregationalists received state support. In the middle colonies and much of the south it was the Church of England. In a few places, including Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, there was a degree of religious liberty. Throughout the colonies Baptists faced government restrictions and paying taxes to support religious establishments other than their own. Thus, Baptists were at the forefront of the push for true religious liberty. The question of the nature of religious liberty is once again up for debate. Interestingly, today many Baptists stand on the forefront of efforts to garner state support for particular religious institutions and positions. So, maybe it would be wise to revisit earlier debates as to the value of establishment. Standing at the forefront of the effort to gain religious liberty for dissenting religious groups was Isaac Backus. Backus was a Baptist minister serving a congregation in the colony and then state of Massachussets, which did not end religious establishment (state support for the Congregationalists) until 1833. Bachkus did not start out as a Baptists, but he was from the beginning a separatist. He was from birth part of a religious community that rejected the Halfway Covenant that granted membership to persons who lacked a religious conversion experience (and thus allowing their children to be baptized). Only later in life did Backus become a Baptist. The story of Isaac Backus and his fight for religious liberty is taken up by Brandon O'Brien, who is director of content and distribution for Redeemer City to City in Manhattan, and holds a PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. O'Brien believes that Backus is an important American hero, whose story is largely unknown, and who offers contemporary Evangelicals (many of whom have sought to gain political influence so as to protect their own cultural positions) a word of warning to those pursue "religious liberty" for themselves at the expense of others. I will confess that when I started reading the book, I expected O'Brien to give more attention to contemporary questions than he does. He starts out contrasting dueling visions of church-state relationships, pitting Jefferson and New England Congregationalists. On one hand, Jefferson believed that religion should receive no external support, while in New England Congregationalists that the nation required divine supervision. O'Brien writes that "New England Congregationalists wanted the freedom to believe and worship like Congregationalists. Everyone else---Baptists and Methodists and Quakers and Catholics --- were expected to conform." Not only that, but these Congregationalists wanted all Americans to "be required by law to attend (authorized church services regularly, refrain from work on Sunday, and pay special taxes to fund the local Congregational minister, whether you attended his church or not" (pp. 2-3). What emerged was something that lay between these two extremes, a system that continues to this day (thus churches do not pay taxes). Since the book began here, I thought it might dive deeper into how this somewhat hybrid system emerged, and where it stands today. O'Brien does address this question, but less directly than I expected. Instead of addressing this question head on, he invites us to enter into the story of Isaac Backus, whose story had "radically altered [his] perception of this part of American history" (p. 3). Thus, he seeks to make the case for Backus being a defender of "every citizen's right to exercise their religion according to their conscience" (p. 5). Among the central issues that emerges in this story is taxation, more specifically the attempt to tax dissenters to pay the salaries of clergy for the established churches. Backus spent much of his life defending the rights of dissenters to be free of state coercion. O'Brien admits that the story and its implications are complex and cannot be fully developed in a study of this nature. He also notes that the story became personal. He wants the reader to see Backus and his cause in the same way he does. While this is not a biography of Backus, it takes on a strong biographical tone. What makes it different from a typical biography is the intent of the author. He wants us to learn about Backus, but he wants us to do so not only because Backus is an interesting subject. Instead, he has written this book for people who care about religious liberty and believe that history can be of help in understanding the issue. While the author says that the book is as much about today as the age of Backus, O'Brien (in my reading of the book) focuses on Backus' life and work, and leaves the application to the reader. In other words, this requires an inductive mindset. O'Brien begins the book with the context out of which Backus emerged, that is the years just prior to the First Great Awakening, when the colonies were less than religious, and needing revival. With that in mind the author calls to mind persons such as Whitefield and Edwards, setting the stage for what is to come. From there we move to Backus and his call to ministry. Like many Baptists he lacked the education that was expected of a Congregationalist pastor. Nonetheless his gifts were recognized and he began his ministry several decades before the Revolution. He started out as a Separatist, who rejected the Half-Way Covenant but affirmed infant baptism. Only much later did he reluctantly adopt believer baptism. Even before this he had been pushing back against religious taxes, but this became more pronounced after his conversion to the Baptist position. That is, he began to see a connection between baptismal practice and the church-state relationship. During the colonial period religious taxation and state establishment was defended on the basis that religion required a "nursing father," that is state protection, so that the church could be the moral foundation of the community. In other words, it was for the benefit of the government to support religion through taxation. It was necessary for Backus to offer an alternative view of society, one that suggested that faith cannot be coerced. Believing there was discontinuity between Old and New Testament, he could point to the lack of state support in the New Testament. With this as background, O'Brien points us to the present, where many evangelicals are bemoaning what they consider persecution, but which is largely a waning of influence. Looking to Backus, evangelicals might find a voice calling for sacrifice of influence, and standing with the marginalized rather than the powerful. That is, "loss of privilege, however, may be unavoidable. It might even be good for us" (p. 90). This might make O'Brien a lonely voice among white evangelicals, but it is an important point. As the story goes on Backus becomes an important advocate for religiouis liberty during the war, which he supported, and during the process of developing the Constitution. He was a strong advocate for a Bill of Rights --- writing his own version. His were rejected in Massachussets, but something akin to what he advocated for came to fruition -- in Virginia. The story is an important one. It is a good reminder of the long and complicated fight to garner religious liberty. It wasn't a freedom from religion, but freedom to practice the faith of one's choice without government interference. While I would have enjoyed seeing him develop more fully what he would envision for today, I do agree that Backus' witness is one that needs to be heard right about now. ...more |
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Apr 22, 2018
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Oct 19, 2023
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Sep 07, 2023
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Aug 22, 2023
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it was amazing
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Jan 20, 2023
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Dec 25, 2022
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Jul 20, 2022
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Jul 04, 2022
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Jun 06, 2021
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May 25, 2021
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Jan 1986
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May 10, 2021
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Jan 1986
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May 10, 2021
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Jan 1986
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May 10, 2021
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really liked it
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Mar 22, 2021
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Mar 12, 2021
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it was amazing
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Dec 10, 2020
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Nov 27, 2020
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Sep 2020
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Aug 23, 2020
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Sep 30, 2020
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Jul 06, 2020
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it was amazing
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Jan 23, 2020
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Jan 10, 2020
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really liked it
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Apr 08, 2020
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Dec 10, 2019
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it was amazing
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Sep 06, 2019
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Sep 06, 2019
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really liked it
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Apr 30, 2019
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Apr 19, 2019
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really liked it
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Jan 11, 2019
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Dec 26, 2018
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| 3.54
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really liked it
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Jan 1982
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Sep 04, 2018
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really liked it
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Aug 03, 2018
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Jul 14, 2018
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| 3.84
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really liked it
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May 04, 2018
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Apr 22, 2018
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