Denominations in America – serie

This volume tells the story of the Churches of Christ, one of three major denominations that emerged in the United States from a religious movement led by Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone in the early 19th century. Beginning as an effort to provide a basis on which all Christians in America could unite, the leaders of the movement relied on the faith and practice of the primitive church. Ironically, this unity movement eventually divided precisely along the lines of its original agenda, as the Churches of Christ rallied around the restorationist banner while the Disciples of Christ gathered around the ecumenical cause. Yet, having begun as a countercultural sect, the Churches of Christ emerged in the 20th century as a culture-affirming denomination. This brief history, together with biographical sketches of major leaders, provides a complete overview of the denomination in America.The book begins with a concise yet detailed history of the denomination's beginnings in the early 19th century. Tracing the influence of such leaders as Stone and Campbell, the authors chronicle the triumphs and conflicts of the denomination through the 19th century and its reemergence and renewal in the 20th century. The biographical dictionary of leaders in the Churches of Christ rounds out the second half of the book, and a chronology of important events in the history of the denomination offers a quick reference guide. A detailed bibliographic essay concludes the book and points readers to further readings about the Churches of Christ.

Although this work takes proper notice of its origins in John Wesley's 18th-century movement in England, it assumes that in America the people called Methodists developed in distinctive fashion. The volume examines this American version, its organization, leadership, and form of training and incorporating new members. The authors treat Methodism as defined by conferences bound together by a commitment to episcopal leadership and animated by various forms of lay piety. Offering a fresh perspective based on sound, modern scholarship, this study will be of interest to scholars, students, and anyone interested in church history.American Methodists early organized into conferences that defined Methodist space and time and served as the locus of power. At the same time, they created a strong episcopal form of church government, subject to the body of preachers in conference, but free to lead and direct the organization as a whole. This mission was clear, well understood, and suited to the ethos of a growing America—to spread scriptural holiness in the land and to create a desire to flee from the wrath to come. By the middle of the 19th century, Methodists in America had grown from an insignificant sect to America's largest Protestant group. Essential to that growth were structures and processes of lay involvement, particularly class meetings and Sunday schools.

From two professors of religion, a comprehensive history of the Society of Friends in the U.S. . . . The authors are careful to explain what Quakers believed at every stage of their development and how they organized their lives around the religious and social movements they fostered or fought against. The second part of this engaging book is a biographical dictionary of Quaker leaders. Reference Books BulletinThis volume interweaves theology, social history, and biography in the first comprehensive history of Quakers in America to be published in more than forty years. Barbour and Frost treat all branches of American Quakers, tracing the history of the denomination from 1650 to the present and demonstrating how changes in the movement can be related to the traditions of the Society of Friends and developments in the wider cultural context. The text presents the lives and ideas of prominent Quaker men and women: George Fox, William Penn, John Woolman, Elias Hicks, Joseph John Gurtney, Rufus Jones, Henry Cadbury, and many others. The authors show that today although a Quaker can be fundamentalist, an evangelical, a moderate, or a liberal, the twentieth century has been marked by attempts to reunify and affirm a common tradition among all branches of the denomination.After initial chapters dealing with the genesis of Quakerism under George Fox in Puritan England, the authors turn to an examination of the Society of Friends in colonial America. They reveal the Friends' creative response to persecution after 1660, the intellectual achievements of William Penn and Robert Barclay, and the creation of early colonies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Later chapters address the influence of Quaker pacifism and opposition to slavery, the establishment of Quaker communities in midwestern and western states, and the theological divisions within the Society of Friends that characterized the movement in the nineteenth century.

A comprehensive reference highly recommended for academic and large public libraries. Library Journal

This addition to the Denominations in America series surveys the history of the Presbyterian Church in the United States and includes a biographical dictionary of its principal figures. The work begins with a narrative survey of the history of the Presbyterian tradition from its roots in Europe to its manifestations in contemporary America. The biographical dictionary that follows contains alphabetically arranged profiles of traditional clergymen, along with sketches of leaders who were instrumental in shaping the American Presbyterian tradition. The reference concludes with a chronology and an insightful bibliographic essay.