A Contoversial Spirit offers a new perspective on the origins and nature of southern evangelicalism. Most recent historians have focused on the differences between evangelicals and non-evangelicals, leading to the perception that during the "Era of Awakenings" American evangelicals constituted a united front. Philip N. Mulder dispels this illusion by examining the internal dynamics of evangelicalism. Although the denominations shared the goal of saving souls, he finds they disagreed over the correct definition of true religion and conversion. Examining conversion narratives, worship, polity and rituals, as well as more formal doctrinal statements in creeds and sermons, Mulder is able to provide a far more nuanced portrait of southern evangelicals than previously available, revealing the deep differences between denominations that the homogenization of religious history has until now obscured.

A new and wide-ranging study of Christianity in Scotland, from the eighteenth century to the present.The contributors include D. W. D. Shaw, Ian Campbell, Kenneth Fielding, William Ferguson, Barbara MacHaffie, Peter Matheson, John McCaffrey, Owen Chadwick, David Thompson, Keith Robbins, Andrew Ross, Stewart J. Brown and George Newlands.Topics encompass varieties of unbelief, challenges to the Westminster confession, John Baillie, Queen Victoria and the Church of Scotland, the Scottish ecumenical movement, the disestablishment movement, and Presbyterian-Catholic relations.

Religious conciliators have always faced resistance and critique as they mediate between groups devoted to ideological agendas that leave little room for maneuver and negotiation. From the conciliar to the confessional age the normal challenges that peacemakers perennially faced were magnified. The church was divided, and there did not appear to be any obvious solution to the crisis that began in the late fourteenth century with the Great Western Schism (1378-1415). This volume investigates the activities of those who worked for the restoration of ecclesial unity, first in the conciliar era, then in the early years of the Protestant reformations, and finally during the "confessional age" when theological and cultural distinctives of competing religious groups began to emerge more clearly. Throughout, special attention is paid to the religiously diverse communities of central and eastern Europe, an area that has often been overlooked by scholars who have focused more exclusively on Protestant/Catholic relations in the western half of the continent.Contributors to this volume argue that the significance of conciliation efforts has been neglected by scholars, in part because it has been absorbed into discussions of toleration, and in part because of the tendency to project contemporary confessional perspectives on the past. More moderate voices of those working to bridge confessional divides were frequently drowned out by the strident cries of their orthodox critics. Confessional accommodation, widely viewed as a mere pragmatic solution to religious conflict, was often a conscious intellectual commitment to theological rapprochement.The essays in this collection examine conciliarists during the early years of the Great Schism, reunion efforts during the critical years of the Reformation, irenic activities in Bohemia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Hungary in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This book brings new insights to the religious history of late medieval and early modern Europe.

Law and Gospel in the Theology of Andrew Fuller traces the history of the modern free offer / duty faith debate to Baptist Andrew Fuller's speculative theology. George Ella provides an indepth analysis of Fuller's theology and its shortcomings as well as bringing the issues raised right up to date by reference to current Fullerite teachers and publishing. An excellent introduction to this important topic within modern evangelicalism.

In early Victorian England there was intense interest in understanding the early Church as an inspiration for contemporary sanctity. This was manifested in a surge in archaeological inquiry and also in the construction of new churches using medieval models. Some Anglicans began to use a much more complicated form of ritual involving vestments, candles, and incense. This "Anglo-Catholic" movement was vehemently opposed by evangelicals and dissenters, who saw this as the vanguard of full-blown "popery." The disputed buildings, objects, and art works were regarded by one side as idolatrous and by the other as sacred and beautiful expressions of devotion. Dominic Janes seeks to understand the fierce passions that were unleashed by the contended practices and artifacts - passions that found expression in litigation, in rowdy demonstrations, and even in physical violence. During this period, Janes observes, the wider culture was preoccupied with the idea of pollution caused by improper sexuality. The Anglo-Catholics had formulated a spiritual ethic that linked goodness and beauty. Their opponents saw this visual worship as dangerously sensual. In effect, this sacred material culture was seen as a sexual fetish. The origins of this understanding, Janes shows, lay in radical circles, often in the context of the production of anti-Catholic pornography which titillated with the contemplation of images of licentious priests, nuns, and monks.

Strategic to the study of popular evangelical movements, this volume provides a thorough description of the holdings of one of the major evangelical resource centers in the United States. The Billy Graham Center, with its focus on efforts by Evangelicals around the world to spread the Christian Gospel, with a special emphasis on North America, has developed a superb array of sources to document this vigorous yet largely uncharted aspect of modern Christianity. The special strengths of the Graham Center's Library, Museum, and Archives are documented here. Books, magazines, photographs, paintings, artifacts, diaries, letters, and files of Christian organizations are among the types of sources described. Two appendices, comprising 20 percent of this volume, give detailed summaries of holdings in 161 other archives and libraries throughout the United States. Also included are 61 photographs of artifacts and documents from the Graham Center. This guide includes three main chapters on the Library, Museum, and Archives of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. Chapters on the collections of the Library and Museum discuss their thematic strengths, featured holdings, and services. A lengthy chapter on the Archives provides an overview, an annotated catalog of its more than 525 collections, and a list of subjects treated in each collection. Two appendices provide extensive descriptions of other archival and library collections around the country. A comprehensive index of subjects and names quickly helps researchers determine what the Graham Center and other North American research centers offer. The user can enjoy a general overview or receive direct information on a specific topic. This volume is designed for the varied interests of pastor, missionary, scholar, journalist, or interested layperson.

John Wesley is one of the most enigmatic religious figures in the eighteenth century, this "Guide for the Perplexed" will identify some of the key factors contributing to this perplexity and aid students in their understanding.Arguably the most significant religious figure in eighteenth century England, John Wesley presents a variety of challenges for students. As anyone familiar with both the stereotypes and the scholarship related to Wesley knows, tricky interpretive questions abound. Was Wesley a conservative, high church Tory or a revolutionary proto-democrat or even proto-Marxist politically? Was Wesley a modern rationalist obsessed with the epistemology of religious belief or a late medieval style thinker who believed in demonic possession and supernatural healing? Was Wesley primarily a pragmatic evangelist or a serious theologian committed to the long-haul work of catechesis, initiation, and formation? Was Wesley most deeply formed by Eastern Orthodoxy, German Pietism, or his own native Anglicanism? Finally, was a particular conception of the relationship between faith and works or a robust Trinitarian view of the Christian life the orienting concern of Wesley's theological vision?Despite more than two centuries of scholarly reflection on Wesley's life and work, leading historians still agree on one thing: John Wesley is an elusive, enigmatic figure. Fortunately, recent developments in the study of the long eighteenth century have shed new light on many aspects of Wesley's life and work.

This volume deals with the intellectual Huguenot Refuge (ca 1680-1780), discussing its philosophical, theological, historical, and literary aspects in European context. It uses Berlin as its regional point of departure: In the French-Protestant community of Berlin, the erudites rapidly established networks which pursued a very wide range of interest, communicating with every Protestant scholar who might contribute to the dissemination of Enlightened thought. The first part of the book, therefore, introduces the biggest and most complex centre of the "Refuge" in Germany. Whereas the second and third part examine different fields of knowledge, the fourth focusses on the topic of dissemination. All contributions present new material-be it on 'Huguenot' hermeneutics, journalism, history, or on the relationship between Berlin and the United Provinces. Contributors include: Lutz Danneberg, Joris van Eijnatten, Herbert Jaumann, John Christian Laursen, Fabrizio Lomonaco, Martin Mulsow, Fiammetta Palladini, Sandra Pott, and Annett Volmer.

"The Crisis of Causality" deals with the reaction of the Dutch Calvinist theologian Gisbertus Voetius (1589-1676) to the "New Philosophy" of Rene Descartes (1596-1650). Voetius not only criticised the Cartesian idea of a mechanical Universe; he also foresaw that shifting conceptions of natural causality would make it impossible for theologians to explain the relationship between God and Creation in philosophical terms. This threatened the status of theology as a scientific discipline. Apart from a detailed analysis of the Scholastic and Cartesian notions of causality, the book offers new perspectives on related subjects, such as seventeenth-century university training and the Cartesian method of science. It will be of great importance to any student of seventeenth-century intellectual history, philosophy, theology and history of science.

Primarily written for Latter-day Saints, "An Esoteric Approach to Mormonism" is not simply a logistical essay on Mormon doctrine. It is an investigation into the miraculous Atonement and its infinite possibilities. It is a penetrating exploration into holiness and what that actually means. "An Esoteric Approach to Mormonism" explains the very essence of exaltation, delivering in variegated brush strokes a majestic portrait of God, His mercy, and the ineffable stability of justice. The intention of the book is to unfold the realities of salvation through the Atonement of Jesus the Christ by elaborately defining, and in some instances, redefining the doctrines which surround the New and Everlasting Covenant. "An Esoteric Approach to Mormonism" is a sincere effort designed to assist the reader in recognizing the practical as much as the ethereal in the restored gospel. It is a step by step walk through the ordinances describing their purpose, and their effects, while demonstrating their legitimacy and divine origins. -Martin Shaw

'To endure the hardships of the frontier took more than a determined pioneer spirit. It required a faith that everything would work out for the best-that something more was to come other than the meager crops they scratched out of the earth."-from "The Minutes of Salem Baptist Church"Salem Baptist Church was one of the small pioneer churches that nurtured that faith. Located near Birchwood, Tennessee, Salem Baptist Church led the community in the midst of its physical hardships from 1835 to 1941. Through the Civil War, Reconstruction, the migration of its members to Texas for cheap land, the turn of the century, and later, the depression, the small church led its community in faith.The minutes and supporting research provide not only a unique history of the families in the community, but also a unique genealogical record of over 175 families told through church action and membership records. Join Daniel Lee Roark on his journey through the history of this small pioneer church in East Tennessee. Experience the coming together of these families, turning to the Lord in difficult circumstances.

Faith, Reason, and Revelation in the Thought of Theodore Beza investigates the direction of religious epistemology under a chief architect of the Calvinistic tradition (1519-1605). Mallinson contends that Beza defended and consolidated his tradition by balancing the subjective and objective aspects of faith and knowledge. He makes use of newly published primary sources and long-neglected biblical annotations in order to clarify the thought of an often misunderstood individual from intellectual history.