Americans love to eat. They are also deeply religious. So it’s no surprise that food has an important place in the religious lives of Americans.. They eat in worship services. They drink coffeein church basements. They feed neighbors and strangers in the name of their god. For countless American Protestants, food and church are inseparable. From dry cookies and punch at coffee hour to potlucks and spaghetti dinners, Whitebread Protestants looks at the role food plays in the daily life of white mainline Protestant congregations.

John Jea (b. 1773) and George White (b. 1764-c.1830) were two of the earliest African American autobiographers, each writing nearly a half-century before Frederick Douglass. Jea and White represent an earlier generation of African Americans who were born into slavery but granted their freedom shortly after American independence. Both chose to fight against slavery from the pulpit, as itinerant Methodist ministers in the North; Methodism’s staunch anti-slavery stance, acceptance of African American congregants, and use of itinerant preachers enhanced black religious practices and services in the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century. Graham Hodges’ substantial introduction to the book places these two narratives into historical context, and highlights several key themes, including slavery in the North, the struggle for black freedom after the Revolution, and the rise of African American Christianity.

John Knox's First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, one of the most notorious political tracts of the sixteenth century, has been more often referred to than read. Its true significance as one of a series of pamphlets which Knox wrote in 1558 on the theme of rebellion is therefore easily overlooked. This new edition of his writings includes not only The First Blast, but the three other tracts of 1558 -The Letter to the Regent of Scotland, The Appellation to the Scottish Nobility, and The Letter to the Commonalty of Scotland - in which Knox confronted the problem of resistance to tyranny. Related material, mostly drawn from Knox's own History of the Reformation in Scotland, illuminates the development of his views before 1558 and illustrates their application in the specific circumstances of the Scottish Reformation and the rule of Mary Queen of Scots. This edition thus brings together for the first time all of Knox's most important writings on rebellion.

John Knox's First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, one of the most notorious political tracts of the sixteenth century, has been more often referred to than read. Its true significance as one of a series of pamphlets which Knox wrote in 1558 on the theme of rebellion is therefore easily overlooked. This new edition of his writings includes not only The First Blast, but the three other tracts of 1558 -The Letter to the Regent of Scotland, The Appellation to the Scottish Nobility, and The Letter to the Commonalty of Scotland - in which Knox confronted the problem of resistance to tyranny. Related material, mostly drawn from Knox's own History of the Reformation in Scotland, illuminates the development of his views before 1558 and illustrates their application in the specific circumstances of the Scottish Reformation and the rule of Mary Queen of Scots. This edition thus brings together for the first time all of Knox's most important writings on rebellion.

Given the significance of spiritual direction in modern Christianity, surprisingly little attention has been given to the tradition upon which today's spiritual direction is built. A long and interesting history does exist, though, as shown by Patricia Ranft in A Woman's Way. Ranft's insights shed light on the understanding society had of women as spiritual beings and on the position of women in a Christian society. This book delineates the history of spiritual direction for women and by women within the larger context of the history of Christian spirituality and its understanding of human perfectibility. By examining the ways in which women practiced spiritual direction, this study reveals the degree to which women influenced society by using an avenue of influence previously overlooked by scholars.

After decades of neglect there has been a resurgence of interest in the history of the Church of England in 'the long eighteenth century'. This volume of essays brings together the fruits of some of this research. Most of the essays have been written, not by traditional ecclesiastical historians, but by political, social and cultural historians, a fact which reflects the diversity of approaches to the study of the Church of England in the eighteenth century. As a whole, the volume demonstrates that religion and the Church can no longer be regarded as a discrete subject in the history of eighteenth-century England, but are central to a full understanding of its life and thought.

So strongly associated is the Salvation Army with its modern mission of service that its colorful history as a religious movement is often overlooked. In telling the story of the organization in America, Lillian Taiz traces its evolution from a working-class, evangelical religion to a movement that emphasized service as the path to salvation.

When the Salvation Army crossed the Atlantic from Britain in 1879, it immediately began to adapt its religious culture to its new American setting. The group found its constituency among young, working-class men and women who were attracted to its intensely experiential religious culture, which combined a frontier-camp-meeting style with working-class forms of popular culture modeled on the saloon and theater. In the hands of these new recruits, the Salvation Army developed a remarkably democratic internal culture. By the turn of the century, though, as the Army increasingly attempted to attract souls by addressing the physical needs of the masses, the group began to turn away from boisterous religious expression toward a more "refined" religious culture and a more centrally controlled bureaucratic structure.

Placing her focus on the membership of the Salvation Army and its transformation as an organization within the broader context of literature on class, labor, and women's history, Taiz sheds new light on the character of American working-class culture and religion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This book studies the way the central act of Christian worship (variously known as the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, the Holy Communion, and the Mass) has been treated in the thought and practice of the Evangelical tradition in the Church of England. Evangelicals are not associated with an emphasis on the Eucharist, and Dr. Cocksworth's study is important and potentially very influential because it demonstrates that--at its times of strength--the Evangelical tradition has held the Eucharist in the highest regard.

The leading source of information on the Episcopal Church With origins dating back to 1830, The Episcopal Church Annual - aka "The Red Book" - is an indispensable reference tool, trusted year-after-year by churches, diocesan offices, libraries, and many others. You will find the following between the covers of the 2022 edition of "The Red Book", and more: * A comprehensive directory of provinces, dioceses, and churches, including contact information and listings of active clergy * The canonical structure and organization of the Episcopal Church, including complete directories for the Office of The General Convention, The House of Bishops, The House of Deputies, standing committees and commissions, and more * Listings and contact information for seminaries; Episcopal schools; centers for camps, conferences, and retreats; Episcopal Church Women; and more * Up-to-date church-wide statistical data and chronological tables * A classified buyer's guide of vendors and organizations offering valued services to the church

William Temple (1881 1944) was the outstanding British religious leader of the twentieth century. He believed that the 'modern state' was incomplete without a modern Christian church, which should set the moral and political tone of the community. His political and religious best seller, Christianity and Social Order, which was published as a Penguin Special in 1942, was one of the sources of the wide support for the British welfare state of the 1950s. Temple was the most successful and controversial of British 'priests in politics' because as an Archbishop he combined the idea of national unity rooted in a common set of religious/moral values with a constant demand for political change in the direction of greater social equality. He thus combined conservative and radical impulses to a remarkable degree. This is a study of Temple's public life and policy in Britain, and of his part in the movement to unite the world's Protestant churches.

This study examines the significance of the influential High Church 'Hackney Phalanx' at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and opens up a little-explored area of Anglican history. Drawing extensively upon original correspondence, Elizabeth Varley reconstructs the work of the Hackney Phalanx and their defence of traditional Anglican ascendancy against the forces of political and religious reform during the final crisis of the English confessional state. The study focuses upon William Van Mildert, Bishop of Durham from 1826-36, and shows that, while Van Mildert's influence as 'Prince Bishop' bore little resemblance to his medieval forebears, he made effective use of it to cause considerable irritation to the Whig establishment of the day, local and national. Varley brings skilfully to life many of the tensions of that time - political and ecclesiastical - which culminated in the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 and the passing of the Parliamentary Reform Bill in 1832.

This book studies the early history of the Protestant revival movements of the eighteenth century from a European as well as Anglo-American perspective. Professor Ward examines the crisis in the Protestant world beyond that established and protected by the Westphalia treaties, and its impact upon the morale of Protestant communities which enjoyed diplomatic guarantees or other forms of public protection. He traces the widespread outbreak of forms of revival to the emergence of a common Protestant mind, shaped by the appreciation of common problems. The religious effects of widespread emigration produced by persecution, war and distress are traced, and the chronology of the familiar revivals of the West is related to the crises of Eastern revival. The Protestant Evangelical Awakening is based on archival and published resources extending from Eastern Europe to the American colonies, and marks a major contribution to our understanding of the religious history of both continents.

More than a thousand Quaker female ministers were active in the Anglo-American world before the Revolutionary War, when the Society of Friends constituted the colonies' third-largest religious group. Some of these women circulated throughout British North America; others crossed the Atlantic to deliver in courthouses, meeting houses, and private homes, to audiences of men and women, to Quakers and to those of other faiths, to Native Americans, and to slaves. Utilizing the Quakers' rich archival sources, as well as colonial newspapers and diaries, Rebecca Larson reconstructs the activities of these women. She examines the ways their public, authoritative role affected the formation of their identities, their families and their society.

In this collection of new and revised essays Owen Chadwick, perhaps the most distinguished living historian of religion, writes on various aspects of the Oxford Movement and the English Church in the Victorian era. Along with studies of Newman, Liddon, Edward King and Henri Bremond are included more general essays surveying the reaction of the Established Church and on the nature of Catholicism. In particular, the revision of the long-unobtainable introductory essay, The Mind of the Oxford Movement, illustrates once again the profound contribution Owen Chadwick has made to our understanding of religion in Britain in the nineteenth century.

This book is unique in recording the history of all the Protestant churches in Ireland in the twentieth century, though with particular focus on the two largest - the Presbyterian and the Church of Ireland. It examines the changes and chances in those churches during a turbulent period in Irish history, relating their development to the wider social and political context. Their structures and beliefs are examined, and their influence both in Ireland and overseas is assessed.

Does God stare down at us in unyielding disapproval? No, says author Robert Henderson. God's gaze toward us is one of kindness and love. 'Understanding his heart and expression,' he adds, 'changes everything.' God is ready to pour out his unmerited favor on his children. It is up to us to receive it. Always keying in on Scripture, global apostolic leader Robert Henderson shows how accessible the grace of God really is. He identifies the benefits of grace and how it will help you

- overcome hardship
- increase in fruitfulness
- live in strength
- walk under the control of the Holy Spirit and be free
- and more God's grace is abundantly available.

Discover how you can receive it in the midst of life's hardships. You need dwell no longer in weakness, but in goodness and holiness.

"New York Times" eBook bestseller One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2 AM, left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed all of his earthly belongings into in a little black duffel bag, and walked away from his home in the Amish settlement of Bloomfield, Iowa. Now, in this heartwarming memoir, Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish life--from his childhood days on the family farm, his Rumspringa rite of passage at age 16, to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish Church for good at age 26. "Growing Up Amish" is the true story of one man's quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired by this charming yet poignant coming of age story set amidst the backdrop of one of the most enigmatic cultures in America today--the Old Order Amish.

The religious revolution known as the 'Reformation' must rank among the most crucial and transforming events in English history. Yet its original reception by the English people remains largely obscure. Did they welcome the innovations - or did they resist? By what internal motivations were their responses determined? And by what external influences were their attitudes shaped? These are the key issues explored by Robert Whiting in this major investigation, based primarily on original research in the south-west. Dr Whiting's controversial conclusion is that for most of the population the Reformation was less a conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism than a transition from religious commitment to religious passivity or even indifference.

In this book, twelve historians examine the nature of the American Protestant establishment and its response to the growing pluralism of this century. The authors conclude that the period surveyed forms a distinct epoch in the evolution of American Protestantism. The days when Protestant cultural authority could be taken for granted were over, but a new era in which religious pluralism would be widely accepted had not yet arrived.

With its exalted emotionality, Pentecostalism is a widespread religious movement in Latin America and Africa. It is a blend of Methodism and African religious culture which arouses the passions of the poorest Brazilian masses. Pentecostal conversion is experienced as a sudden break which radically transforms the life of these sectors of the population. Pentecostalism is an Utopia of equality, love, and emotion, which is staged during the worship service. However, it is also characterized by authoritarian features. This book explores Pentecostalism and how it is slowly eroding the foundation of Western political categories.

Do you sometimes feel you have to check your intellect at the church door, leaving reason behind to embrace the Christian faith? Do you hunger for a full gospel that includes the mind as well as heart and Spirit? Full Gospel, Fractured Minds? challenges charismatic and Pentecostal believers to discover the power of a well-maintained mind---a mind on fire---to match a heart on fire and to create a life that operates within the full counsel of God . Nanez shows how human reason helps us understand and interpret God s Word as well as defend the gospel. He shows what the Bible teaches about the mind, and explores the backgrounds of nineteenth-century and modern culture, anti-intellectualism, Pentecostal history and beliefs, and popular misconceptions about human intellect in relation to the Christian faith. Full Gospel, Fractured Minds? helps men and women practice a Christian faith that reflects the whole person and the full gospel. Rick Nanez calls Pentecostals and charismatics to seek a balance between mind and Spirit. This book will stir you to seek all that God has for you. ---From the Foreword by Stanley M. Horton, PhD"

An examination of the role played by civil society in the legitimization of South Africa's apartheid regime and its racial policy. This book focuses on the interaction of dominant groups within the Dutch Reformed Church and the South African state over the development of race policy within the broader context of state civil society relations. This allows a theoretical examination and typology of the variety of state civil society relations. Additionally, the particular case study demonstrates that civil society's existence in and authoritarian situations can deter the establishment of democracy when components of civil society identify themselves with exclusive, ethnic interests.