The Democratization of American ChristianityA provocative reassessment of religion and culture in the early days of the American republic "The so-called Second Great Awakening was the shaping epoch of American Protestantism, and this book is the most important study of it ever published."—James Turner, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
Winner of the John Hope Franklin Publication Prize, the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic book prize, and the Albert C. Outler Prize In this provocative reassessment of religion and culture in the early days of the American republic, Nathan O. Hatch argues that during this period American Christianity was democratized and common people became powerful actors on the religious scene. Hatch examines five distinct traditions or mass movements that emerged early in the nineteenth century—the Christian movement, Methodism, the Baptist movement, the black churches, and the Mormons—showing how all offered compelling visions of individual potential and collective aspiration to the unschooled and unsophisticated. |
From inside the book
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... Campbell, founder of the Disciples of Christ, from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, July 14, 1883 (courtesy of the Billy Graham Center Museum) 7. Opening page of Elias Smith's Herald of Gospel Liberty (courtesy of the American ...
... Campbell , founder of the Disciples of Christ , from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper , July 14 , 1883 ( courtesy of the Billy Graham Center Museum ) 54 7. Opening page of Elias Smith's Herald of Gospel Liberty ( courtesy of the ...
... Campbell , who had little patience with dissent . As ecclesiastical struc- tures , these movements often turned out to be less democratic than the congregational structure of the New England Standing Order . The rise of popular ...
... Campbell . One could opt for traditional piety or join a perfectionist sect . Religious options in the early republic seemed unlimited : one could worship on Saturday , practice foot washing , ordain women , advocate pacifism , prohibit ...
... Campbell , for instance , favored democratic church government , while Francis Asbury and Joseph Smith insisted on direction from the top . Leland and Asbury threw themselves into the cause of enthusiastic revivalism . Campbell and ...
Contents
3 | |
17 | |
49 | |
67 | |
The Sovereign Audience | 125 |
The Right to Think for Oneself | 162 |
Upward Aspiration and Democratic Dissent | 193 |
The Recurring Populist | 210 |
A Sampling of Anticlerical | 227 |
Notes | 244 |
Index | 305 |
Other editions - View all
The Democratization of American Christianity Nathan O. Hatch,Professor Nathan O Hatch Limited preview - 1989 |