America's Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-first CenturyA classroom perennial and comprehensive guide, America's Religions lays out the background, beliefs, practices, and leaders of the nation's religious movements and denominations. The fourth edition, thoroughly revised and updated by Peter W. Williams, draws on the latest scholarship. In addition to reconsidering the history of America's mainline faiths, it delves into contemporary issues like religion's impact on politics and commerce; the increasingly high profile of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam; Mormonism's entry into the mainstream; and battles over gay marriage and ordination. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 85
Page 31
... Christianity began to lose ground to secularism, it became obligatory in public pronouncements to invoke the (somewhat nebulous) “Judeo-Christian tradition” as the groundwork of our society and culture. For all of these transformations ...
... Christianity began to lose ground to secularism, it became obligatory in public pronouncements to invoke the (somewhat nebulous) “Judeo-Christian tradition” as the groundwork of our society and culture. For all of these transformations ...
Page 45
... Christians, for their refusal to accept himself as the prophet of Allah, his successors tempered their positions. The end of Christian hegemony in Iberia at the hands of the Muslims in the eighth century ultimately proved beneficial to ...
... Christians, for their refusal to accept himself as the prophet of Allah, his successors tempered their positions. The end of Christian hegemony in Iberia at the hands of the Muslims in the eighth century ultimately proved beneficial to ...
Page 46
... Christians who deviated from the orthodoxy of the Roman church and who were therefore always outlawed—the Jews occupied an ambiguous position in medieval Christian thought. By law, they were barred from owning agricultural land and were ...
... Christians who deviated from the orthodoxy of the Roman church and who were therefore always outlawed—the Jews occupied an ambiguous position in medieval Christian thought. By law, they were barred from owning agricultural land and were ...
Page 48
... Christian lore, Nazism also repudiated Christianity as a “slave morality” unworthy of a master race. It appealed to a primordial, mythic Teutonic spirit that had been emasculated by the Christian exaltation of weakness, and set out to ...
... Christian lore, Nazism also repudiated Christianity as a “slave morality” unworthy of a master race. It appealed to a primordial, mythic Teutonic spirit that had been emasculated by the Christian exaltation of weakness, and set out to ...
Page 50
... Christianity was what has been called its “eschatological world picture.” Eschatology is the branch of theology that deals with the “last things”—in Christian tradition, death, judgment, heaven, and hell. For these earliest Christians ...
... Christianity was what has been called its “eschatological world picture.” Eschatology is the branch of theology that deals with the “last things”—in Christian tradition, death, judgment, heaven, and hell. For these earliest Christians ...
Contents
1 | |
13 | |
Early America Europeans Colonials and Traditional Peoples before the Revolution | 105 |
Houses of Worship From Old World to New | 165 |
Religious Community Formation in the New Republic | 177 |
The End of the Frontier and the Rise of the CIty | 243 |
American Judaism | 329 |
The Twentieth Century and Beyond Further Encounters with Modernity and Pluralism | 343 |
Culture Wars and Great Awakenings | 519 |
Further Reading | 539 |
Index | 551 |
Other editions - View all
America's Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-first Century Peter W. Williams Limited preview - 2002 |
America's Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-first Century Peter W. Williams Limited preview - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
active African American American Jews American religious Anglican Baptist became began belief bishop broader Buddhism Catholic Church Catholicism Christian Civil clergy colonial Congregationalists congregations conservative contemporary context continued culture decades denominations developed distinctive divine early emerged emphasis England English Episcopal Church Episcopalians especially established ethnic European evangelical example followers German God’s groups Hebrew holiness human immigration Indian institutional Irish American Islam issues Jesus Jewish Jews Judaism later liberal liturgical Luther Lutheran mainline major megachurches membership Methodist moral Mormon movement Muslims Native Native American nineteenth century one’s organized origins Orthodox pentecostal political popular practice Presbyterian priests Protestant Protestantism Puritan radical realm Reformed religion result revival ritual role Roman Catholic sacraments schools scripture Second Great Awakening secular Seminary social Social Gospel society South southern spiritual teaching themes theological tion traditional twentieth century Unitarian United urban variety Vatican Vatican II women worship