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 87
Page xii
... human phenomenon, can only be understood in its full cultural and historical contexts as well as its contemporary ... human attempts to worship the divine with the divine itself. Religions are aspects of human culture, and they and their ...
... human phenomenon, can only be understood in its full cultural and historical contexts as well as its contemporary ... human attempts to worship the divine with the divine itself. Religions are aspects of human culture, and they and their ...
Page 6
... human history of the North American continent. Mobility has taken the forms of geographical mobility and of social mobility. Immigration and in-migration—movement respectively into and around the nation—are the two major forms of ...
... human history of the North American continent. Mobility has taken the forms of geographical mobility and of social mobility. Immigration and in-migration—movement respectively into and around the nation—are the two major forms of ...
Page 13
... human experience, but even the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) began as a collection of oral traditions. For centuries after scripture began to be codified in written form, the vast majority of people even in the West were unable to read ...
... human experience, but even the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) began as a collection of oral traditions. For centuries after scripture began to be codified in written form, the vast majority of people even in the West were unable to read ...
Page 17
... human beings.” For an individual group, their own experience of the world is normative and exclusive, and is regarded as universal only in the sense that the religions of other peoples are irrelevant to their own situation. Other ...
... human beings.” For an individual group, their own experience of the world is normative and exclusive, and is regarded as universal only in the sense that the religions of other peoples are irrelevant to their own situation. Other ...
Page 18
... human history. Far more typical of the world's peoples is an experience of time as an endless repetition of the same events, with humans striving eternally to emulate the patterns handed down by the gods or other superhuman beings in ...
... human history. Far more typical of the world's peoples is an experience of time as an endless repetition of the same events, with humans striving eternally to emulate the patterns handed down by the gods or other superhuman beings in ...
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