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American Congregations, Volume 2: New Perspectives in the Study of Congregations
American Congregations , Volume 2: New Perspectives in the Study of Congregations builds upon the empirical foundation provided by the historical studies in volume 1 of the Congregational History Project. Volume 2 addresses three crucial Where is the congregation located on the broader map of American cultural and religious life? What are the distinctive qualities, tasks, and roles of the congregation or parish in American culture? And, what patterns of leadership characterize American congregations?
Published simultaneously, these two volumes combine engaging historical studies with incisive scholarsly analysis to focus attention on the central role of congregational studies in research and teaching of American religion.
"This two volume study of American congregations is of compelling importance to anyone interested in civil society, community, and belief in contemporary America. . . . Extraordinarily rich in detail."— Association for Research on Non-profit Organizations and Voluntary Action News
"[An] informative and stimulating study."—John A. Saliba, Journal of Contemporary Religion
"These congregational histories are important pieces of both social and religious history. They tell us much about the convictions and experience of a great variety of people, different styles of leadership and of how these distinctive local cultures both bear and shape the larger traditions they represent."—Gordon Harland, Studies in Religion
"Both volumes of American Congregations resulted from pioneering efforts, and they are timely and useful. They should force American religious historians to ask new questions. . . . Any American religious historian who fails to take this two-volume work seriously in the future will find his or her own scholarship terribly deficient."—Lewis V. Baldwin, Journal of American History
Published simultaneously, these two volumes combine engaging historical studies with incisive scholarsly analysis to focus attention on the central role of congregational studies in research and teaching of American religion.
"This two volume study of American congregations is of compelling importance to anyone interested in civil society, community, and belief in contemporary America. . . . Extraordinarily rich in detail."— Association for Research on Non-profit Organizations and Voluntary Action News
"[An] informative and stimulating study."—John A. Saliba, Journal of Contemporary Religion
"These congregational histories are important pieces of both social and religious history. They tell us much about the convictions and experience of a great variety of people, different styles of leadership and of how these distinctive local cultures both bear and shape the larger traditions they represent."—Gordon Harland, Studies in Religion
"Both volumes of American Congregations resulted from pioneering efforts, and they are timely and useful. They should force American religious historians to ask new questions. . . . Any American religious historian who fails to take this two-volume work seriously in the future will find his or her own scholarship terribly deficient."—Lewis V. Baldwin, Journal of American History
292 pages, Hardcover
First published January 15, 1995
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 8, 2018
Who is Don Browning? Apparently he was Alexander Campbell Professor of Religious Ethics and the Social Sciences at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. One has to assume that he is qualified to discuss the hermeneutically oriented descriptions of the life of a religious community and their implications for practical theology. Actually when I reread his essay after consulting an expert on the patterns of discourse among religious scholars, it was really quite impressive and profound. T
The first two essays in this book are pretty forgettable (or skippable) along with Martin Marty's, I'm sorry to say. Dolan gives a creditable historical overview.
The best essay do have an underlying religious outlook on the topic and thus some real interest and passion about their conclusions. Along with Browning, I enjoyed Langdon Gilkey's musings on what his father's brought to his ministry in a Baptist church in Hyde Park, Chicago that most current congregations lack, Franklin's admiring view into African-American Christian congregations, and Dorothy Bass's straightforward discussion of tradition as a binding force in religion.
It's a good, but, like most multi-authored books, quite variable. It did make me think, usually a good thing.
The first two essays in this book are pretty forgettable (or skippable) along with Martin Marty's, I'm sorry to say. Dolan gives a creditable historical overview.
The best essay do have an underlying religious outlook on the topic and thus some real interest and passion about their conclusions. Along with Browning, I enjoyed Langdon Gilkey's musings on what his father's brought to his ministry in a Baptist church in Hyde Park, Chicago that most current congregations lack, Franklin's admiring view into African-American Christian congregations, and Dorothy Bass's straightforward discussion of tradition as a binding force in religion.
It's a good, but, like most multi-authored books, quite variable. It did make me think, usually a good thing.
Displaying 1 of 1 review