Histories of American Christianity: An Introduction

by Christopher H. Evans

Overview

To tell the story of America is, in many ways, to tell the story of religion in America. At every point in its history, America was, and still is, religious—and diversely so. To understand how religion shaped America's history is to trace the influence of America's dominant faith tradition, Christianity. But American Christianity, like religion in America, is a wonderfully varied movement. In this comprehensive, eminently readable introduction, Christopher Evans maps the pluralism of American Christianity around its historic center, demonstrating the enduring role of Protestantism despite the wide assortment of distinctly American religious innovation.

In Histories of American Christianity, Evans thus narrates the intellectual history, chronicles the story of sectarian divisions, and explores how Christianity became so intertwined with and pervasive in public life. But Evans also shines fresh light on what has been omitted. Through the use of individual stories focusing on the traditionally marginalized—e.g., women, African Americans, and Latino/a descendants—Evans weaves together a tapestry of American-Christian orthodoxy and tradition over the centuries. What results is a readable and teachable volume, grounded in research and packed with critical reflection that chronicles America's rich Christian history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781602585454
Publisher:	Baylor University Press
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	415
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Christopher H. Evans is Professor of the History of Christianity at Boston University School of Theology and is the author of several books, including Liberalism Without Illusions: Renewing an American Christian Tradition (2010). He lives in the Boston, Massachusetts area.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Part I

Constructing a Protestant Worldview, 1600-1800

1 American Puritanism Revisited

2 Unintended Diversity: The Growth of Colonial Christianity

3 The Great Awakening

4 The Revolutionary War and Religious Disestablishment

Part II

The Evangelical Empire and Its Critics, 1800-1865

5 Methodism and the Rise of Early Nineteenth-Century Popular Evangelicalism

6 Experimental Christianity

7 Conflicts of Twoness: Catholic and African American Christianities

8 The Perfection of Christian America: From Holiness to Civil War

Part III

American Christianity in Tumult, 1865-1920

9 Defending the Protestant Empire

10 Social Christianities and Social Gospels

11 Dispensationalism, Pentecostalism, and the Origins of Fundamentalism

Part IV

American Christianity and Modernity, 1920-1965

12 Christian Realignments between the World Wars

13 Civil Religion, Popular Religion, and the Renewal of Social Christianity

Part V

The Restructuring of American Christianity, 1965-2009

14 The Parameters of Pluralism

15 Retraditioning—Again

Epilogue: Seeing the Future through the Past

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index of Names

Subject Index

What People are Saying About This

Evans' distinctive approach to history and historiography pushes professors and students alike to think beyond what actually happened and to contemplate critically and sympathetically the range of choices historians have made in telling their particular tales. Histories of American Christianity helps us listen for and to the stories of America's religious past and helps us better comprehend the perils and possibilities of America's religious future.

Randall Balmer

…a rich and textured history that yields a fresh perspective on religious life in America.

Elizabeth H. Flowers

Evans' distinctive approach to history and historiography pushes professors and students alike to think beyond what actually happened and to contemplate critically and sympathetically the range of choices historians have made in telling their particular tales. Histories of American Christianity helps us listen for and to the stories of America's religious past and helps us better comprehend the perils and possibilities of America's religious future.

Ted A. Campbell

Evans writes with verve and energy, and his book is likely to turn the heads of those who imagine a history of American Christianity as having to do with stained glass and wooden pews.

Leonard Sweet

Histories of American Christianity is bursting with the integrity of historical context and brocaded with fresh insights.

Mark Noll

Christopher Evans succeeds in presenting a complicated story with clarity and insight.

Editorial Reviews

…an insightful and enjoyable read.

Choice

…an expert and accessible overview of the historiography of American Christianity.

Anglican and Episcopal History - David Golding

... a very highly recommended history for personal, seminary, community, and academic library Christian Studies and American History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Midwest Book Review

"Evans writes with verve and energy, and his book is likely to turn the heads of those who imagine a history of American Christianity as having to do with stained glass and wooden pews."
--Ted A. Campbell, Associate Professor of Church History, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

"Evans' distinctive approach to history and historiography pushes professors and students alike to think beyond what actually happened and to contemplate critically and sympathetically the range of choices historians have made in telling their particular tales. Histories of American Christianity helps us listen for and to the stories of America's religious past and helps us better comprehend the perils and possibilities of America's religious future."
--Elizabeth H. Flowers, Assistant Professor, Texas Christian University and author of Into the Pulpit: Southern Baptist Women and Power Since World War II

"Histories of American Christianity is bursting with the integrity of historical context and brocaded with fresh insights."
--Leonard Sweet, E. Stanley Jones Professor at Drew University, Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Fox University

"Christopher Evans succeeds in presenting a complicated story with clarity and insight."
--Mark Noll, author of America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln

"…a rich and textured history that yields a fresh perspective on religious life in America."
--Randall Balmer, author of The Making of Evangelicalism

From the Publisher