Summer reading for church historians – Part 1 (Matthew Barrett)
Summer is here! If you are anything like me, then summer is a great opportunity to read all those books you’ve been putting off. Since I wear many hats, I will be recommending books for the pastor, systematic theologian, church historian, biblical scholar, and Christian philosopher in the weeks to come. (So far you can read Part 1 and Part 2 of summer reading for pastors and summer reading for theologians.) Today let’s focus on church historians out there. What books should you read this summer?
George M. Marsden. The Twilight of the American Enlightenment: The 1950s and the Crisis of Liberal Belief. New York: Basic Books, 2014.
I never pass up an opportunity to read a book by George Marsden. Since Marsden is one of the premier American historians of our day, his books are a must for anyone in the field of church history, especially if your interest is in American church history. In this new book, Marsden’s argument is that
the culture wars broke out and persisted in part because the dominant principles of the American heritage did not adequately provide for how to deal with substantive religious differences as they relate to the public domain. The American paradigm for relating religion to public life was an unusual blend of enlightenment and Protestant ideals. In some ways it was the model of inclusivism and religious freedom. But because it also fostered an informal Protestant establishment, or privileges for mainstream Protestants in public life, there were always those who were less privileged, who were excluded or discriminated against… Even in the more inclusive 1950s, mainstream Protestantism retained its preeminence in American public life. It is not surprising then that, by the 1970s, after the long-standing enlightenment-Protestant paradign collapsed, mainstream America lacked the theoretical resources for constructing a more truly pluralistic way of dealing with the relationships of varieties of religions to public life. My contribution is to point to an alternative paradigm for thinking about the varieties of religious outlooks in the public sphere and the roles they play within that sphere.
Here is the main thrust of the book then:
In the aftermath of World War II, the United States stood at a precipice. The forces of modernity unleashed by the war had led to astonishing advances in daily life, but technology and mass culture also threatened to erode the country’s traditional moral character. As award-winning historian George M. Marsden explains in The Twilight of the American Enlightenment, postwar Americans looked to the country’s secular, liberal elites for guidance in this precarious time, but these intellectuals proved unable to articulate a coherent common cause by which America could chart its course. Their failure lost them the faith of their constituents, paving the way for a Christian revival that offered America a firm new moral vision—one rooted in the Protestant values of the founders.
David Bebbington and David Ceri Jones, eds. Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism in the United Kingdom during the Twentieth Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
While Marsden’s books focus on American evangelicalism, you’ll need to pick up books by David Bebbington to get a feel for Evangelicalism in the UK. This new book is a great one to do just that. There are many fascinating chapters that provide tremendous insight into the evolution of evangelicalism and fundamentalism in the UK. I would especially recommend chapters by David Bebbington, Ian Randall, Alister Chapman, Derek Tidball, David Ceri Jones, and Stephen Holmes, though no doubt you will have quibbles with certain arguments throughout. Here is a basic overview:
Historians have sometimes argued, and popular discourse certainly assumes, that evangelicalism and fundamentalism are identical. In the twenty-first century, when Islamic fundamentalism is at the center of the world’s attention, whether or not evangelicalism should be seen as the Christian version of fundamentalism is an important matter for public understanding. The essays that make up this book analyze this central question. Drawing on empirical evidence from many parts of the United Kingdom and from across the course of the twentieth century, the essays show that fundamentalism certainly existed in Britain, that evangelicals did sometimes show tendencies in a fundamentalist direction, but that evangelicalism in Britain cannot simply be equated with fundamentalism.
The evangelical movement within Protestantism that arose in the wake of the eighteenth-century revival exerted an immense influence on British society over the two subsequent centuries. Christian fundamentalism, by contrast, had its origins in the United States following the publication of The Fundamentals, a series of pamphlets issued to ministers between 1910 and 1915 that was funded by California oilmen. While there was considerable British participation in writing the series, the term “fundamentalist” was invented in an exclusively American context when, in 1920, it was coined to describe the conservative critics of theological liberalism. The fundamentalists in Britain formed only a small section of evangelical opinion that declined over time.
David Cressy. Charles I and the People of England. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Since we have our focus in the UK, we might as well turn to England in light of David Cressy’s impressive tome on Charles I. However, don’t be fooled. This is no mere biography on Charles I. Cressy uses Charles I to paint the context of early Stuart England. In fact, he tells the story from the perspective of the English people. This is an epic tail and one that is key to understanding the evolution of Christianity in England. Here is what Tim Harris had to say:
“A brilliantly evocative account of the life and times of Charles I, as seen primarily from the perspective of the millions of ordinary English men and women who lived under his rule. Drawing on an impressive array of archival and printed sources, Cressy is able to recreate the concerns and reactions of those usually hidden from history to provide a fresh perspective on the shortcomings of the Caroline regime and the origins of the English revolution.”
Matthew Bowman. The Urban Pulpit: New York City and the Fate of Liberal Evangelicalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
One of my rising interests is in late 19th century and early 20th century America. The more I read the more I realize how much Protestantism at this period in America shaped what we know today as Evangelicalism. The history of liberalism, in particular, and its battle with fundamentalism has had countless consequences for how evangelicals approach the culture today. One new book that takes us back to this time period is Bowman’s new study of “liberal evangelicals” in New York in the late 19th century. I would really recommend listening to Albert Mohler’s interview with Bowman on Thinking in Public even before you begin reading the book as it will help you understand Bowman’s approach and purpose in retelling this story.
Here is a more exact description:
Matthew Bowman explores the world of a neglected group of American Christians: the self-identified liberal evangelicals who began in late nineteenth-century New York to reconcile traditional evangelical spirituality with progressive views on social activism and theological questions. These evangelicals emphasized the importance of supernatural conversion experience, but also argued that scientific advances, new movements in art, and the decline in poverty created by a new industrial economy could facilitate encounters with Christ.
The Urban Pulpit chronicles the struggle of liberal evangelicals against conservative Protestants who questioned their theological sincerity and against secular reformers who grew increasingly devoted to the cause of cultural pluralism and increasingly suspicious of evangelicals over the course of the twentieth century. Liberal evangelicals walked a difficult path, facing increasing polarization in twentieth-century American public life; both conservative evangelicals and secular reformers insisted that religion and science were necessarily at odds and that evangelical Christianity was incompatible with cultural diversity. Liberal evangelicals rejected these simple dichotomies, but nonetheless found it increasingly difficult to defend their middle way.
Drawing on history, anthropology, and religious studies, Bowman paints a complex portrait of these understudied Christians at work, at worship, and engaged in advocacy in the public square.
Thomas S. Kidd and Barry Hankins. Baptists in America: A History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Perhaps I am bias, but I believe the numbers show that Baptists are the major denominational presence in America today. However, historically this was not always so. Kidd and Hankins, therefore, trace the history of Baptists in America demonstrating how Baptists have risen to such prominence but not overlooking the very messy and turbulent battles that have been fought within their own ranks. Even if you are not a Baptist, this is an important book to read if you are going to understand the culture of Protestantism in America since Baptists of various and divergent stripes have made a major contribution to its development.
“Thomas Kidd and Barry Hankins are two of the most respectable church historians in the academy today. Their work is always incisive and illuminating–as in reading this book you will soon discover.” –R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“‘Baptists,’ the authors say, ‘are notorious for two things–evangelism and schism.’ Baptist successes as evangelists since the colonial era are the basis for their immense influence in American life. Their proneness to schism makes for good stories and is a reason why we need a clear and engaging account such as this. Baptists in America is both readable and fascinating.” –George M. Marsden, author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life
Matthew Barrett (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at California Baptist University, as well as the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine. Barrett is also Senior Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church. He is the author and editor of several books, including Salvation by Grace: The Case for Effectual Calling and Regeneration. Two forthcoming books include, Owen on the Christian Life and God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture. You can read about Barrett’s other publications at matthewmbarrett.com.
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