Charisma and Religious War in America

Charisma and Religious War in America PDF Author: Taso G. Lagos
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527560481
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
The most interesting, vibrant and booming city in 1920s America was Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of new folks annually flocked to the City of Angels to enjoy its balmy, year-round pleasant weather. The site of new industries, including oil and technology companies and Hollywood film studios, it sparked another important and thriving, but less known, sector: the city’s expanding religious communities. As hard as it is for many to connect LA to religious matters, few cities gave more impetus to spiritual innovation than this idyllic Southern California metropolis. No two figures shaped this movement more than Sister Aimee Semple McPherson and Reverend Robert “Fighting Bob” Shuler. Both were newcomers, solidly within the Protestant faith, and both reached heights of unparalleled publicity and notoriety in the country, yet each despised the other, even while professing faith, obedience and fealty to the same Christ. This is their story, told from their hard-scrabble beginnings through to their popular ministries that deeply moved so many lives, even as their interpretation of religious commitment sparked a “holy” war between them. More entertaining than any boxing match, this war stimulated the growth and development of American Christianity that dominates religious and, increasingly, material existence in the United States. This is the first published biography of Rev. Shuler, a less well-known figure in American Protestant history, but whose own tale fighting sin and corruption of Los Angeles is nothing short of epic.

Charisma and Religious War in America

Charisma and Religious War in America PDF Author: Taso G. Lagos
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527560481
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Get Book Here

Book Description
The most interesting, vibrant and booming city in 1920s America was Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of new folks annually flocked to the City of Angels to enjoy its balmy, year-round pleasant weather. The site of new industries, including oil and technology companies and Hollywood film studios, it sparked another important and thriving, but less known, sector: the city’s expanding religious communities. As hard as it is for many to connect LA to religious matters, few cities gave more impetus to spiritual innovation than this idyllic Southern California metropolis. No two figures shaped this movement more than Sister Aimee Semple McPherson and Reverend Robert “Fighting Bob” Shuler. Both were newcomers, solidly within the Protestant faith, and both reached heights of unparalleled publicity and notoriety in the country, yet each despised the other, even while professing faith, obedience and fealty to the same Christ. This is their story, told from their hard-scrabble beginnings through to their popular ministries that deeply moved so many lives, even as their interpretation of religious commitment sparked a “holy” war between them. More entertaining than any boxing match, this war stimulated the growth and development of American Christianity that dominates religious and, increasingly, material existence in the United States. This is the first published biography of Rev. Shuler, a less well-known figure in American Protestant history, but whose own tale fighting sin and corruption of Los Angeles is nothing short of epic.

The Rise of Network Christianity

The Rise of Network Christianity PDF Author: Brad Christerson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019063569X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Why, when traditionally organized religious groups are seeing declining membership and participation, are networks of independent churches growing so explosively? Drawing on in-depth interviews with leaders and participants, The Rise of Network Christianity explains the social forces behind the fastest-growing form of Christianity in the U.S., which Brad Christerson and Richard Flory have labeled "Independent Network Charismatic." This form of Christianity emphasizes aggressive engagement with the supernatural-including healing, direct prophecies from God, engaging in "spiritual warfare" against demonic spirits--and social transformation. Christerson and Flory argue that macro-level social changes since the 1970s, including globalization and the digital revolution, have given competitive advantages to religious groups organized as networks rather than traditionally organized congregations and denominations. Network forms of governance allow for experimentation with controversial supernatural practices, innovative finances and marketing, and a highly participatory, unorthodox, and experiential faith, which is attractive in today's unstable religious marketplace. Christerson and Flory hypothesize that as more religious groups imitate this type of governance, religious belief and practice will become more experimental, more orientated around practice than theology, more shaped by the individual religious "consumer," and authority will become more highly concentrated in the hands of individuals rather than institutions. Network Christianity, they argue, is the future of Christianity in America.

The Charismatic Community

The Charismatic Community PDF Author: Maria Massi Dakake
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 0791480348
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
The Charismatic Community examines the rise and development of Shiite religious identity in early Islamic history, analyzing the complex historical and intellectual processes that shaped the sense of individual and communal religious vocation. The book reveals the profound and continually evolving connection between the spiritual ideals of the Shiite movement and the practical processes of community formation. Author Maria Massi Dakake traces the Quranic origins and early religious connotations of the concept of walayah and the role it played in shaping the sense of communal solidarity among followers of the first Shiite Imam, Ali b. Abi Talib. Dakake argues that walayah pertains not only to the charisma of the Shiite leadership and devotion to them, but also to solidarity and loyalty among the members of the community itself. She also looks at the ways in which doctrinal developments reflected and served the practical needs of the Shiite community, the establishment of identifiable boundaries and minimum requirements of communal membership, the meaning of women's affiliation and identification with the Shiite movement, and Shiite efforts to engender a more normative and less confrontational attitude toward the non-Shiite Muslim community.

The Columbia Guide to Religion in American History

The Columbia Guide to Religion in American History PDF Author: Paul Harvey
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231530781
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 830

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Book Description
The first guide to American religious history from colonial times to the present, this anthology features twenty-two leading scholars speaking on major themes and topics in the development of the diverse religious traditions of the United States. These include the growth and spread of evangelical culture, the mutual influence of religion and politics, the rise of fundamentalism, the role of gender and popular culture, and the problems and possibilities of pluralism. Geared toward general readers, students, researchers, and scholars, The Columbia Guide to Religion in American History provides concise yet broad surveys of specific fields, with an extensive glossary and bibliographies listing relevant books, films, articles, music, and media resources for navigating different streams of religious thought and culture. The collection opens with a thematic exploration of American religious history and culture and follows with twenty topical chapters, each of which illuminates the dominant questions and lines of inquiry that have determined scholarship within that chapter's chosen theme. Contributors also outline areas in need of further, more sophisticated study and identify critical resources for additional research. The glossary, "American Religious History, A–Z," lists crucial people, movements, groups, concepts, and historical events, enhanced by extensive statistical data.

In Defense of Charisma

In Defense of Charisma PDF Author: Vincent W. Lloyd
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231545207
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
Martin Luther King, Jr., has charisma—as does Adolf Hitler. So do Brad Pitt, Mother Teresa, and many a high school teacher. Charisma marks, or masks, power; it legitimates but also attracts suspicion. Sociologists often view charisma as an irrational, unstable source of authority, superseded by the rational, bureaucratic legitimacy of modernity. Yet charisma endures in the modern world; perhaps it is reinvigorated in the postmodern, as the notoriety of celebrities, politicians, and New Age gurus attests. Is charisma a tool of oppression, or can it help the fight against oppression? Can reexamining the concept of charisma teach us anything useful about contemporary movements for social justice? In Defense of Charisma develops an account of moral charisma that weaves insights from politics, ethics, and religion together with reflections on contemporary culture. Vincent W. Lloyd distinguishes between authoritarian charisma, which furthers the interests of the powerful, naturalizing racism, patriarchy, and elitism, and democratic charisma, which prompts observers to ask new questions and discover new possibilities. At its best, charisma can challenge the way we see ourselves and our world, priming us to struggle for justice. Exploring the biblical Moses alongside Charlton Heston’s performance in The Ten Commandments, the image of Martin Luther King, Jr., together with tweets from the Black Lives Matter movement, and the novels of Harper Lee and Sherman Alexie juxtaposed with the writings of Emmanuel Levinas, In Defense of Charisma challenges readers to turn away from the blinding charisma of celebrities toward the humbler moral charisma of the neighbor, colleague, or relative.

American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation

American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation PDF Author: Adam Morris
Publisher: Liveright Publishing
ISBN: 1631492144
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection A history with sweeping implications, American Messiahs challenges our previous misconceptions about “cult” leaders and their messianic power. Mania surrounding messianic prophets has defined the national consciousness since the American Revolution. From Civil War veteran and virulent anticapitalist Cyrus Teed, to the dapper and overlooked civil rights pioneer Father Divine, to even the megalomaniacal Jim Jones, these figures have routinely been dismissed as dangerous and hysterical outliers. After years of studying these emblematic figures, Adam Morris demonstrates that messiahs are not just a classic trope of our national culture; their visions are essential for understanding American history. As Morris demonstrates, these charismatic, if flawed, would-be prophets sought to expose and ameliorate deep social ills—such as income inequality, gender conformity, and racial injustice. Provocative and long overdue, this is the story of those who tried to point the way toward an impossible “American Dream”: men and women who momentarily captured the imagination of a nation always searching for salvation.

No Higher Power

No Higher Power PDF Author: Phyllis Schlafly
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
ISBN: 1621570126
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Chronicles transgressions the authors claim Barack Obama has made as president against religious freedoms, addressing such topics as the Defense of Marriage Act, the abortion debate, and military chaplains.

God Less America

God Less America PDF Author: Todd Starnes
Publisher: Charisma Media
ISBN: 1621365913
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
American Christians are facing uncertain times. Our nation's values are under assault. Religious liberty has been undermined. We live in a day when right is now wrong and wrong is now right. The vicious leftwing attack against the recent traditional marriage stance of Chick-fil-A should serve as a wakeup call to people of faith. It's not about a chicken sandwich. It's about religious liberty. It's about free speech. It's about the future of our nation.

At Home and Abroad

At Home and Abroad PDF Author: Elizabeth Shakm Hurd
Publisher: Religion, Culture, and Public Life
ISBN: 9780231198981
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
At Home and Abroad bridges the divide in the study of American religion, law, and politics between domestic and international, bringing together diverse authors to explore ties across conceptual and political boundaries. They examine the ideas, people, and institutions that provide links between domestic and foreign religious politics and policies.

Bad Religion

Bad Religion PDF Author: Ross Douthat
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 143917833X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Traces the decline of Christianity in America since the 1950s, posing controversial arguments about the role of heresy in the nation's downfall while calling for a revival of traditional Christian practices.