The Puritans called Baptists "the troublers of churches in all places" and hounded them out of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Four hundred years later; Baptists are the second-largest religious group in America; and their influence matches their numbers. They have built strong institutions; from megachurches to publishing houses to charities to mission organizations; and have firmly established themselves in the mainstream of American culture. Yet the historical legacy of outsider status lingers; and the inherently fractured nature of their faith makes Baptists ever wary of threats from within as well as without.In Baptists in America; Thomas S. Kidd and Barry Hankins explore the long-running tensions between church; state; and culture that Baptists have shaped and navigated. Despite the moment of unity that their early persecution provided; their history has been marked by internal battles and schisms that were microcosms of national events; from the conflict over slavery that divided North from South to the conservative revolution of the 1970s and 80s. Baptists have made an indelible impact on American religious and cultural history; from their early insistence that America should have no established church to their place in the modern-day culture wars; where they frequently advocate greater religious involvement in politics. Yet the more mainstream they have become; the more they have been pressured to conform to the mainstream; a paradox that defines--and is essential to understanding--the Baptist experience in America.Kidd and Hankins; both practicing Baptists; weave the threads of Baptist history alongside those of American history. Baptists in America is a remarkable story of how one religious denomination was transformed from persecuted minority into a leading actor on the national stage; with profound implications for American society and culture.
#1699303 in Books 2014-07-02 2014-07-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.00 x 1.50 x 9.20l; .0 #File Name: 0199931364512 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A very important book well beyond the field of Indology ...By Edward ButlerA very important book well beyond the field of Indology; just as Foucault's case studies of the formation of this or that institution; for all of their specificity; are nevertheless of broad general interest. The Nay Science is important for anyone concerned with the status and future of the humanities.Adluri's study of German Indology reveals the theological underpinnings of the ostensibly secular positivistic study of sacred and philosophical texts. We learn not only just how false are the claims of disinterested scientificity made on behalf of such scholarship; but also about the deep metaphysics involved in the practice of most modern philology. Adluri goes further; however; and offers (particularly in the book's prologue and in its conclusion; "Gandhi on the Gita") a vision for a hermeneutical philology that resists reductionism and embraces polysemy and existential commitment.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. You don't have to be an Indologist to appreciate it (though it might help)...By DFXCrqsA deeply researched text written with great nuance and focus; it will not answer to the issues of all possible readers. Nevertheless; for those who engage it with a spirit of genuine interest and an open mind; Adluri and Bagchee paint an intricate and compelling portrait of the tradition and influence of German Indology from an important; and underrepresented; perspective. Students and scholars of Religious Studies in general; though they may find some of the philological details too specialized for their purposes; will nonetheless find--if nothing else--cause to (re)reevaluate the inheritances of the discipline and explore; more deeply; some biases that have been written in to our foundational sources. Finally; The Nay Science hints at (though; sadly; does not deliver fully formed) some possibilities for overcoming these issues and a path to revivifying tradition and spirit in the human sciences. It is not the easiest reading but it repays the effort.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A necessary bookBy RPThis is a necessary book for those engaged in research across a range of fields; and for those who consume that research. Although the primary content is a history of Sanskrit philology; it is an important contribution to the philosophy of science through its critique of method. As such; it offers one of the most adequate critiques of the flight to method that is so prevalent in contemporary humanities and sciences.
