In the beginning of American history; the Word was in Spanish; Latin; and native languages like Nahuatal. But while Spanish and Catholic Christianity reached the New World in 1492; it was only with settlements in the seventeenth century that English-language Bibles and Protestant Christendom arrived. The Puritans brought with them intense devotion to Scripture; as well as their ideal of Christendom -- a civilization characterized by a thorough intermingling of the Bible with everything else. That ideal began this country's journey from the Puritan's City on a Hill to the Bible-quoting country the U.S. is today. In the Beginning Was the Word shows how important the Bible remained; even as that Puritan ideal changed considerably through the early stages of American history.Author Mark Noll shows how seventeenth-century Americans received conflicting models of scriptural authority from Europe: the Bible under Christendom (high Anglicanism); the Bible over Christendom (moderate Puritanism); and the Bible against Christendom (Anabaptists; enthusiasts; Quakers). In the eighteenth century; the colonists turned increasingly to the Bible against Christendom; a stance that fueled the Revolution against Anglican Britain and prepared the way for a new country founded on the separation of church and state.One of the foremost scholars of American Christianity; Mark Noll brings a wealth of research and wisdom to In the Beginning Was the Word; providing a sweeping; engaging; and insightful survey of the relationship between the Bible and public issues from the beginning of European settlement. A seminal new work from a world-class scholar; this book offers a fresh account of the contested; sometimes ambiguous; but definite biblical roots of American history.
#1802129 in Books George Carol V R 2015-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 1.00 x 9.30l; .0 #File Name: 0190231084328 pagesOne Mississippi Two Mississippi Methodists Murder and the Struggle for Racial Justice in Neshoba County
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Jim Crow Racism; Murder; and the Methodist ChurchBy Nancy A."Evil flourishes when good people sit idly by and do nothing." Attorney General HoodAs I read One Mississippi; Two Mississippi:Murder; Methodists; and the Struggle for Racial Justice in Neshoba County by Carol V. R. George I experienced shock; depression; and sorrow.I requested One Mississippi; Two Mississippi because of the subtitle Murder; Methodists; and the Struggle for Racial Justice in Neshoba. The author is a history professor who spent nine years researching the Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Neshoba and the relation between Methodists and the murder of Andrew Goodman; Michael Schwerner; and John Chaney.Goodman and Schwerner had come to the area to work for voter registration of Blacks. Chaney was a local black man. The organizational meeting to create a Freedom School was held at Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Neshoba. The young men were abducted and murdered; their bodies buried and bull dozed over; and the Mt. Zion church was burned to the ground and church members severely beaten.If you want to know about the events the book covers you can visit the Oxford University page on the book here. Or watch the movie "Neshoba" or Mississippi Burning. The internet is full of articles about the murders.The Methodist church is a world-wide connectional system; every four years a General Conference consisting of laity and clergy meet to vote on the denominational policies; goals; and regulations. Change does not happen quickly. The stated ideals often lag behind practice. Founder John Wesley allowed free thinking beyond basic Christian tenets. The denomination is diverse in opinion. In theory members are to think and let think. In practice; strife; conflict; and schism occur--particularly over social issues. Segregation was one of those divisive issues. The denomination showed little prophetic leadership in demanding equality; giving Southern segregationists and the status quo a nod.This book reveals that the Southern White Methodist church laity and clergy were not only complicit in maintaining segregation but were actively involved in KKK hate crimes; murder; and a decades long cover-up.In 1939 the denomination created the Central Jurisdiction composed of Black pastors and churches; effectively establishing segregation as official church polity until 1972 when it was finally disbanded. See more about this at:http://www.credoconfirmation.com/Leaders/LeadersArticles/tabid/292/ArticleId/449/The-Central-Jurisdiction-and-the-Story-of-Race-Relations-in-the-Methodist-Churches.aspxIt was not until after the Methodist Episcopal church merger with the United Brethren church in 1968; creating the current United Methodist Church; that implementation of federally mandated integration began. In 1970 the Neshoba County accomplished full integration without mass violence; but there were viscous attacks and harassment that led to the (white) School Superintendent's suicide.It took years and several trials before the mastermind behind the murder plot was convicted. In 1999 The Winter Institute began a study of global models of reconciliation; particularly the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission; consulting with Peter Storey.It was hard to read this book; the events are so harrowing. I felt angry and ashamed and disheartened. I remembered a Facebook friend's comment about the hypocrisy of the Methodist Church; which had baffled me then. Now I get it. The friend is particularly interested in Civil Rights history.I thought about issues the church avoids today; the injustices we allow. This statement from a United Methodist Church website on confirmation materials says its all:As United Methodists—even United Methodists who weren't alive when the Central Jurisdiction was around—we have to think critically about how a faith tradition birthed by abolitionists and weaned in part by mixed-race house churches could cling to institutionalized segregation for so long. And; as we move forward; we need to make sure that we don’t repeat past mistakes. We need to be mindful of ways in which we exclude people or create divisions within the church; whether based on race; nationality; language or culture; age; or any other factor. Paul in Galatians tells us that we are “all one in Christ Jesus†(Galatians 3:28). We should be sure we act that way.In church on Sunday I could barely keep from crying. It seemed insipid; 'feel good'; shallow. Last week we heard of a church being closed; the pastor preached 'too much' about acceptance of Gay and Lesbians. The world cries. Do we listen?+++++Contents:Part IHistory and Memory Settling Longdale; MS and Mt. Zion Methodist Church reviews the founding of the church in 1833 through the Jim Crow Years to 1954Part II"The Great Anomaly" The Methodist Episcopal Church and Its Black Members looks at segregation and the creation of the Central Jurisdiction; the politicization of Mississippi Methodist church; the Methodist church's debate over segregation; the Neshoba murders and their relation to Mississippi MethodismPart IIIMt. Zion's Witness: Creating Memories considers how Neshoba struggled to fulfill equality in church and school; the retrial of accused murderers; and reconciliationI received a free ebook through NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review.
