Why has Christianity; a religion premised upon neighborly love; failed in its attempts to heal social divisions? In this ambitious and wide-ranging work; Willie James Jennings delves deep into the late medieval soil in which the modern Christian imagination grew; to reveal how Christianity’s highly refined process of socialization has inadvertently created and maintained segregated societies. A probing study of the cultural fragmentation—social; spatial; and racial—that took root in the Western mind; this book shows how Christianity has consistently forged Christian nations rather than encouraging genuine communion between disparate groups and individuals. Weaving together the stories of Zurara; the royal chronicler of Prince Henry; the Jesuit theologian Jose de Acosta; the famed Anglican Bishop John William Colenso; and the former slave writer Olaudah Equiano; Jennings narrates a tale of loss; forgetfulness; and missed opportunities for the transformation of Christian communities. Touching on issues of slavery; geography; Native American history; Jewish-Christian relations; literacy; and translation; he brilliantly exposes how the loss of land and the supersessionist ideas behind the Christian missionary movement are both deeply implicated in the invention of race. Using his bold; creative; and courageous critique to imagine a truly cosmopolitan citizenship that transcends geopolitical; nationalist; ethnic; and racial boundaries; Jennings charts; with great vision; new ways of imagining ourselves; our communities; and the landscapes we inhabit.
#1321391 in Books Yale University Press 2009-09-29Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.99 x .55 x 5.00l; .48 #File Name: 0300158203240 pages
Review
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. History-Lite.By Gerard J. St. JohnThis short book (195 pages) does not purport to be a definitive history of the bagel. As the author notes; the bagel is a modest bread made of commonly available ingredients; flour; water and eggs. It should not be surprising that many people throughout history have mixed these ingredients into a dough that is boiled and then baked in a circular shape with a hole in the middle. Similar foodstuffs have been found in many places; including China and Italy. This book focuses on the bagels of the Jewish bakers in Poland and in the United States. It is history-lite. Actually; it is "histories-lite." It presents a series of summary histories. It tells the story of Jan Sobieski's military victory; lifting the siege of Vienna in 1683. It tells the story of the hard-working bakers and the impoverished peddlers of bagels in the cities of Poland for more than two centuries. It tells the story of the Jewish immigrant bakers in the lower east side of New York City. It tells the role of the Polish Jews in the labor movement in the first half of the 1900s; a movement that pitted capitalism against socialism. And it tells how the Lender brothers guided their bagel baking company into a multi-million dollar business. Together; these summary histories provide clear snapshots of the lives of people who are not usually mentioned in traditional history books. The book is well written and well worth reading.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Fariousgood history - and pretty much factual!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Bagel: A Cultural HistoryBy Aice R. HammondA delightful little book! A charmingly well written journey through the bagel's history; with many interesting asides and footnotes. Well researched and documented but never dull. A find.
