Description: The history of the Episcopal Church is intimately bound up with the history of empire. The two grew in tandem in the modern era, and as they grew they developed particular ideologies and practices around race. As slavery was carried over into the new political formations of the United States, so too were racially based exclusions carried over in the Episcopal Church.
Mission, Race, and Empire presents a new history of the Episcopal Church from its origins in the early British Empire up to the present, told through the lenses of empire and race. The book demonstrates the dramatic shifts within the Episcopal Church, from initial colonial violence to reflective self-critique. Jennifer Snow centers the stories of groups and individuals that have often been sidelined, including Native Americans, Black Americans, Asian Americans, women, and LGBTQ people, as well as the institutional leaders who sought to create, or fought against, a church that desired to be a house of prayer for all people.Review Quotes: "Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." -- Choice
"Readers interested in the ways that institutionalized racism shapes denominational structures, practices, and theology will learn a great deal from Snow's work." -- Emily Conroy-Krutz, Journal of Presbyterian History"Mission, Race, and Empire is an essential addition to the study of the Episcopal Church and race, both for American religion scholars and non-specialists." -- Devin Burns, Reading Religion"The church owes Snow much gratitude for this excellent new book that reflects a fuller incarnation of Christ in the people of The Episcopal Church." -- Ian T. Douglas, Anglican and Episcopal History"The church owes Snow much gratitude for this excellent new book that reflects a fuller incarnation of Christ in the people of The Episcopal Church." -- Ian T. Douglas, Anglican and Episcopal History"In Mission, Race, and Empire, Jennifer C. Snow surveys four hundred years of mission (and missionaries) that begins with Anglicans at Jamestown in the early 1600s to debatesover human sexuality among Episcopalians in the 2020s. Snow defines "mission" not only in terms of "incorporating others beyond [the church's] current boundaries" but also as the church's "faith and social identity," that is, how White, Black, and Indigenous Episcopaliansvariously understood their own and the church's purpose in the USA and the world." -- Gale L. Kenny, Journal of Church and State"This rewarding book will be an invaluable addition to graduate seminars on global religion and politics, and makes salient contributions to mission studies, global imperial history, and the convoluted relationships between race, gender, religion, and politics." -- Jenna M. Gibbs, Church History"This book is not only a fascinating contribution to the history of an American denomination, but will be of interest to scholarship concerned with the colonial legacies of institutions and the church, as well as those interested in the relationshipbetween religion and global politics, historically and currently." -- Synne L. Dyvik, Modern Believing