Description:
A unique blending of historical analysis and bibliographic data, this volume examines the course of the voluntary association for religious purposes and analyzes the prominent primary and secondary literature in the field of voluntarism. In addition, hundreds of voluntary associations prior to 1900 in Britain, the United States, Canada, and elsewhere are listed. A reference tool for students and scholars in Western Christian thought and history, over 900 resources are classified by general, denominational, racial, and gender categories and are annotated.
The first part of the volume examines the roots of voluntary thought in the Christian tradition and provides an overview of the evolution of voluntary Christian endeavor in Britain and North America. Of particular significance is the connection between churchly voluntary associations and the evangelical experience of the 19th century. Individual voluntary relationships and groups are an integral part of human socialization. This is the first bibliography and overview of individuals joining together under the banner of Christianity in order to satisfy this deep human need.
Brief description:
William H. Brackney is The Millard R. Cherry Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics at Acadia Divinity College, and a member of the Faculty of Theology in Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada.
WILLIAM H. BRACKNEY is Principal and Professor of Historical Theology at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. The author of four books and contributor to numerous scholarly publications in Baptist and North American religious history, Dr. Brackney is Chairman of the Division of Study and Research of the Baptist World Alliance. His education includes degrees from the University of Maryland, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Temple University, where he received his doctorate in history and religion. William H. Brackney is Professor in and Chair of the Department of Religion at Baylor University. His books include The Baptists (Greenwood, 1988), Christian Voluntarism in Britain and North America (Greenwood, 1992), Christian Voluntarism: Theology and Praxis (1997), Pilgrim Pathways (1998), and Historical Dictionary of the Baptists (1999).Review Quotes: "The initial chapters provide excellent explanations for the orgin and the purpose of Christian voluntarism in Great Britian and North America. Laypersons should find these introductory chapters well worth the time it takes to read them... The publisher has been unstinting in an effort to produce a quality product: binding, format, typeface, and paper quality are excellent. Brackney's subject biblography is highly recommened, a required purchase by university libaries and divinity schools, large and small."-Sociology