|
|
God's Ambassadors: A History of the Christian Clergy in America - Hardcover
|
|
MSRP: $32.00
Sale Price: $5.57
You Save: $26.43 (83 %)
* Whole number only
|
In God's Ambassadors E. Brooks Holifield masterfully traces the
history of America's Christian clergy from the seventeenth to the
twenty-first century, analyzing the changes in practice and authority
that have transformed the clerical profession.
Challenging
one-sided depictions of decline in clerical authority, Holifield locates
the complex story of the clergy within the context not only of changing
theologies but also of transitions in American culture and society. The
result is a thorough social history of the profession that also takes
seriously the theological presuppositions that have informed clerical
activity. With alternating chapters on Protestant and Catholic clergy,
the book permits sustained comparisons between the two dominant
Christian traditions in American history.
Has the status of clergy in America declined; what are the variables? Are pastors considered professionals or fellow believers with obvious gifts? How has "calling" and the practice of ministry been understood during different eras? Holifield presents all manner of penetrating observations on both the Protestant and Catholic experience.
At the same time, God's Ambassadors depicts a vocation that has
remained deeply ambivalent regarding the professional status marking the
other traditional learned callings in the American workplace. Changing
expectations about clerical education, as well as enduring theological
questions, have engendered a debate about the professional ideal that
has distinguished the clerical vocation from such fields as law and
medicine. The American clergy from the past four centuries
constitute a colorful, diverse cast of characters who have, in ways both
obvious and obscure, helped to shape the tone of American culture. For a
well-rounded narrative of their story told by a master historian, God's
Ambassadors is the book to read. 359 pages, hardcover. Eerdmans.
|
Product Reviews
|
|
|