Historical Dictionary Of Radical Christianity

The Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity covers the history of this movement and includes an introductory essay and a bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries. The dictionary entries selected reflect the leading groups, movements, and sects from each major era of Christian history. Especially in the contemporary period, the great proliferation of radical thinkers and groups has necessitated a selection process with those selected exhibiting sustained group activity, possessing an identifiable following, and demonstrating a significant cultural impact. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Radical Christianity.

There are several eras in the history of Christianity radical forms of the tradition are obvious: the early church of the first five centuries, the medieval era, the age of reform, the early modern era, and the contemporary era. Radical Christian activity and experience may reflect either a primary or a derived level of spirituality. New converts may join a sect or movement with radical characteristics; or they may become dissatisfied with their initial Christian experiences and desire a different or deeper Christian spirituality, usually closely parallel to that seen in the New Testament. The Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity covers the history of this movement and includes an introductory essay and a bibliography. The dictionary section has over 400 cross-referenced entries. The dictionary entries selected reflect the leading groups, movements, and sects from each major era of Christian history. Especially in the contemporary period, the great proliferation of radical thinkers and groups has necessitated a selection process with those selected exhibiting sustained group activity, possessing an identifiable following, and demonstrating a significant cultural impact. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Radical Christianity.

Covers developments in the realms of church unity, mission and evangelism, laity, women in church and society, and many other ecumenical subjects.

The Historical Dictionary of Marxism includes a chronology, introductory essay, and extensive bibliography. The dictionary provides over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, political parties and movements, and major communist or ex-communist countries. This book is an excellent access point for students and researchers.

The book provides a complete overview of Unitarian and Universalist history all over the world. While the emphasis is on North America, many listings provide an adequate background for the development of the Unitarian faith in Europe as far back as the 16th century. Other parts of the world are included as well with biograpihcal, theological and geographical listings. Most of the book consists of alphabetical listings of all major leaders of the movements, many famous person associated with the movement, important events and histories of institutions.

It is much harder to define a religious movement than it is to define a religion or denomination. That applies especially when that movement almost defies definition as the Holiness Movement does. The Holiness Movement is a Methodist religious renewal movement that has over 12 million adherents worldwide. Perhaps the most familiar public manifestation of the holiness movement has been its urban holiness missions, and the Salvation Army_noted for its service ministries among poor and people suffering the dislocations that accompany war and disaster_is the most notable example. In the second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement, important new developments in the Holiness Movement_such as the widely discussed 'Holiness Manifesto'_are thoroughly discussed, and the content has also been expanded to include information on figures from Asia and Africa to reflect the continued growth of the Holiness Movement. With a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries, this reference has information that cannot be found elsewhere.

Islam is not the only religion that has sought political power, or believed that it should be possible to create a theocracy. In the seventeenth century, Christians in the British Isles and North America attempted to follow the examples of sixteenth-century European radicals, while attempting to learn from their mistakes. This occured first in Scotland, and then during the upheavals of the Civil Wars, culminating in Oliver Cromwell attempting to impose just such a rule “of the saints” across the whole country. On the other side of the Atlantic the Mayflower “Pilgrims” and other “godly” colonists sought to establish a New Jerusalem in the New World. At the same time, millenarian groups planned a religious, political, and social revolution to usher in the return of Christ; while others argued for something akin to modern democracy and some a form of rural communism. And even after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, millenarian groups continued to plot an overturning of the world order. Among groups, such as the Quakers, their faith continued to have a radical impact on their politics and their seventeenth-century legacy influenced the later development of Dissent and Nonconformity in the United Kingdom and in North America. Nor is Christian political radicalism dead today – it has influenced politicians ever since, and can be seen in recent political developments in the USA in the twenty-first century. This book is a fascinating study of the ideas and actions of these political radicals and the kind of societies and life experiences that produced them.

The only available historical dictionary devoted exclusively to the 1940s, this book offers readers a ready-reference portrait of one of the twentieth century's most tumultuous decades. In nearly 600 concise entries, the volume quickly defines a historical figure, institution, or event, and then points readers to three sources that treat the subject in depth. In selecting topics for inclusion, the editors and authors offer a representative slice of life as contemporaneous Americans saw it - with coverage of people; movements; court cases; and economic, social, cultural, political, military, and technological changes. The book focuses chiefly on the United States, but places American lives and events firmly within a global context.