Denominations in America, #11: The Episcopalians

The story of the Episcopalians in America is the story of an influential denomination that has furnished a disproportionately large share of the American political and cultural leadership. Beginning with the denomination's roots in 16th-century England, this book offers a fresh account of the Episcopal Church's rise to prominence in America. Chronologically arranged, it follows the establishment of colonial Anglicanism in the New World, the national organization of the denomination following the Revolution, its rise during the 19th century, and the complex array of forces that affected the church in the 20th century--and continue to affect it today. The authors pay particular attention to the established leadership of the Episcopal Church, as well as to the experience of the ordinary layperson, the form and function of sacred space, developments in church parties and theology, relations with other Christian communities, and the evolving roles and status of women and minorities. Shining a light on the lives of ordinary churchgoers and historically marginalized groups, the authors reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the Episcopal Church. While the church evolved into the denomination of the urban establishment, a politically, theologically, and socially moderate religious body that appealed to those seeking the society of their largely middle- and upper-middle-class peers, it also appealed to those whom the dominant society excluded from power: African and Hispanic Americans, women, and American Indians. The volume concludes with a chronology of important events and biographical sketches of major figures in the Episcopal Church.

Hein (religion and philosophy, Hood College) and Shattuck (history, Andover Newton Theological School) begin with a history of the American denomination from its demarcation as a separate branch within the worldwide Anglican Communion, through its submergence in the US by other Protestant denominations, to the emergence of the modern church in the first half of the 20th century and changes during the second half. Then they provide a biographical dictionary of leaders, in articles averaging about a page with bibliographical references.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This book offers a fresh account of the Episcopal Church's rise to prominence in America.

Provides a complete, accurate picture of the Episcopal Church and its lay and clerical leaders in the United States.

DAVID HEIN teaches in the Religion and Philosophy Department of Hood College. He is the author of Noble Powell and the Episcopal Establishment in the Twentieth Century and the coauthor of Essays on Lincoln's Faith and Politics.GARDINER H. SHATTUCK JR. teaches in the History Department of Andover Newton Theological School. He is the author of Episcopalians and Race: Civil War to Civil Rights and the coauthor of he Encyclopedia of American Religious History.

Preface

Abbreviations Used in This Volume

English and American Beginnings: 1534-1662

Anglicanism in Colonial America: 1662-1763

The Crisis of the American Revolution: 1763-1783

Reorganization in a New Nation: 1783-1811

Unity, Diversity, and Conflict in Antebellum America: 1811-1865

Social and Intellectual Challenges: 1865-1918

Emergence of the Modern Church: 1918-1958

Changing Times: 1958-2003

Biographical Entries

A Chronology of the Episcopal Church

Bibliographic Essay

About the Authors