Hearing things : religion, illusion, and the American enlightenment / Leigh Eric Schmidt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schmidt, Leigh Eric.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Listening--Religious aspects--Christianity--History of doctrines--18th century.

Listening.

Piety--History--18th century.

Piety.

Enlightenment--United States.

Enlightenment.

History.

Listening--Religious aspects--Christianity.

United States.

United States--Church history--18th century.

Church history.

Listening--Religious aspects--Christianity--History of doctrines--19th century.

Piety--History--19th century.

United States--Church history--19th century.

Physical Description:

xiii, 318 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Camnbridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2000.

Summary:

"Faith cometh by hearing" --so said Saint Paul, and devoted Christians from Augustine to Luther down to the present have placed particular emphasis on spiritual arts of listening. In quiet retreats for prayer, in the noisy exercises of Protestant revivalism, in the mystical pursuit of the voices of angels, Christians have listened for a divine call. But what happened when the ear tuned to GodUs voice found itself under the inspection of Enlightenment critics? This book takes us into the ensuing debate about "hearing things" --an intense, entertaining, even spectacular exchange over the auditory immediacy of popular Christian piety.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [253]-305) and index.

ISBN:

0674003039

OCLC:

43913252