A spiritual home : life in British and American Reformed congregations, 1830-1915 / Charles D. Cashdollar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cashdollar, Charles D., 1943-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reformed Church--United States--History--19th century.

Reformed Church.

History.

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

United States.

Church history.

Reformed Church--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Great Britain--Church history--19th century.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

xiv, 336 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

University Park. Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, [2000]

Summary:

A Spiritual Home explores congregational life inside British and American Reformed churches between 1830 and 1915. At a time when scholars have become interested in the day-to-day experience of local congregations, this book reaches back into the nineteenth century, a critically formative period in Anglo-American religious life, to examine the historical roots of congregational life.

Taking the perspective of the laity, Cashdollar ranges widely from worship and music to fundraising and administration, from pastoral care to social work, from prayer meetings to strawberry festivals, from the sanctuary to the kitchen. Firmly rooted in broader currents of gender, class, notions of middle-class respectability, increasing expectations for personal privacy, and patterns of professionalization, he finds that there was a gradual shift in emphasis during these years from piety to fellowship.

Contents:

Part I The Context for Worship and Work

1 Introduction: From the Perspective of the Pew 3

2 Leadership, Power, Governance 13

Part II Worship Together

3 The Lord's Day 35

4 "Without Ceasing": Prayer Meetings and Occasional Services 58

5 "A New Song": The Cultivation of Middle-Class Taste 74

Part III Life Together

6 Becoming a Member: Procedures and Expectations 101

7 Caring for Each Other: Nurture and Discipline 124

8 The Business of the Congregation: The Pursuit of Efficiency and Financial Stability 151

9 Caring for Others: Social Christianity and the Local Congregation 180

10 Good Friends and Companions: Social, Recreational, and Fellowship Activities 207

11 Church Buildings: Setting and Symbol 222

Epilogue: From Piety to Fellowship 240.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [303]-325) and index.

ISBN:

0271020148

0271020156

OCLC:

42290115