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Category: Christian Studies

May 4, 2021

How A New Christian Identity Came About

Guest post by Amy B. Voorhees, author of A New Christian Identity: Christian Science Origins and Experience in American Culture The reason I wrote this book is because I was intrigued by the distance between differing definitions of Christian Science within academics. Over the decades, these have had varying degrees of alignment with one another and with key primary sources, and I wanted to know how this variation arose.  Scholars today agree on some core things about the Christian Science religion. For example,… Continue Reading How A New Christian Identity Came About

Categories American Studies/Christian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Religion
March 11, 2021

Marietta Webb, Christian Science, and Race in America

Follow the UNC Press Blog for a celebration of women’s histories and women historians throughout March. Guest post by Amy B. Voorhees, author of A New Christian Identity: Christian Science Origins and Experience in American Culture Marietta Webb was a founding member of a Christian Science congregation attended almost entirely by African Americans on the east side of Los Angeles. Local… Continue Reading Marietta Webb, Christian Science, and Race in America

Categories African American Studies/Christian Studies/Religion
October 28, 2020

Tony Tian-Ren Lin: Make America Dream Again

Today we welcome a guest post from Tony Tian-Ren Lin, author of Prosperity Gospel Latinos and Their American Dream, out now from UNC Press. In this immersive ethnography, Tony Tian-Ren Lin explores the reasons that Latin American immigrants across the United States are increasingly drawn to Prosperity Gospel Pentecostalism, a strand of Protestantism gaining popularity around the world. Lin contends that… Continue Reading Tony Tian-Ren Lin: Make America Dream Again

Categories Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/Latino Studies/Religion/Sociology/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
October 23, 2020

James Hudnut-Beumler: Will the Pandemic Lead to Catastrophe for Churches?

Today we welcome a guest post from James Hudnut-Beumler, author of In Pursuit of the Almighty’s Dollar: A History of Money and American Protestantism, as well as Strangers and Friends at the Welcome Table: Contemporary Christianities in the American South. In this post, Hudnut-Beumler considers the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on church finances in the 2020 stewardship season and… Continue Reading James Hudnut-Beumler: Will the Pandemic Lead to Catastrophe for Churches?

Categories American History/Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Religion/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
September 28, 2020

Tony Tian-Ren Lin: The Faithful Shall Not be Deterred

Today we welcome a guest post from Tony Tian-Ren Lin, author of Prosperity Gospel Latinos and Their American Dream, out now from UNC Press. In this immersive ethnography, Tony Tian-Ren Lin explores the reasons that Latin American immigrants across the United States are increasingly drawn to Prosperity Gospel Pentecostalism, a strand of Protestantism gaining popularity around the world. Lin contends… Continue Reading Tony Tian-Ren Lin: The Faithful Shall Not be Deterred

Categories Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Latino Studies/Religion/Sociology/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
February 24, 2020

Mary J. Henold: The Most Extraordinary (Catholic) Fashion Show of 1970

Today we welcome a guest post from Mary J. Henold, author of The Laywoman Project: Remaking Catholic Womanhood in the Vatican II Era, out today from UNC Press. Summoning everyday Catholic laywomen to the forefront of twentieth-century Catholic history, Mary J. Henold considers how these committed parishioners experienced their religion in the wake of Vatican II (1962–1965). This era saw major… Continue Reading Mary J. Henold: The Most Extraordinary (Catholic) Fashion Show of 1970

Categories American History/Christian Studies/Religion/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News/Women's Studies
February 19, 2020

Taylor Petrey: Are Mormons Feminists Now?

Today we welcome a guest post from Taylor G. Petrey, author of Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism, forthcoming from UNC Press. Taylor G. Petrey’s trenchant history takes a landmark step forward in documenting and theorizing about Latter-day Saints (LDS) teachings on gender, sexual difference, and marriage. Drawing on deep archival research, Petrey situates LDS doctrines in… Continue Reading Taylor Petrey: Are Mormons Feminists Now?

Categories Christian Studies/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Gender Studies/Religion/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
December 3, 2018

Samira K. Mehta: Beyond Chrismukkah

Today is the first day of Hanukkah, and we welcome a post from Samira K. Mehta, author of Beyond Chrismukkah:  The Christian-Jewish Interfaith Family in the United States, published by UNC Press. The rate of interfaith marriage in the United States has risen so radically since the sixties that it is difficult to recall how taboo the practice once was.… Continue Reading Samira K. Mehta: Beyond Chrismukkah

Categories Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Jewish Studies/Religion/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
October 21, 2017

John Hayes: “Those People”

Today we welcome a guest post from John Hayes, author of Hard, Hard Religion:  Interracial Faith in the Poor South, on the history of class and race in the American South. In Hard, Hard Religion, his captivating study of faith and class, John Hayes examines the ways folk religion in the early twentieth century allowed the South’s poor–both white and… Continue Reading John Hayes: “Those People”

Categories African American History/Anthropology/Christian Studies/Current Events/Religion/UNC Press Authors/UNC Press News
October 3, 2017

Save 40% on our new Religious Studies Books!

We’ve just launched our 2017 Religious Studies catalog promotion.  UNC Press is now offering 40% off of our latest Religious Studies books (and ALL UNC Press print books)! Simply enter the code 01REL40 at checkout to get your discount. Additionally, all orders of $75 and above will receive FREE shipping! Be sure to act on this offer before it’s gone! Browse the books… Continue Reading Save 40% on our new Religious Studies Books!

Categories Christian Studies/Islamic Studies/Jewish Studies/Religion/Sale/UNC Press News
October 19, 2016

Save 40% on our Religious Studies Books!

UNC Press is now having a special offer for 40% off of our latest Religious Studies books!

Simply enter the code 01RELI40 at check out to redeem the offer. Additionally, all orders of $75 and above will receive FREE shipping! Be sure to act on this offer before it’s gone!
Continue Reading Save 40% on our Religious Studies Books!

Categories Christian Studies/Islamic Studies/Jewish Studies/Religion/Sale/UNC Press News
October 13, 2016

Anne M. Blankenship: E Pluribus Unum?

Headlines of racial violence and the unabashed racism within Donald Trump’s campaign for the U.S. presidency do not allow Americans to escape the fact that our nation’s value of pluralism lies on shaky ground. The U.S. Constitution, of course, did not originally allow for the full rights of women or people of African, Asian, or Native American descent, but the notion of America as a land of opportunity for all persists. Continue Reading Anne M. Blankenship: E Pluribus Unum?

Categories American History/Asian Studies/Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Politics/Religion
February 1, 2016

Video: Patricia Appelbaum on St. Francis, America’s Most Popular Saint

Patricia Appelbaum, author of St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America’s Most Popular Saint, talks to Peggy Bendroth as part of the History Matters series at the Congregational Library and Archives. Continue Reading Video: Patricia Appelbaum on St. Francis, America’s Most Popular Saint

Categories Christian Studies/Religion/Video
January 21, 2016

Margaret Bendroth: Disorganized Religion

Protestant aversion to organized religion is everywhere, even on the sign on the front lawns of churches. Smart congregations are dropping the Baptist or Methodist or Presbyterian label and replacing it with soft generic names like Willow Grove or Saddleback. They are becoming nonspecific “communities” and “fellowships” associating themselves with some broad spiritual aspiration, like “resurrection” or “hope” or “reconciliation.” Continue Reading Margaret Bendroth: Disorganized Religion

Categories American History/American Studies/Christian Studies/History/Religion
November 16, 2015

Patricia Appelbaum: Pope Francis and the 1967 Theologians

This past summer, Pope Francis released his very welcome encyclical on climate change. Supporters and opponents have both noted his attention to science. What I find more interesting is his attention to theology and religion. Continue Reading Patricia Appelbaum: Pope Francis and the 1967 Theologians

Categories Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Environmental Studies/Guest Bloggers/History/Religion
October 1, 2015

Patricia Appelbaum: Protestant Blessings and Cultural Change

It’s the season of blessings again. In many places there are blessings of backpacks for the new school year. Here and there, bicycles that were not blessed in spring will have another chance. In October, religious groups all over the country and around the world will hold “blessings of the animals” in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. What I find remarkable is how many of these ceremonies take place in Protestant churches. It wasn’t always like this. Continue Reading Patricia Appelbaum: Protestant Blessings and Cultural Change

Categories American Studies/Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Religion
September 25, 2015

Elizabeth Hayes Alvarez: Catholics and Protestants in Philadelphia: From Conflict to Collaboration

As I walk around Philadelphia this week, I marvel at the signs, merchandise, and promotions welcoming Pope Francis. It’s hard to believe that just over a century and a half ago, Catholics were the target of violence in this city. Continue Reading Elizabeth Hayes Alvarez: Catholics and Protestants in Philadelphia: From Conflict to Collaboration

Categories American History/Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Current Events/Guest Bloggers/History/Religion
August 31, 2015

Sam Miglarese: Looking Ahead to the Visit of Pope Francis

This shift of Pope Francis is significant—even radical. He is focused on the pastoral outreach to people, especially those who are judged as not being in communion with church teaching through divorce, use of contraception, and gay unions. He tells us to “stop the obsession” with sex and to find a way to welcome and heal those who have been marginalized because they do not measure up to the ideal state of church teaching on every issue. Continue Reading Sam Miglarese: Looking Ahead to the Visit of Pope Francis

Categories Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Religion
July 29, 2015

Excerpt: Guaranteed Pure: The Moody Bible Institute, Business, and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism, by Timothy Gloege

The oatmeal market suffered under the weight of too many competitors, with prices often falling below production costs. Crowell saw the solution in the mill’s overlooked Quaker trademark. And so, at a time when most consumers shoveled their oatmeal from open barrels, Crowell’s product appeared on shelves in sealed, two-pound boxes. Richly illustrated advertisements saturated local, then national, print media. Both package and ad featured the iconic Quaker, always smiling jovially and holding a scroll on which was written the single word “Pure.” Continue Reading Excerpt: Guaranteed Pure: The Moody Bible Institute, Business, and the Making of Modern Evangelicalism, by Timothy Gloege

Categories Christian Studies/Economics/Excerpts/Religion
June 16, 2015

Erin A. Smith: Popular Religious Reading, Cultural Identities, and Religious Communities

Although cast as opponents in cultural debates, religious liberals and evangelicals appear to read (different) books for similar reason—to (re)create their religious identities, to restore people like them to the center of religious life, and to place themselves in history as important religious actors. These books remind readers of their beliefs and values and help them (re)construct their faith in the face of daily challenges and disappointments. Continue Reading Erin A. Smith: Popular Religious Reading, Cultural Identities, and Religious Communities

Categories Author blog entry/Christian Studies/Guest Bloggers/Religion