Research On Religion » United States

Brandon O’Brien on Isaac Backus and Religious Liberty

tonygill — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 08:00:11 +0000

One of our favorite topics of discussion on Research on Religion is religious liberty. Dr. Brandon O’Brien, the Director of Content Development at Redeemer City to City, provides a new angle on that topic as he joins us to discuss Isaac Backus and his new book Demanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Freedom. After Tony notes that Dr. O’Brien appeared on our show previously talking about the Apostle Paul, Brandon explains his interest in colonial American religious history and how this new book emanated from his dissertation about the religious and political developments of the late 18th century.

Brandon then notes that although we Americans take religious liberty for granted and that it is part of our DNA from the earliest days of our nation, in reality there was an ongoing struggle for religious liberty in the colonial period and the First Amendment to the US Constitution was in no way guaranteed. There were forces championing full public support of religious (select) institutions and partisans on the other side that were very secularist in nature. Enter Isaac Backus, who found a way to thread the needle of these two positions. Brandon reviews the life and times of Isaac, noting his conversion to New Light Christianity during the First Great Awakening, moving towards a “separatist” position.

There were two critical issues that formulated Backus’s view of religious freedom – one theological and the other political. Theologically, Backus wanted to figure out a way to manage the divisive issue of infant baptism when he was a pastor in his Titicut parish. For him, the optimal solution was to allow the freedom for different viewpoints to pursue their own conscience on the matter — i.e., religious freedom. Politically, the issue of religious taxes (or mandatory tithing) was a costly issue for he and his congregants at the time. While Baptists were technically exempt from the Standing Order that required the tax subsidized support of Congregationalist churches in New England, the administration of theses taxes was often arbitrary in execution. Backus pointed out that the British tyranny that patriots were fighting against in the 1770s was the same as minority religious congregations facing the Congregationalist hegemony. All of these came out in Backus’s Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty, which helped shaped the background discussion that eventually gave rise to the Bill of Rights.

We finish with some of Dr. O’Brien’s reflections on what he has learned in his varied studies of everything from small churches in the contemporary US, to the bad behavior of Paul, to his most recent publication on Backus. Recorded: June 8, 2018.

RELATED LINKS

Brandon J. O’Brien’s personal website and Redeemer City to City.

Demanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Freedom, by Brandon J. O’Brien.

The Strategically Small Church, by Brandon J. O’Brien.

Paul Behaving Badly, by Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien.

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, by Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien.

“An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty,” by Isaac Backus.

RELATED PODCASTS

Brandon O’Brien on Paul Behaving Badly.

Anthony Gill on the Political Origins of Religious Liberty.

Mark David Hall podcasts on religion and the Founding Fathers.

Podcasts on Religious Liberty.

David Smith on Episodic Religious Persecutions (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 13 May 2018 08:00:57 +0000

Although the United States is often viewed as a beacon for religious freedom around the world, thanks in large part to the institutionalization of the First Amendment, the practice of religious toleration has often fallen well short of the ideals set for itself. Prof. David Smith, lecturer in the Department of Government & International Relations and a faculty member at the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney (Australia), discusses his explanation for episodic religious persecution in the United States. Using the Latter Day Saints in the 19th century and Jehovah’s Witnesses in the early 20th century as comparative case studies, he argues that religious minorities that are seen as threats to the established political order will quickly find themselves victims of state-sanctioned persecution.

We begin the discussion with Prof. Smith’s personal journey to this topic. For an Australian studying American politics, a field dominated by quantitative studies of contemporary political behavior, the choice of such a historical topic seems a bit unique. Nonetheless, David points out how the eyes of a foreigner can often uncover interesting behavioral patterns that often go unnoticed by natives. This leads us to a discussion of how “mythic ideals” within a nation often do not match with historical practice, particularly given that human beings are quite fallible when it comes to reaching noble goals.

David then jumps into a detailed elaboration of the persecuted path of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (i.e., Mormons) in the 19th century, from their early days in New York and Ohio, through an “extermination order” in Missouri, to the mob execution of their leader Joseph Smith, and finally through their travails into Utah territory and the struggles to become a state. Along the way, David drops hints at his explanation to come, including how the presence of the Mormons in different areas affected the political calculus among existing elites. David places the debates over polygamy and political partisanship into a context of broader struggles for political power that were affecting the nation in the pre- and post-Civil War era. We learn some interesting things about how Harriet Beecher Stowe, famed feminist crusader, changed her position on whether or not Mormon women should be given the right to vote, and how Reed Smoot (half of the infamous Smoot-Hawley tariff act) was prevented from taking his seat in the US Senate because of ongoing concerns over polygamy.

We then jump into the early 20th century to discuss the rise of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a seemingly innocuous group of Christians who refused to salute the flag or have their children recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school. Such actions, combined with their visible proselytizing presence, provoked a number of local organizations such as the American Legion to consider them a serious threat to American nationalism. Combined with concern over the balance of political power at the local level and their stand against military service at a time war was on the horizon, a rash of physical harassment of Witnesses arose in the late 1930s and early 1940s, dissipating around 1941/42 when roughly half of the Witnesses young male missionaries were jailed. We further discuss the reasons why the Witnesses were targetted, but not groups such as the Mennonites and Amish, another religious group that resisted military service and spoke German!

Prof. Smith shows how both of these instances of religious persecution were theoretically linked by how each group — Mormons and Witnesses — were perceived as a political threat to the existing state power structure. We then discuss how his explanation played out in other historic instances of religious persecution (or lack thereof) including Catholics, Jews, and the Nation of Islam (a homegrown Muslim group). Interestingly, while the Nation of Islam was facing persecution (around the time of the Witnesses), political authorities were encouraging Muslim immigration from overseas. We also explore why Muslims over the past decade and a half (since September 11, 2001) have not seen the levels of persecution or harassment experienced by the Mormons and Witnesses. David closes with some thoughts on how future persecutions might be contained. Recorded: January 7, 2014.

Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States, by David Smith.

United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.

RELATED PODCASTS

Patrick Mason on Anti-Mormonism and Mitt Romney.

Lynita Newswander on Mormons in America.

Jason Jewell on Locke and Religious Toleration.

Mark Koyama on Jewish Expulsions.

Anthony Gill on Religion and Religious Liberty (An EconTalk simul-podcast).

Anthony Gill on the Political Origins of Religious Liberty.

Michael McBride on Religious Free-Riding and Mormons.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism.

Shari Rabin on Jews on the American Frontier

tonygill — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 08:00:08 +0000

What is it like to be a stranger in a strange land on the move, and how does that affect one’s ability to preserve their religious identity? This is a central question take up by Prof. Shari Rabin, an assistant professor of Jewish Studies at the College of Charleston and director of the Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture, in her new book Jews on the Frontier: Religion and Mobility in Nineteenth-Century America. We begin, as usual, with a little background on our guest, learning how Prof. Rabin moved from Wisconsin to Georgia and then into the study of Jewish migration. Not surprisingly, we learn that her research interests in graduate school resonated with her own experiences on the move. Shari also gives us a synopsis of the Peralstine/Lipov Center that she runs.

We then move into our discussion on Jewish migration in 19th century America, first with a general overview of Jewish migration patterns dating back to the early colonial period in America. We learn that Charleston actually has the second oldest synagogue in the US dating back to the mid-17th century. Our conversation covers the various “push” and “pull” factors that led many Jews to migrate to American in the early 1800s. In Europe, governments tightly regulated Jewish behavior and living patterns, which served to shape their communities. In the US, by contrast, no such regulations existed and with the opportunity to head out West, it became very easy for one to lose one’s religious identity. The struggle to retain one’s heritage serves to focus the rest of our discussion. It is noted that much of the early Jewish migration was comprised of single males, making it difficult to find a spouse and raise a Jewish family. Intermarriage with Christians always presented itself as one possibility, but there were efforts to provide Jewish matchmaking services in order to retain cultural continuity. Issues of circumcision are also discussed, with Prof. Rabin noting that it was very difficult to find someone qualified to perform the procedure within the required eight days of birth. This, in turn, led to some creative flexibility on the part of Jews who needed to bend the strict rules. Other challenges facing Jews on the move related to finding Jewish “stuff,” such as kosher food, Torah scrolls, prayer shawls, and other elements of the faith that were used on a daily basis. And setting up a synagogue that helped to reinforce communal worship was also difficult as in some communities it was difficult to gather a quorum of believers to establish the congregation.

The final part of our conversation relates to how Jewish theology responded to the physical challenges of living as a minority in mobile times. Shari discusses two central figures in American Jewish history who were aware of these challenges and sought to shape religious identity to the new circumstances — Isaac Mayer Wise and Isaac Leeser. The former was a central figure in the creation of Reform Judaism, whereas the latter tried to preserve more traditional forms of Judaism. Despite their seemingly divergent approaches, Shari points out that these two religious entrepreneurs also shared much in common, using newspapers as a means of communication within the American Jewish community. She notes that the newspapers were not only there to broadcast to Jews the changes in Jewish culture that were occurring, but as Jews wrote into the paper describing their daily challenges, these men were able to keep their “ears to the ground” of the culture and diagnose the problems of the faithful. Their answers to these challenges often led to expanding notions of cultural authenticity, demonstrating that theology can be very flexible to one’s contextual environment. Shari also reveals that because Wise outlived Leeser by nearly three decades, he had a larger imprint on the nature of American Jewish culture. We sum up our discussion with the importance of the year 1877 and two important events. First Isaac Wise’s trip to California led him to write a series of travel letters that indicated his awe of how vibrant the Jewish culture remained in new lands, but also how he was concerned about how some changes (such as intermarriage with Christians) was threatening the long-term viability of the faith. The second major event of that year was the Seligman Affair, wherein a prominent Jewish businessman was prohibited from obtaining lodging in Saratoga, New York. This latter incident revealed that up until that time, Jewish life in American was largely individualistic and invisible, but as the population started to grow and find ways to enhance their communal relationships it often brought with it anti-Semitism and other forms of negative attention. We end the podcast with Prof. Rabin’s thoughts on what she has learned throughout her studies of Jewish life and migration. Recorded: February 23, 2018.

Prof. Rabin’s personal website (with links to her various writings).

Jews on the Frontier: Religion and Mobility in Nineteenth-Century America, by Shari Rabin.

The American Israelite, the newspaper founded by Isaac Mayer Wise (originally named The Israelite).

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of Being Jewish in America.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism (different than episode listed above).

Daniel Libenson on Present and Future Judaism.

Ken Wald on the Puzzling Politics of American Judaism.

Linda Weiser Friedman on Jewish Humor.

Click out “Jewish” category on the right hand side of our website for more episodes related to Judaism.

Quin Monson on Norms, Religion, and Politics

tonygill — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 09:00:11 +0000

How do people view other religions? Are there norms of tolerance (or intolerance) that Americans hold in common? If there are differences in these norms, do they cut across political affiliation? These are some of the questions that Prof. Quin Monson, associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University, sets out to answer in a paper that he co-authored with his BYU colleagues Christopher Karpowitz and Kelly Patterson. We discuss their recent findings published in the journal Politics & Religion entitled “Who’s In and Who’s Out: The Politics of Religious Norms.” Before that, though, we include a bit of banter about what it is like being a political science professor and having to answer questions about why we can’t seem to predict the outcome of recent elections. Prof. Monson shares some insights here and notes that scholars are trying to rectify some recent errors and are rediscovering some important research from the past.

We then jump into the world of norms and norm enforcement. Quin defines what norms are — the collective consciousness of a community — and provides a few examples of norms and how they operate. We talk about the norm of standing in line and “first come, first served” and how violations of this commonly known rule are enforced. Prof. Monson notes that the more that is at stake with respect to a norm, the more individuals will seek to sanction a norm violator. He also mentions Tony’s recent work on tipping (gratuities), allowing him to post a link to that conversation below! Quin further illustrates the role of norms in politics through an earlier study he conducted on how voters perceive privacy at the ballot box. A field experiment conducted at polling sites, wherein tape was placed around voting booths to signify a private space had an effect on how poll workers interacted with citizens. We then review the difficulty in measuring norms within a quantitative framework.

This conversation on measuring norms leads us into Quin’s recent survey experiment on the religious attitudes people hold and whether they are willing to sanction people with respect to “inappropriate” statements against certain denominations. We briefly cover the history of religious discrimination in American that includes anti-Catholicism, anti-Mormonism, and anti-Semitism. Prof. Monson leads us then through an interesting survey experiment he conducted with the help of the Cooperative Congressional Election Study, a research project involving some 50,000 subjects that can be broken down into 1,000 person modules for specific projects. Quin reviews the pre- and post-test design of the study and explains how he and his colleagues sought to measure religious intolerance and the willingness to chastise other individuals for holding such views. He reads a vignette that was given randomly to respondents which was based off of some comments that comedian and social commentator Bill Maher had made towards religion. They modified this statement to include the religious categories of Catholics, Mormons, Jews, evangelical Christians, Muslims, and Mitt Romney. The latter was added as an interesting control given the 2012 test surrounded the presidential election involving Mitt Romney, the first Mormon presidential candidate. The findings from this study indicated that the level of anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism was relatively low, and that individual respondents were often upset at people holding such views. The largest effect, though, related towards whether or not individuals would sanction comments calling Muslims “weird.” Democrats were more likely to disapprove or sanction negative statements against Muslims, whereas Republicans were not. Quin mentioned that this may be have been a precursor of what happened in the political rhetoric of the 2016 election. We finish off the podcast with Quin’s thoughts on how norms may be changing in society and what things he has most learned throughout his career. Recorded: December 15, 2017.

“Who’s In and Who’s Out: The Politics of Religious Norms,” by Christopher Karpowitz, Quin Monson, and Kelly Patterson (requires subscription).

Seeking the Promised Land: Mormons and American Politics, by David Campbell, John Green, and Quin Monson.

Cooperative Congressional Election Study.

Anthony Gill on Tipping (EconTalk podcast mentioned during discussion).

RELATED PODCASTS

David Campbell & Quin Monson on Mormons and Politics in America.

Patrick Mason on Anti-Mormonism and Mitt Romney.

David Smith on Episodic Religious Persecutions.

Lynita Newswander on Mormons in America.

Jeremy Castle on Religion and Voting Behavior.

Luis Bolce and the Media and Anti-Fundamentalism.

Bradley Wright on Religion, Race, and Discrimination.

Laura Olson on Attitudes toward Religious Free Exercise.

Jason Jewell on John Locke and Religious Toleration.

Corwin Smidt on Religion, Elections, and the God Gap.

Gerald De Maio on the Electoral God Gap.

Tracy McKenzie on the First Thanksgiving (Annual Encore)

tonygill — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 16:33:01 +0000

While Tony is taking an extended sabbatical and trying to update some technical issues with the audio, we encourage you to enjoy this annual favorite of his.

What events led up to the “First” Thanksgiving and what was life like for the Pilgrims who celebrated it? Prof. Tracy McKenzie, a professor in the Department of History at Wheaton College, takes up this topic from the vantage point of a Christian historian. He challenges some of our “grade school” understandings of what that event was all about, but in a manner that retains the reverence for the people and events during that time.

We start our conversation by looking at the topic of “revisionist history.” Prof. McKenzie provides a very profound and nuanced discussion of what it means to be “revisionist,” while simultaneously admitting that he is not a fan of that term. A good portion of what Tracy does in his most recent work is not only to discuss Thanksgiving, but is designed to prompt Christians to think critically about their history as a means of living their faith more honestly. As part of this, we quickly learn that the “First” Thanksgiving celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November is not actually the first thanksgiving in the New World. Tracy explains why this is.

We then explore who the Pilgrims were and what motivated them to eventually set sail for Virginia, initially, but had them landing in modern day Massachusetts. This discussion includes what the Pilgrims believed theologically and how they acted out their faith. Surprisingly, we discover that the Pilgrims were very averse to celebrating the traditional holidays we take for granted today, such as Christmas and Easter, but rather considered only Sunday as the only “holy day.” Prof. McKenzie then shares how “days of thanksgiving” were celebrated by the Pilgrims, but not as a regular holiday but rather as a “particular holy day” that would only be called on special occasions.

We also bring up several other characteristics of the Pilgrims that might surprise us, including their dislike of the King James Bible and how they prayed with eyes upward rather than heads bowed. And one of the more interesting aspects of the Pilgrims to come up was that they never gave thanks for their food before eating, although they did pray to have the food blessed. The political views of these Separatists then comes into our discussion as well as the diversity of the passengers aboard the Mayflower and how that diversity would be managed with the Mayflower Compact. The economic conditions of the Pilgrims in their first year falls under our scrutiny, observing that they first set out with a communal farming structure but this breaks down after two years and William Bradford agrees to privatize parcels of land.

Other topics covered include relations with the Wampanoags, how the “first” Thanksgiving was celebrated, and how this event is forgotten for nearly 200 years until it came to capture the American imagination in the 1820s and ’40s. Tracy also reveals how Thanksgiving was considered a “Yankee” holiday during the secessionist crisis that led up to the Civil War and how it eventually became a nationally-recognized holiday under the FDR administration.

Prof. McKenzie finishes the interview with his own reflections on what this story of Thanksgiving has meant to him and his family, and how Christians need to celebrate their history as well as remembering it for what it really is. His insights as a father, and not just a historian, should resonate with many of our listeners. This is an encore presentation. Recorded: November 5, 2012.

Faith & History, Tracy McKenzie’s personal blog.

The First Thanksgiving, by Tracy McKenzie.

Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War, by Tracy McKenzie.

One South or Many? Plantation Belt and Upcountry in Civil War Era Tennessee, by Tracy McKenzie.

RELATED PODCASTS

Thomas Kidd on the Pilgrims.

Scott Carroll on the King James Bible.

Evan Haefeli on the Dutch Origins of Religious Liberty.

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of Being Jewish in America (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 09:00:02 +0000

Welcome new visitors. Please enjoy this episode and other great discussions in our archives (now 350+ episodes deep), and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Also, we are on a short sabbatical but will return soon with some crescent fresh interviews.

What are the various cost constraints with being Jewish in America? Prof. Carmel Chiswick, a research professor of economics at George Washington University, uses the lens of economics to reveal the various constraints facing a religious minority in the United States and how this affects Jewish culture. We walk through her book Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition.

We start the conversation with a general overview of Jews in America, including the size of the population, their immigration history, and other demographic features. It is pointed out that Jews are both an ethnic group, and a group with a distinct religion. We chat a bit about how Jewish (in terms of religion) Jews are in America. Prof. Chiswick then discusses the difference between Great Tradition and small tradition Judaism. The former focuses on the essential religious components of Judaism, including the Torah, Talmud, Mishnah and several key holy days. Small tradition Judaism, on the other hand, is a reflection of different cultural practices and emphases that can vary across different groups of Jews (e.g., Spehardi or Ashkenazi) and across time. This is mixed with some personal reflection on her own life growing up Jewish, which gives this academic topic a much more personal touch. Carmel explains why she chose to write her book with these personal stories, noting that she uses economics everyday to understand her own daily choices.

We then begin a discussion of how economics is used to explain Jewish behavior and traditions. Carmel gives us a good introduction of how actions not only have a financial cost but a time cost as well, resulting in what economists call the “full price” (or “real cost”). She points out that there are a variety of constraints on Jews in America that affect how they make decisions about worship and other aspects of life. For example, as an individual becomes wealthier, the cost of their time also increases and this has an impact on how synagogue worship has been conducted given that Jews have been an upwardly mobile community. We also talk about the issue of human capital and education and the constrained choices that have to be made here. Carmel reflects upon her family’s decision whether to send their children to Hebrew or public school, as well as the reliance upon summer camps and other activities that are designed to preserve Jewish religious culture in an environment where time becomes more valuable for professional parents.

Carmel next lays out some of the contemporary challenges facing Jews in America. Most notable among these challenges are the new demographic categories that are emerging, principally “young adult singles” and “empty nesters.” With marriage ages increasing quite substantially over the past few decades, there is a growing population of individuals in their 20s and early 30s who are not married, do not have children, and who do not feel as connected to the synagogue. Whereas people often connect with religious institutions when they have children, and synagogues often cater to the needs of this group, the decade or so wherein individuals are not married or having children becomes a time when they can drift away from their faith. We also discuss the issue of intermarriage and how that might affect the Jewish population in the future. Interestingly, the rise of “young adult singles” also gives rise to another demographic group known as “empty nesters” who are not actively raising kids yet are not grandparents either. Once again, this becomes a life cycle point where people do not feel as connected to the synagogue. (Note: These issues arise again in next week’s podcast with Daniel Libenson, who discusses some attempts to deal with this new environment.)

We finish off with some of Carmel’s personal observations on what she has learned in her years studying the economics of religion, being Jewish in America, and writing her highly readable book. Recorded: April 7, 2015.

Judaism in Transition: How Economic Choices Shape Religious Tradition, by Carmel U. Chiswick.

Association for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Culture (ASREC).

RELATED PODCASTS

Carmel Chiswick on the Economics of American Judaism.

Daniel Libenson on the Jewish Future.

Linda Weiser Friedman on Jewish Humor.

Colleen Haight on Jewish Peddlers in 19th Century America.

Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice, Stigma, and the Economics of Religion.

Jeff Levin on Judaism and Health.

Mark Glickman on the Cairo Genizah.

Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions.

Ken Wald on the Puzzling Politics of American Jews.

Ellie Estrin on the Traditions of Chanukah.

Rajdeep Singh on American Sikhs and Religious Liberty.

James Hudnut-Beumler on the History of Church Financing in the US

tonygill — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 08:00:39 +0000

While congregations may pray for manna from heaven, financing a religious institution often relies upon hard work, creativity, and direct appeals to parishioners to contribute to the provision of the clergy and the buildings. Prof. James Hudnut-Beumler, the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of Religious History at Vanderbilt University, discusses his historical studies of how American Protestant churches changed their funding models over the past two and a half centuries. We begin with a personal story of how Dr. Hudnut-Beumler came to be interested in the economics behind church funding, and he regales us with a story of his chance meeting with Ben Bernake (yet to become chairman of the Federal Reserve). Upon finding out that Jim studied religion, Bernake told him how economics predicts that women would be more religiously active then men. We talk a bit more about the appropriateness of using economics to understand the world of religion, and Jim notes that one of the most important concepts that economics contributes to a humanities-based approach is the notion of value. Indeed, the becomes important later in our interview when we ask Prof. Hudnut-Beumler about his own personal reflections on his research and how it helped him in his religious vocation as a Presbyterian minister. We then work our way through a history of American Protestantism and how funding models have changed over time.

Jim notes that there are three common tensions or ironies that run throughout this history including: clergy who raise money “for God” understand that they are really paying for their own salary; the spiritualization of appeals for financing; and the increasing voluntary nature of church tithing. Jim points out that roughly two-thirds of the cost of running a congregation goes to personnel in the form of salaries and other compensation. During America’s colonial history, much of the needed funding was collected via taxes collected by local governments. This began to change during the First Great Awakening as itinerant ministers and upstart churches would compete with the state-funded churches for members and funds. By the end of the 18th century and into the early 19th century, congregations lost support of state funding and needed to make new appeals to members to voluntarily contribute to churches. We talk a bit about the “pew rent” model and learn, as a fun fact, that the raised boxes of seating in many churches were to house heated bricks to keep the wealthier congregants warmer in the winter. Not only was it valuable to sit up front near the preacher, but that was also where the heating was! Another development in the first half of the 1800s was the rise of the “Benevolence Empire,” wherein colporteurs and other charity entrepreneurs would raise funds for specific causes. Realizing that this was competing with a fixed set of dollars that congregants were giving to religious causes, church congregations also got into this business leading to a dramatic increase in the amount of charitable funding during this era. Another fascinating development, and one which surprised Prof. Hudnut-Beumler, was the emphasis placed on constructing and remodeling church buildings. Whereas we are often treated with iconic photos of churches that exist “as they were in colonial days,” the truth of the matter is that church buildings were constantly undergoing change as individual congregants saw building or remodeling a church as a way to demonstrate devotion to God and to take pride in one’s own congregation.

The next phase of church financing occurred after the Civil War and up to World War I. Here Jim emphasizes a rediscovery of tithing and stewardship, noting how religious rhetoric tended to spiritualize the notion of giving, making it appear as one’s duty to God as compared to the mere need to support the pastor and keep the building looking tidy. Also during this era, clergy began to see themselves as professionals, much the way one would envision a business manager or banker. A number of congregations responded to this by altering how they compensated their clergy, and Jim provides examples of the Presbyterians who insisted upon supporting their ministers and missionaries on a salary that was equivalent to that of a local school superintendent. United Lutherans developed another model of investing in pensions for their clergy so they knew they would be taken care of after their retirement. We then talk about the developments that occur in the latter half of the 20th century and how growing suburbanization led to increased demands for a “seven day church” that was used for athletic and other social activities. Church sizes began to increase as did the spread of non-denominational churches. We then talk about how automated teller machines (ATMs) and the rise of “plastic money” has changed the giving model, with many churches turning to weekly debits from bank accounts as a way to smooth out the annual giving cycle. Jim tells us about how his father, a minister, would be somewhat concerned about family expenses going into the summer as that was the time when contributions were at their lowest. (Tony notes that another guest on the podcast brought up this same issue, Pastor Larry Osborne, who Tony mistakenly refers to as Robert Osborne. Oops.) We conclude our discussion some of Rev. Hudnut-Beumler’s own personal reflections about what he has learned in his studies and how it has affected his ministry. He emphasized the importance of speaking plainly and transparently to congregants about the need for funding. Recorded: September 29, 2017.

In Pursuit of the Almighty’s Dollar: A History of Money and American Protestantism, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

“Why Cash Remains Sacred in American Churches,” by James Hudnut-Beumler (on RealClearReligion).

Looking for God in the Suburbs: The Religion of the American Dream and Its Critics, 1945-1965, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

Generous Saints: Congregations Rethinking Money and Ethics, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

The History of the Riverside Church in the City of New York, by Peter Paris, et al. (including James Hudnut-Beumler).

The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior, by Steven Garber (mentioned in the podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

John Fea on the American Bible Society.

Michael McConnell on Church Property Disputes.

Phillip Sinitierre on the Osteens and Lakewood Church.

Richard Hammar on Churches, Taxes, Donations, and Liability.

Mike McBride on the Economics of Church Leadership.

Thom Rainer on Baptist Conventions and Church Health.

Jordan Lorence on Religious Property Cases.

Donald Kraybill on The Amish (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 08:00:08 +0000

Most people might be able to identify an Amish person as someone who drives a horse and buggy, but how much do we really know about this ethno-religious group? Prof. Donald Kraybill, the Distinguished College Professor and Senior Fellow at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, helps to fill out our understanding of this fascinating community. The conversation also includes various references to Mennonites, both the modern, mainstream version and the “horse and buggy” (or Old Order) Mennonite community. (Note: While the term “horse and buggy” Mennonite may sound like a stereotypical reference term, Dr. Kraybill explains his use of this term.)

After sharing his (not-so-positive) thoughts on the TV series The Amish Mafia, Prof. Kraybill covers the historical background of the Amish and Old Order Mennonites, discussing their European (Swiss and German) roots in the Anabaptist movement and how they became differentiated in 1693. We follow their progress of migration out of Europe and explore why there are few (if any) Amish and Old Order Mennonite settlements in Europe today. Religious persecution pushed many of these religious adherents to the Americas in the early 18th century, with Pennsylvania’s attractive environment of religious freedom being a large attractor. Even though we often associate central Pennsylvania with the Amish today, Don notes that there are Amish and “horse and buggy” Mennonite communities existing in 31 US states today. Tony discovers that these groups are more widespread and numerous than he thought, with about 40 different Amish “tribes” in existence across the country.

Our focus then turns to the cultural and theological practices of the Amish specifically. We review the reasons for men’s bears, the long hair and covering of women, distinctive clothing, the aversion to electricity and automobiles, and language. Don explains how the stereotypical image of “no electricity usage” is misplaced. While the Amish refuse to be connected to “the power grid” as they view it as a means of pulling the community apart (likewise with autos), they are known to use diesel engines, batteries, and even solar panels to power machine tools, coffee makers, and even photocopiers! Prof. Kraybill also explains those popular images of horse teams pulling John Deere farming equipment, a question referred to us by Doug Johnston. Our discussion here also covers Gene Sjoberg’s question on closed-community marriage and the myth of “rumspringa.”

Prof. Kraybill also answers a number of questions submitted by listeners such as Dave Dixon and Bud Kellstedt pertaining to Amish and Mennonite theology. He explains why most Amish and Mennonites should not be labeled as “evangelical” (as is sometimes done in social science research) and the theological authority structure of these communities. The Amish and Old Order Mennonites do not have a structured system of theological education, although more modern Mennonites do maintain a seminary and professional clergy. We also dip a bit into views of soteriology and other theological beliefs.

We finish the interview with a discussion of how the Amish relate to the non-Amish communities around them. We answer Adam Gurri’s question on how the Amish have diversified their economies over the past several decades, with a lower percentage of Amish engaged in farming relative to other enterprises. Nonetheless, Don points out that the recent trend of consumers favoring “locally grown” produce has also provided a boon to these Old Order Anabaptists. We also review the 2006 Nickel Mines School shooting and how the Amish reacted with forgiveness, rather than vengeance. This allows Tony to ask Don a closing question about what he has learned from his study of the Amish throughout his career. Rocky Barkington, the official Golden Retriever mascot of Research on Religion, makes several guest appearances on this episode. Recorded: May 2, 2014.

Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.

The Amish, by Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven Nolt.

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher.

The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World, by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher.

Horse-and-Buggy Mennonites: Hoofbeats of Humility in a Postmodern World, by Donald Kraybill and James Hurd.

Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Brethren, by Donald Kraybill.

See a full list of Prof. Kraybill’s books and other writings at his biographical link above.

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Robert D. Rubin on Judicial Review & the Religious Right

tonygill — Sun, 28 May 2017 08:00:08 +0000

Prior to the 1980s, conservative evangelical Christians were skeptical of the US federal court system, having suffered a number of setbacks within the Supreme Court involving issues such as education and abortion. This begins to change in the 1980s as the now organizationally-consolidated Religious Right began a new legal strategy of embracing judicial review and positioning themselves as an aggrieved minority. Dr. Robert D. Rubin, an independent scholar who earned his Ph.D. at Indiana University, discusses how this change occurred in the legal and social crucible of Mobile, Alabama in the 1980s. After a bit of background on how Dr. Rubin discovered this topic, we review the religious and political landscape of both the United States, writ large, and the US South, in particular noting important changes such as the Civil Rights Movement and various Supreme Court Decisions (e.g., Epperson v Arkansas) that gave rise to the Religious Right movement. We then examine two very specific cases that passed through the chambers of Judge Brevard Hand — Jaffree v Board of School Commissioners and Smith v Board of School Commissioners. The Jaffree case involved an atheist parent who had a problem with a school prayer that his child was being forced to recite in a public school. The second case involving Douglas Smith took up the issue whether the public school curriculum in Mobile County was advancing the religion of “secular humanism.” Robert details the dimensions of these cases and notes how Smith v Board saw religious conservatives going on the offensive and employing some of the arguments used to remove prayer from the school to place religion on an even playing field. Tony then questions Dr. Rubin about the character and judicial philosophy of Brevard Hand. The conversation includes reflections upon Robert’s various meetings and interviews with Judge Hand, a man who challenges the stereotypes of the “rotund and suspender-wearing judges” often depicted on television. We also review the justice’s legal philosophy, which emphasized the principles of republican majoritarianism, federalism, and self-reliance. Tony picks up a whiff of Alexis de Tocqueville in this discussion and asks Robert if he noticed any particular books in Judge Hand’s personal library, to which he gives an interesting and revealing answer that provides insight into the mind of southerners. (To find out what book it was, you will have to listen to the podcast… or read the links below.) We close our podcast with Robert’s reflections about what he learned throughout the research process, wherein he learned to see the importance of viewing the world through the eyes of others, and a bit of discussion about his next project that examines the importance of prayer in enhancing civil discourse. Recorded: May 10, 2017.

RELATED LINKS

Robert D. Rubin’s LinkedIn page.

Judicial Review and American Conservatism: Christianity, Public Education, and the Federal Courts in the Reagan Era, by Robert Daniel Rubin.

Jaffree v Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County

Smith v Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County

The Mind of the South, by W.J. Cash (mentioned in podcast).

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Cara Lea Burnidge on Religion and Woodrow Wilson

tonygill — Sun, 07 May 2017 08:00:30 +0000

Woodrow Wilson served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913-21 and was deeply influenced by two important streams of American Christian faith — southern Calvinist Presbyterianism and the social gospel movement. In this fascinating interview, Prof. Cara Lea Burnidge, assistant professor of philosophy & world religions at the University of Northern Iowa, explains how this spiritual upbringing shaped Wilson’s vision that ultimately led to his promotion of the League of Nations. Our discussion starts, as is often the case, examining how Prof. Burnidge became interested in this topic and she reveals how she came to admire Alice Paul, an important figure in the social Christianity movement for much of the 20th century. We also take a brief tangent into discussing why Washburn University’s mascot is named the Fighting Ichabod, an interesting story that connects to Dr. Burnidge’s own intellectual interest in the history of religion and politics in the early 20th century. Cara then provides a brief biography of Woodrow Wilson, emphasizing his upbringing in a strict southern Presbyterian home that emphasized patriarchy and saw slavery as part of God’s mission for America. Interestingly, his family also emphasized the role of play and leisure. We follow Woodrow’s intellectual trajectory to Princeton University where he is influenced by the growing social gospel movement in the United States, softening many of his family’s previous views on slavery and race. His brief stint as Princeton University’s president shows his evolving views of Christian mission and after stepping down from that position he eventually moves into politics, serving as governor of New Jersey and then tossing his hat into the ring of the 1912 presidential election. With a divided field of contenders, Wilson emerges victorious in that contest and begins an agenda of domestic social change based upon his Christian views. The death of his first wife and World War I alters his presidency in important ways, and Cara discusses how Wilson begins to see America’s role in the world through his Christian vision. We discuss Wilson’s view of the “equality of nations,” that has a paternalistic flavor to it in that wealthier nations are charged with caring for the less-developed nations of the world. His advocacy of the League of Nations also has a strongly Christian vision to it, and Prof. Burnidge points out that the treaty establishing it was called The Covenant of the League of Nations, emphasizing the importance of voluntary acquiescence to it based upon a shared vision. Although the League of Nations eventually failed, Dr. Burnidge points out a number of legacies that Wilson left for America’s foreign policy as the country becomes a major player in world affairs. We end our discussion with Cara’s reflections on what she has learned over the course of her studies on this important historical figure and the times he inhabited. She remarks that it is important to understand historical events through the eyes of the historical subjects themselves. Recorded: May 3, 2017.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Cara Lea Burnidge’s personal website and bio at the Dept. of Philosophy & World Religions at University of Northern Iowa.

A Peaceful Conquest: Woodrow Wilson, Religion, and the New World Order, by Cara Lea Burnidge.

“Religious Influences on US Foreign Policy,” by Cara Lea Burnidge (free access via Oxford).

“Princeton for the Nation’s Service,” speech given by Woodrow Wilson in 1902 (mentioned in podcast).

The Fourteen Points, by Woodrow Wilson.

The Wilsonian Moment, by Erez Manela (mentioned in podcast).

Department of History at Washburn University and a Fighting Ichabod (mentioned affectionately in the podcast).

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