Overview
Every day of the week in contemporary America (and especially on Sundays) people raise money for their religious enterprises--for clergy, educators, buildings, charity, youth-oriented work, and more. In a fascinating look into the economics of American Protestantism, James Hudnut-Beumler examines how churches have raised and spent money from colonial times to the present and considers what these practices say about both religion and American culture. After the constitutional separation of church and state was put in force, Hudnut-Beumler explains, clergy salaries had to be collected exclusively from the congregation without recourse to public funds. In adapting to this change, Protestants forged a new model that came to be followed in one way or another by virtually all religious organizations in the country. Clergy repeatedly invoked God, ecclesiastical tradition, and scriptural evidence to promote giving to the churches they served. Hudnut-Beumler contends that paying for earthly good works done in the name of God has proved highly compatible with American ideas of enterprise, materialism, and individualism. The financial choices Protestants have made throughout history--how money was given, expended, or even withheld--have reflected changing conceptions of what the religious enterprise is all about. Hudnut-Beumler tells that story for the first time.
Full Product Details
Author: James Hudnut-Beumler
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 1.60cm
, Length: 23.30cm
Weight: 0.431kg
ISBN: 9781469614755
ISBN 10: 1469614758
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 30 March 2014
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
A concise and lucid narrative of this neglected but important topic. . . . An important book for any pastor, church administrator, or student of American religion. It provides both a compelling, well-researched history and significant insight. -- Themelios
An overdue study of a neglected aspect of religion in America, of particular interest to theological and graduate students, and also to laypersons and church professionals. Recommended.--CHOICE <p/>
An overdue study of a neglected aspect of religion in America, of particular interest to theological and graduate students, and also to laypersons and church professionals. Recommended. -- CHOICE
Author Information
James Hudnut-Beumler is dean of the divinity school and Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of American Religious History at Vanderbilt University. He is author or coauthor of three other books, including Looking for God in the Suburbs: The Religion of the American Dream and Its Critics, 1945-1965.
