SANTA & PETE: A Novel of Christmas Present and Past

Amazon.com

This fictional story based on a young African American boy in New York City is grounded in history (co-writer Christopher Moore is the Commissioner of New York City Landmarks) and decorated with the whimsy of imagination and magic. When Terrence was seven years old, he was forced to spend Saturdays riding alongside his grandfather, a Metro bus driver, through the streets of the city. At first Terrence is resentful, but then he begins to listen to his grandfather's stories--the stories of the settling of New York, how the city belongs to all people of all races. Driving down St. Nicholas Avenue, his grandfather begins the story of "Santa & Pete." He tells how St. Nicholas was imprisoned as a spy during the Inquisition, but was eventually rescued by Pete, a former slave in Spain under the Moors. The duo found their way to New York and began the long-standing tradition of giving gifts to the needy. When Terrence eventually discovers his connection to Pete, the story suggests that all who celebrate Christmas can be the rescuers and helpers of St. Nicholas. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

Who would ever guess that the beloved legend of Santa Claus involves a seldom-told tale of faith and friendship between two men -- one white and one black? Long ago, Santa Claus had an African partner named Pete and together they brought the spirit of Christmas to America's first settlers. These two forever changed the way families celebrate the holiday. But through the years, Pete's contribution was forgotten.

Now Santa & Pete restores the legacy in delightful style and delivers an inspiring message of hope and harmony among people. The story starts with a bus driver who takes his grandson along on Saturdays as he travels a historical route in New York City. What unfolds is a series of wonderful adventures that culminate on Christmas Eve, when the bus gets stuck in a snowstorm. That's when the grandfather's running genealogy lesson, based on author Christopher Moore's own family history, arrives at its final destination: the story of Santa and Pete.

A truly magical tale, Santa & Pete will take you and your family back to the heart of Christmas.

Customer Reviews:

Santa & Pete: A Novel of Christmas Present and Past.......2002-01-08

I ordered this book when placing an order for Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I ordered Santa and Pete thinking it was written by the same Christopher Moore who wrote Practical Demon Keeping, Blood Sucking Fiends, Coyote Blue, etc. I've never been so disappointed just opening a box - in fact, Santa and Pete is still in the box. Santa and Pete is written by a different Christopher Moore. I feel very mislead by ..... as this book was suggested along with all of the above mentioned books by Christopher Moore (I do own all of the previous books by Christopher and truly believed I was getting a Christmas story he was involved in writing). Bad marketing ..... - misleading and dishonest - really helped shake the confidence I had in you. You might like to research your authors more before pulling a stunt like this - doesn't do much for your good-will.
......

A Really Great Find.......2000-01-07

Santa and Pete is a wonderful story that reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas. Bags of coal to the reviewer who felt St. Nick was diminished. And two bags of coal to the reviewer who would keep such a great story from black children. I will repeat what others have said, this book is a Christmas gift in the best sense of the word. It is almost unforgiveable what our culture has done to the incredible story of the real St. Nicholas. Sinterklaas and Piet the Moor is the story we should be telling all of our children each and every year. I would recommend this delightful book to everyone. And my deepest thanks to the dear friends who gave their 30 year old friend this precious little book for Christmas.

A delightful work of FICTION........1999-12-18

I read this book for what it was...a wonderful book of fiction, about mythical characters. But on another level, Santa and Pete is a story about family, giving, closeness....values anyone, black white or whatever, must treasure. I sincerely wish those who would blast the book for being "historically inaccruate" would recognize it for what it is -- a "novel of Christmas Past and Present" loosely based on historical events -- and get over their own insecurities/prejudices/attitudes.

Beautifully Written.......1999-12-15

Every generation needs a Christmas tale to call its own. Moore has created just such a story in Santa & Pete. I'll not fall into the debate about historical accuracy. Instead, I'll just say that this book does not apologize for its "feel good" manner and certainly succeeds in warming the reader.

After reading this little treasure, I bought two dozen copies for Christmas. For those Grinches who would sooner argue over the "facts" presented in the story, I'd ask that they read it again. Perhaps the message of love and hope for a world where people are at peace with others would shine through. It certainly did for me.

The best new tradition since Rudolph!.......1999-12-15

This book has touched me. Not since "Tuesdays with Morrie" have I been so moved. "Santa & Pete" is the perfect book for anyone raising children and also anyone wanting to get the Christmas spirit back. It teaches and inspires us to transcend race, cultural issues, religion, age and any other prejudice we may knowingly or unknowingly harbor. It teaches us to value our family and friends. It teaches giving and charity. And it does it all in the very very entertaining story format involving a grandfather and grandson. This book could be the start of a better world! It should be required reading. Thank you Christopher Moore and Pamela Johnson!

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Finally--A re-release of these hard to find books
A must-read
A wondeful compilation!

The Forbidden Circle
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0756400945

Book Description

These two classic Darkover novels tell the epic tale of four people who challenged the ancient laws of the matrix towers.

Customer Reviews:

Finally--A re-release of these hard to find books.......2004-05-18

If you are, like me, trying to fill out your Darkover series, then these Omnibus editions are for you. I am SO glad that I picked up the three I needed (Forbidden Circle, Heritage and Exile, and A World Divided). I am sure that the other Omnibus editions are just as wonderful. Make sure that you note which books are included in the omnibus, as it may not be evident from the title. Now that MZB has passed on, getting her books has been difficult.

The stories are well-written, the characters and world well-developed, and the books are hard to put down. You can start with any book in the series, really. But once you've read one, you'll want more!

Now if they will come out with an omnibus with the Hundred Kingdoms novels (Two to Conquer, and Heirs of Hammerfell), my series will be complete! :)

A must-read.......2003-04-29

Having read almost all of the Darkover series, and being a firm fan of it, I'd like to be just a little more critical.

First let's get one thing out of the way: this is an important book, and for anyone interested in Darkover, this two-novel volume is a must-have.

The two stories are two of the best. But having read most of MZB's love stories, I'm beginning to wonder whether her heroines are not a mite too precious. Yet, one wonders whether it is possible to make Callista and her sister more real, without risking losing the reader's positive disposition towards them. Perhaps the risk would be worth it.

One tries to see what must be going through the author's mind; what is she thinking when she writes these stories? There is a sense that she is trying too hard to create a heroine, and creates a goddess instead.

Andrew Carr, the poor earthman who plays second-fiddle to Callista Lanart finds himself teleported psycho-kinetically to where Callista is held prisoner at one time. This occurence is sort of glossed-over; IMO the pseudo-reality of the genre demands a little more attention to that sort of detail. Andrew Carr is also an example of how hard it was for MZB to get inside the mind of her male characters. She has partially succeeded, but if only she had done it fully!

Arch

A wondeful compilation!.......2002-11-22

Putting together -The Spell Sword- and -The Forbidden Tower- was a great idea, & this edition fills the bill. This classic entry in the saga of Darkover -- a lost [in time as well as space] colony of Humans who interbred with the alien cheryi, evolved into a feudal society with the addition of "magic" as laran psi-powers, then were rediscovered by humans from Earth [Terrans] -- is an especially good 'textbook' for people learning to use their own inner strengths.

Watching the almost-typical fairytale romance of Keeper Callista Lanart and Terran spacer Andrew Carr bloom into something else is magical in the best sense of the word. Damon Ridenow -- outcast from his beloved Arilinn Tower because he's actually more than just a Matrix technician -- and his love Ellemir [sister to Callista] are not just pretty people filling a need for extra faces in -The Spell Sword-. The four craft a friendship that becomes more than just friendship ... and will have a crucial effect on Darkovan history.

The action really kicks in as the tale progresses in -The Forbidden Tower-. Callista discovers -- painfully -- that the heritage she thought she had left behind as virginal Keeper of Arilinn Tower is almost more than she can bear to shatter [the fact that it nearly kills Andrew isn't just peripheral, either]. Ellimir discovers that she actually is gifted with the power of laran, and Damon takes centre stage as he discovers that he is a Keeper himself ... Keeper of what leronis Leonie Hastur scornfully calls "the Forbidden Tower". As the four individuals become more than just two married couples, they uncover vital knowledge lost in the millenia known as the Ages of Chaos.

The tragic denoument is kept away, which perhaps is just as well. If you truly want to be depressed, pick up -The Bloody Sun- to learn the fates of the four and their children. Although not quite as tragic as the hinted ending of another group of similar people, hinted at in -Sharra's Exile-, it can be a true 'downer' after the triumphant ending of -The Forbidden Tower-.

At least the knowledge is kept, however. It seems that no one can truly vanquish Varzil the Good! Although even *that* might be up for re-examination with -The Fall of Neskaya-...

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The Forbidden Circle (Darkover Ser., Vol. 4)
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Manufacturer: D A W Books, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H8FMOO

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The Forbidden Circle (The Spell Sword The Forbidden Tower)

Manufacturer: Daw Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739464264

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Forbidden Circles
Vee Garcia
Manufacturer: Authors Choice Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0595453678

Book Description

It's 1925, and the Harlem Renaissance has expanded to cities beyond New York. Black writers, musicians, and artists are in vogue and think they can do anything. Nora Johnson, a honey yellow-skinned Howard University instructor, is no exception. Desiring to become a professional painter, Nora travels to Paris, France, to study art for a year. While in Paris, she throws caution into the Seine River and heads towards self destruction. Rather than play it safe with Douglas Stills, a hotel doorman who wants to be closer to her, Nora befriends Dianne, an Afro-English student who lives by her own rules. Then Nora speeds ahead in an affair with Vernon Cooper, a gorgeous chocolate-hued jazz trumpet player full of secrets and lies. For going against her upper middle class upbringing and her gut instincts, Nora pays a high price. A story of passion and loss, loyalty and betrayal, ruthless abuse and redeeming love, Forbidden Circles captures a unique time and an enchanting city, and then treats the reader to a riveting conclusion.

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Forbidden Circles

Manufacturer: UMAR Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0966927125

Product Description

A story of passion and loss, loyalty and betrayal, ruthless abuse and redeeming love, Forbidden Circles captures a unique time and an enchanting city, then treats the reader to a riveting conclusion.

Forbidden Fruit / More Forbidden Fruit, or: Master Percy's Progress in and Beyond the Domestic Circle (Zebra Books Z-1059)

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Forbidden Fruit / More Forbidden Fruit, or: Master Percy's Progress in and Beyond the Domestic Circle (Zebra Books Z-1059)
anonymous
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Victorian | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Product Description

First printing of the Grove Press [Zebra Books] edition of a pair of classics of Victorian erotic literature; [Reprint of the original published anonymously in London in 1905.] Cover photo by LaGarde.

Forbidden Knowledge: The Story of the Knights of the Golden Circle and Millions in Rebel Treasure

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Forbidden Knowledge: The Story of the Knights of the Golden Circle and Millions in Rebel Treasure
Robert E. Brewer
Manufacturer: Quachita Treasure Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W22KYA

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Forbidden Circles
Garcia Vee Williams
Manufacturer: Umar Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UF73N2

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If there were a way to give zero stars, I would

Excellent. More than mere sex; it's about committment.

Xena with sex

An Oath to Mida (Jalav/Amazon Warrior #2)
Sharon Green
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Green, Sharon | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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To Battle the Gods (Jalav Amazon Warrior V)

Gateway to Xanadu (Diana Santee Spaceways Agent, No 2)

The Warrior Challenged (Terrilian IV)

The Warrior Enchained

The Warrior Victorious (Terrillian V)

ASIN: 0879978295

Customer Reviews:

If there were a way to give zero stars, I would.......2004-09-17

This was the absolute worst, most pathetic excuse for science fantasy I've ever ready. This series is the ONLY one I've ever bought that I traded back in at a used book store and I was hesitant to do that for fear of inflicting it on some other reader. The series misleads you into thinking it's going to be about a strong female protagonist, but is really just an excuse to trot out every tired old "Amazon-warrior-who-really-wants-to-be-a-sex-slave" cliche ever made. Absolute trash!

Excellent. More than mere sex; it's about committment........1998-03-17

As with the entire Jalav series, this story has graphic sex (ok by me), but it also has a highly detailed story of the need for women to live to the highest of their capabilities and not settle for someone taking care of them in exchange for a life of comfort. It really deals with putting one's money where one's mouth is in life. If all this reader got out of the storyline was great sex, this reader failed to comprehend the feminist and literary value of what was being written and I would suggest a re-reading of the series.

Xena with sex.......1997-04-06

Part of the Jalav series. Jalav is a warrior queen like Xenaon TV, that periodically finds herself captured and forced to be a sexslave.

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An Oath To Mida Jalav, Amazon Warrior 2
Sharon Green
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UUEREK

An Oath to Mida (Bk. II) (Jalav, Amazon Warrior Ser.)

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An Oath to Mida (Bk. II) (Jalav, Amazon Warrior Ser.)

Manufacturer: D A W Books, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

On Oath to Mida (Jalev, Amazon Warrior II)

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On Oath to Mida (Jalev, Amazon Warrior II)
Sharon Green
Manufacturer: DAW #UE3829 (#532)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KKCKSU

Book Description

"[The Restructuring of American Religion] is the most expansive and one of the most profound inquiries into the condition of American religious structure since World War II. . . . To carry on debates about this structure now without reference to Wuthnow would be to attempt to track a landscape of near-chaos without using the best available road map and set of markers. It is likely that we will be citing "Wuthnow' as we have been referring eponymically to major interpretations of "Herberg' or "Berger' or "Bellah.'" --Martin Marty, Religious Studies Review "This book is the most significant interpretation of recent American religious history available." --John M. Mulder, Theology Today "An extremely penetrating, nuanced, and largely convincing account of what is really happening to American religion--an account worthy of comparison with, say, Herberg's Protestant-Catholic-Jew, or H. Richard Niebuhr's The Social Sources of Denominationalism, although Wuthnow's argument ultimately supersedes both." --Wilfred M. McClay, Commentary

Customer Reviews:

Landmark book setting the terms for debate on Moral Politics.......2005-01-14

Wuthnow is clearly of the conviction that American religion has undergone a serious change since WWII. At the end of WWII, Wuthnow believes common assumptions about religion existed. First, it was Biblically-based, congregational, but with indivdualistic tendencies. 2 out of 3 persons attended a church once a month or more, and 42% attended every week. "Protestant, Catholic, or Jew" was the main question.

After WWII, the dominant mode of religious institutions interacting with the larger society was to instruct and inspire individuals. A comcommittent focus on ethics, social justice as part of the larger sense of declaring Christian principles. A spirit of public evangelism and private education held sway, not the least as an indirect demonstration of political muscles. As education became increasingly common and with it the growth of the state, religious institutions adapted by forming and expanding educational curricula of their own. The emphasis on education was given two emphases. From the conservative side beliefs and the process of arriving at those beliefs became a standard for the articulation of genuine values. Liberals in turn tended toward not the content of beliefs, but rather a procedural validation of the process of coming to a set of beliefs. In the 1950's, these divisions began forming, even as all kinds of denominations exploded in growth.

According to Wuthnow, perhaps one of the most important developments in 20th century American religious life has been the development of special purpose groups. These groups grew from a few dozen after the Civil War to about 150 at the turn of the century. Since from 1960 to the 1980's, about 300 were formed, bringing the post-WWII total to around 500. This is not remarkable when compared with other nonprofit and voluntary associations, many of which have grown more than religious ones. But in comparsison with religious denominations, it has been spectacular growth overall. General levels of affluence and leisure time have provided the fuel for growth. Wuthnow argues though, that both directly and indirectly, the State is the biggest factor in the growth of such associations, as different groups seek to encourage, restrain, or influence particular aspects of civil policy and state growth.

At the same time, Wuthnow also draws attention to the disillusionment in government brought through the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the Roe vs. Wade decision. He argues that the subsequent rise and popularity of morality as a public issue and its intimate connection to government and policy helped legitimate the rise of the political evangelicals, even as the denominational hierarchies were increasingly dominated by theological liberals. Conservative evangelicals took advantage and built the public terms of a debate in which their morals and values were assumed to be part of the national spotlight and the national debate, while arguing that in the field of morality liberals were either absent altogether or illmoral in some way, rather than just different in their views.

This is a major work in the sociology of religion, even as its language is a bit outdated and at times, very parochial and condescending towards the new religious movements of the 1950's and 1960's. Overall though, it is required reading (coupled with Robert Ellwood, and Robert Fuller) and on the development of 20the century religion in the U.S. Wuthnow does try to place almost all the impetus for change on the State, (and the New Deal philosophy) but tends to overly downplay to what extent Americans demanded changes in race, gender, immigration, and military policy on their own first.

A seminal work on American religious history.......2000-06-16

Wuthnow's book is a thoughtful and well-researched monograph on major trends in American religious experience since the end of World War II. Wuthnow sees the most significant change as being a decline in the denominational divisions that were once so important in American religious life, and their replacement by a huge chasm between liberal and conservative religious sensibilities, a division Wuthnow points out often cuts as much through denominations as separates them. Perhaps his most important contribution is his effort to place this restructuring in the context of larger trends in American society, notably the divisive politics and cultural innovation of the sixties, the changing role of women and the trememdous expansion of higher education that occurred after World War II. He also notes a degree of continuity between the conservative versus liberal division and the early twentieth-century fundamentalist-modernist conflict within American religion. He is careful, though, to explain and contextualize the greater success the evangelical Christian movement has had in building a movement and mobilizing followers than did the earlier and in many ways similar fundamentalist camp. Perhaps one's only caveat here might be that the book raises many questions it does not fully address about the extent to which American culture is becoming genuinely secular, if it is doing so. Written at a high level of generality, the book also leaves one wondering about how the division of religious life into polarized camps of liberalism and conservativism affects the subjective spiritual experience of Americans. In brief, this book is a major and analytical treatment of a topic that remains very germane to how Americans now live and worship; those desiring to understand how American religion got where it is today should read it.

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The Restructuring of American Religion

Manufacturer: princeton university press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H5K0VW

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The Restructuring of American Religion
Robert Wuthnow
Manufacturer: Princeton U. Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RUSZNM

Southern Baptist Politics: Authority and Power in the Restructuring of an American Denomination

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Family Feud - Southern Baptist Style!

Southern Baptist Politics: Authority and Power in the Restructuring of an American Denomination
Arthur Emery Farnsley
Manufacturer: Pennsylvania State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0271010010

Book Description

A study showing how one of America's leading Protestant denominations has been shaped by the philosophical and political presuppositions of its secular environment.

"Farnsley offers us an engaging analysis of how the SBC moved dramatically to the right in the 1980s. By exploring the interplay of authority and power, he reveals how Fundamentalists subverted the Convention and institutionalized their control of it. Farnsley's general approach could be applied to other contemporary religious denominations and private-sector institutions."—John F. Wilson, Princeton University

Unlike other recent studies of the Southern Baptists, Southern Baptist Politics was written after the culmination of the “Baptist battles” of the 1980s, when Fundamentalists had effectively taken control of the denomination. It also considers the SBC not simply as a denomination but as an organization with characteristics similar to other voluntary associations in American society--an approach that promises to be useful for the study of other religious groups in America. Arthur Farnsley concludes that the SBC, as an American denomination, had within itself the seeds of pragmatism and individualism that characterize most American voluntary organizations.

Of primary interest to Farnsley are the crucial issues of authority and power. Taking his cue from Paul Harrison's classic study, Authority and Power in the Free Church Tradition, Farnsley considers how authority has traditionally been exercised within the SBC, and how Fundamentalists maneuvered within this existing authority structure to seize power. According to Farnsley, disgruntled Fundamentalists soon discovered that they could exploit the democratic elements within the SBC polity to their advantage. So successful were they in their efforts that by 1990 all significant leadership positions within the denomination were filled by Fundamentalists, thus enabling them to take, and hold, institutional power.

The lessons of Southern Baptist Politics extend beyond this one denomination. By using the Southern Baptists as a case study, Farnsley asks what the SBC controversy can tell us about religious organizations in America, about dealing with cultural pluralism, and about institutional means for creating change.

Customer Reviews:

Family Feud - Southern Baptist Style!.......2000-03-21

Excellent book that concisely captures the history of the Southern Baptist denomination, from 1845 - 1991. A scholarly work with at least 3 chapters that read with all the drama of a fictional best-seller. Details the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention by the fundamentalist faction; defines "democracy" as it applies to Southern Baptists (local church autonomy, "one voice-one vote" per member); considers the effect of two major Southern Baptist traditions -- priesthood of the believer and pastoral authority; and more. The book was very engaging and, when I'd finished it, I hoped this author was working on a sequel because I want to know what's happened in the past 8 - 9 years in the SBC!

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