Mark A. Noll, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Eerdmans, 1992.
Referenced in: Congregational Renewal through Spiritual Revival
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
In the broader work of congregational renewal, spiritual revival certainly has its place. As indicated in the Resource Guide on this subject, not all those interested in church renewal will wish or need to see their situation through the eyes of revival. Revivals are unique and unusual occurrences, and it is impossible to deny the importance of revival in scripture and Christian history. One important task in appropriating God’s work in revival, however, is to distinguish between true and counterfeit phenomena, and to understand how revival has manifested itself in Christian history. Two works by Mark Noll help toward that end.
This book from noted church historian Mark Noll provides the historical backdrop for the revivalism of the Second Great Awakening (1790-1840s). Church leaders who become interested in congregational renewal/revival often run upon quotes from Charles G. Finney, or perhaps to Finney’s original works. In Part III of this volume, “The Protestant Century,” Noll describes the work of key figures such as Charles G. Finney and Francis Asbury. To get Noll’s best on the First Great Awakening (1730-1755) and the contributions of men like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and the Wesleys, see The Rise of Evangelicalism.
From the Publisher
Broad in scope yet written from a well-defined perspective, this book provides a superb narrative survey of Christian churches, institutions, and interactions with culture in the United States and Canada from the colonial period to the present.
One of the foremost authorities on the history of Christianity in North America, Mark Noll has intentionally made this history a comprehensive, balanced one-volume work: the book covers the great variety of Christian experience throughout all of North American history, sensitively encompassing the story of many contrasting groups and regions—elite and common people, whites and blacks, Catholics and Protestants, men and women, North and South. Adding a personal dimension to the narrative, numerous biographical profiles further enrich Noll’s multifaceted exploration of major movements and events.
About the Author
Mark A. Noll is Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He is the author of numerous books and essays, and has also served as an editor for The Reformed Journal and as a senior editor for Christianity Today.
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