Richey, Russell E.

American civil religion by Russell E Richey( Book )

13 editions published between 1974 and 1990 in English and held by 948 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The Methodists by James E Kirby( Book )

9 editions published between 1996 and 1998 in English and held by 784 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Denominationalism by Russell E Richey( Book )

9 editions published between 1977 and 2013 in English and Undetermined and held by 621 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Evidence of mainstream denominational decline virtually throws itself in our faces -- growing religious pluralism in North America; the decline over the last half century in the salience, prestige, power, and vitality of Protestant denominational leadership; slippage in mainline membership and corresponding growth, vigor, visibility, and political prowess of conservative, evangelical, and fundamentalist bodies; patterns of congregational independence, including loosening of or removal of denominational identity, particularly in signage, and the related marginal loyalty of members; emergence of megachurches, with resources and the capacity to meet needs heretofore supplied by denominations (training, literature, expertise); growth within mainline denominations of caucuses and their alignment into broad progressive or conservative camps, often with connections to similar camps in other denominations; widespread suspicion of, indeed hostility towards, the centers and symbols of denominational identity -- the regional and national headquarters; migration of individuals and families through various religious identities, sometimes out of classic Christianity altogether. Denominationalism looks doomed and is so proclaimed. It may be. However, viewing the sweep of Anglo-American history, this volume suggests how much denominations and denominationalism have changed, how resilient they have proved, how significant these structures of religious belonging have been in providing order and direction to American society, and how such enduring purposes find ever new structural/institutional expression. -- Publisher

Early American Methodism by Russell E Richey( Book )

4 editions published in 1991 in English and Undetermined and held by 509 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Offering a revisionist reading of American Methodism, this book goes beyond the limits of institutional history by suggesting a new and different approach to the examination of denominations. Russell E. Richey identifies within Methodism four distinct "languages" and explores the self-understanding that each language offers the early Methodists. One of these, a pietistic or evangelical vernacular, commonly employed in sermons, letters, and journals, is Richey's focus and provides a way for him to reconsider critical interpretive issues in American religious historiography and the study of Methodism. Richey challenges some important historical conventions, for instance, that the crucial changes in American Methodism occurred in 1784 when ties with John Wesley and Britain were severed, arguing instead for important continuities between the first and subsequent decades of Methodist experience

Reimagining denominationalism : interpretive essays by Robert Bruce Mullin( Book )

7 editions published between 1994 and 2012 in English and held by 501 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The Methodist experience in America by Russell E Richey( Book )

4 editions published in 2000 in English and held by 229 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The Methodist Conference in America : a history by Russell E Richey( Book )

3 editions published in 1996 in English and held by 204 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

In the Methodist lexicon, 'conference' refers to a body of preachers (and later, of laity as well) that exercises legislative, judicial and (to some extent) executive functions for the church or some portion thereof. But 'conference, ' Richey argues here, defined the Methodist movement in more than political ways: On conference hinged religious time, religious space, religious belonging, religious structure, even religiosity itself. Methodist histories uniformly recognize, typically even feature, conference's centrality, but describe that in primarily constitutional and political terms. The purpose of this volume is to present conference as a distinctively American Methodist manner of being the church, a multifaceted mode of spirituality, unity, mission, governance, and fraternity that American Methodists have lived and operated better than they have interpreted

Perspectives on American Methodism : interpretive essays( Book )

4 editions published in 1993 in English and Undetermined and held by 194 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Connectionalism : ecclesiology, mission, and identity( Book )

3 editions published in 1997 in English and held by 168 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

American Methodism : a compact history by Russell E Richey( Book )

2 editions published in 2012 in English and held by 162 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"In this engaging and artful overview, Russell Richey, Kenneth Rowe, and Jean Miller Schmidt, some of Methodism{u2019}s most respected teachers, give readers a vivid picture of soulful terrain of the Methodist experience in America. The authors highlight key themes and events that continue to shape the Church. Knowing their history, Methodists are better positioned, prepared, and inspired for faithful witness and holy living."--Publisher's description