A Sermon Preached In Boston February 12 In The Audience Of The Massachusetts Congregational Charitable Society When A Collection Was Made For The Relief Of The Indigent Widows And Orphans Of Deceased Ministers

Author : Mark A. Noll
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190287357
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (92 download)

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Download or read book God and Mammon written by Mark A. Noll and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2001-11-29 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of all new essays by leading historians offers a close look at the connections between American Protestants and money in the Antebellum period. During the first decades of the new American nation, money was everywhere on the minds of church leaders and many of their followers. Economic questions figured regularly in preaching and pamphleteering, and they contributed greatly to perceptions of morality both public and private. In fact, money was always a religious question. For this reason, argue the authors of these essays, it is impossible to understand broader cultural developments of the period--including political developments--without considering religion and economics together. In God and Mammon, several essays examine the ways in which the churches raised money after the end of establishment put a stop to state funding, such as the collection of pew rents, lotteries, and free-will offerings, which only came later and at first were used only for benevolent purposes. Other essays look at the role of money and markets in the rise of Christian voluntary societies. Still others examine the inter-denominational strife, documenting frequent accusations that theological error led to the misuse of money and the arrogance of wealth. Taken together, the essays provide essential background to an issue that continues to loom large and generate controversy in the Protestant community in America.