Turning Points in American Church History: How Pivotal Events Shaped a Nation and a Faith

Historian Coffman (The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline) weaves a colorful account of how 13 pivotal events shaped the Christian church in America, from the British defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 to Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential victory. Along the way, Coffman covers the 1773 founding of the first Black church at Silver Bluff, S.C., “a turning point” at which Black Christians began to transform the religion of slave owners into “a source of comfort and strength”; the Methodist church’s 1844 split over slavery, which “permanently disfigured” the nation (by helping to set the stage for the Civil War) and Protestant theology (by challenging how the Bible was read); and the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” trial, which “cranked up preexisting conflicts” in the church, brought debates about “the interaction of science, education, and Christianity” to the fore, and “dug the trenches for a century of culture wars.” Interspersing the account with a wealth of fascinating visual materials (newspaper clippings, cartoons, photos), Coffman vividly brings church history to life, and pulls no punches in her portrayal of troubling matters, as when she details the history of sexual abuse in the Catholic church, Southern Baptist Convention, and “other ecclesial bodies... in the evangelical orbit.” The result is an excellent resource for those eager to learn more about the evolution of American Christianity. (Jan.)