Denominations - by David W Bebbington (Paperback)

About the Book

A historical survey of all the main denominational families in the British Isles and North America, contending that their origin and development are strongly related to broad patterns of cultural evolution.

Book Synopsis

Why are there all these different Christian churches?

Many studies have appeared over the past two centuries on the proliferation of denominations in the Anglophone world. David Bebbington builds on this trajectory and offers a distinctive approach to the question of Christian diversity. Denominations differs from other writings in the field because of its approach. Instead of a straightforward survey of the state of the contemporary church, Bebbington presents a historical analysis of how the various families of churches have come to be as they are. He also stresses how the delivery of the Christian message has been molded by the contexts of the various Anglo-American ecclesiastical bodies. As times have changed, so have churches. Because it offers a twenty-first-century perspective, Denominations considers several religious organizations not discussed in earlier works: while some denominations have vanished in recent decades, still more have arisen. Bebbington emphasizes the cultural situation of the denominations, in both the remote and the recent past, in order to highlight the distinguishing ethos of each.

About the Author

A graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, and a former research fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, David W. Bebbington is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Stirling in Scotland.