Martin E. Marty

Douglas and Rhonda Jacobsen argue that, while there has recently been a lively discussion about religious faith and higher education in America, the idea of Christian scholarship itself has been remarkably under discussed. Most of the literature has assumed a definition of Christian scholarship that is Reformed and evangelical in orientation: a model associated with the phrase "the integration of faith and learning." The authors offer a new definition and analysis of Christian scholarship that opens the way for dialogue between evangelicals and Catholics and Protestants from a variety of church traditions. The book itself is organized as a conversation. Five chapters by the Jacobsens alternate with four contributed essays that sharpen, illustrate, or complicate the material in the preceding chapters. The goal is both to map the complex terrain of Christian scholarship as it actually exists and to help foster better connections between Christian scholars of differing persuasions and between Christians and the academy as a whole.

In this new edition of The Amish and the State Donald Kraybill brings together legal scholars and social scientists to explore the unique series of conflicts between a traditional religious minority and the modern state. In the process, the authors trace the preservation-and the erosion-of religious liberty in American life. Kraybill begins with an overview of the Amish in North America and describes the "negotiation model" used throughout the book to interpret a variety of legal conflicts. Subsequent chapters deal with specific aspects of religious freedom over which the Amish and the state have clashed. Focusing on the period from 1925 to 2001 in the United States, the authors examine conflicts over military service and conscription, Social Security and taxes, education, health care, land use and zoning, regulation of slow-moving vehicles, and other first amendment issues. New concluding chapters, by constitutional expert William Ball, who defended the Amish before the Supreme Court in 1972 in the landmark Wisconsin v. Yoder case, and law professor Garret Epps, assess the Amish contribution to preserving religious liberty in the United States.

In this new edition of The Amish and the State Donald Kraybill brings together legal scholars and social scientists to explore the unique series of conflicts between a traditional religious minority and the modern state. In the process, the authors trace the preservation-and the erosion-of religious liberty in American life. Kraybill begins with an overview of the Amish in North America and describes the "negotiation model" used throughout the book to interpret a variety of legal conflicts. Subsequent chapters deal with specific aspects of religious freedom over which the Amish and the state have clashed. Focusing on the period from 1925 to 2001 in the United States, the authors examine conflicts over military service and conscription, Social Security and taxes, education, health care, land use and zoning, regulation of slow-moving vehicles, and other first amendment issues. New concluding chapters, by constitutional expert William Ball, who defended the Amish before the Supreme Court in 1972 in the landmark Wisconsin v. Yoder case, and law professor Garret Epps, assess the Amish contribution to preserving religious liberty in the United States.

The Lutheran Reformation of the early sixteenth century brought about immense and far-reaching change in the structures of both church and state, and in both religious and secular ideas. This book investigates the relationship between the law and religious ideology in Luther’s Germany, showing how they developed in response to the momentum of Lutheran teachings and influence. Profound changes in the areas of education, politics and marriage were to have long-lasting effects on the Protestant world, inscribed in the legal systems inherited from that period. John Witte, Jr. argues that it is not enough to understand the Reformation either in theological or in legal terms alone but that a perspective is required which takes proper account of both. His book should be essential reading for scholars and students of church history, legal history, Reformation history, and in adjacent areas such as theology, ethics, the law, and history of ideas.

Investigates the relationship between the law and religious ideology in Luther's Germany.

In this third volume of his chronicle of faith in 20th-century America, Martin E. Marty presents an account of American religious culture from the entry of the United States into World War II through the Eisenhower years. The book systematically addresses religion and the roles it played in shaping the social and political life of mid-century America. The work should be of interest to general readers as well as historians of American and church history.

E pluribus unum no longer holds. Out of the many have come as many claims and grievances, all at war with the idea of one nation undivided. The damage thus done to our national life, as too few Americans seek a common good, is Martin Marty's concern. His book is an urgent call for repair and a personal testament toward resolution. A world-renowned authority on religion and ethics in America, Marty gives a judicious account (itself a rarity and a relief in our day of uncivil discourse) of how the body politic has been torn between the imperative of one people, one voice, and the separate urgings of distinct identities--racial, ethnic, religious, gendered, ideological, economic. Foreseeing an utter deadlock in public life, with devastating consequences, if this continues, he envisions steps we might take to carry America past the new turbulence. While the grand story of oneness eludes us (and probably always will), Marty reminds us that we do have a rich, ever-growing, and ever more inclusive repertory of myths, symbols, histories, and, most of all, stories on which to draw. He pictures these stories, with their diverse interpretations, as part of a conversation that crosses the boundaries of groups. Where argument polarizes and deafens, conversation is open ended, guided by questions, allowing for inventiveness, fair play, and dignity for all. It serves as a medium in Marty's broader vision, which replaces the restrictive, difficult, and perhaps unattainable ideal of "community" with the looser, more workable idea of "association." An "association of associations" is what Marty contemplates, and for the spirit and will to promote it he looks to eighteenth-century motifs of sentiment and affection, convergences of intellect and emotion that develop from shared experience. And as this book so eloquently reminds us, America, however diverse, is an experience we all share.

Most religious traditions have a rich, if largely forgotten, heritage of involvement in medical issues of life, death, and health. Religious values influence our behavior and attitudes toward sickness, sexuality, and lifestyle, to say nothing of more controversial subjects such as abortion and euthanasia. The essays in this important book illuminate the history of health and medicine within the Judeo-Christian tradition. Bringing together 20 original articles by expert scholars in the fields of the history of religion and the history of medicine, Caring and Curing provides a fascinating and enlightening overview of how religious values have come to affect the practice of medicine and medical care.

Martin E. Marty argues that religion in twentieth-century America was essentially shaped by its encounter with modernity. In this first volume, he records and explores the diverse ways in which American religion embraced, rejected, or cautiously accepted the modern world. "Marty writes with the highest standards of scholarship and with his customary stylistic grace. No series of books is likely to tell us as much about the religious condition of our own time as "Modern American Religion." --Robert L. Spaeth, "Minneapolis Star Tribune" "The wealth of material and depth of insight are beyond reproach. This book will clearly stand as an important meteorological guide to the storm front of modernity as it swept Americans into the twentieth century." --Belden C. Lane, "Review of Religions" "Whatever one thinks about Marty's theological or philosophical position as a historian, the charm of his friendly circumspective approach to American religious history is irresistible." -- John E. Wilson, "Theological Studies" "Marty attempts to impose historical order on the divergent ways a century of Americans have themselves tried to find order in their worlds...

Not since the Civil War had America been so divided by conflict. Religion was the prime agent in this unusual war: Left versus Right, Fundamentalists versus Modernists; Christians versus Jews; Protestant versus Catholic; white versus black. In this volume, Martin E. Marty tells the riveting story of how America has survived religious disturbances and culturally prospered from them. "He tells the story [of the 1920s and 1930s] with a verve seldom equaled and manages to condense in one volume the results of dozens of specialized monographs...[It] bears the usual hallmarks of a Marty book: a smoothly flowing narrative, passages studded with suggestive insight inviting further research, and apt quotations that capture the gist of complicated issues...[A] splendid book... Deserves a wide readership and undoubtedly will receive it." --James H.

By expressing the thoughts of Christians as they prepare for church, listen to the pastor's sermon, and as they receive the sacrament, the author captures the powerful meaning of the Lord's Supper. Through his personal and inviting voice, church historian and Christian writer Martin E. Marty describes the origins of Holy Communion and the important role the sacrament has played throughout the history of the Christian church.

A study of fundamentalists examines the social and political influence of world-wide movements

"With characteristic clarity, Marty explores religious pluralism in a society that, though frequently acclaimed or decried as 'secular, ' finds modern religious varieties flourishing." --Library Journal

For the non-specialist, Martin Marty traces the church's quest through twenty centuries for unity, sanctity, universality, and authentic witness. He delves into the disparity between the ideals of the church and historical realty in order to provide a brilliant, instructive, and eminently fair statement of the history of Christianity from its founding to the present day. In this second edition, revised and expanded, Marty has added an entirely new section entitled "Postscript and Prescript" in which he discusses the recent past and prospects. Fresh insights and revisions based on the most recent contemporary developments keep this volume abreast of the times, making it an up-to-date survey of the history of Christianity.

Pilgrims in Their Own Land is Martin E. Marty's vivid chronological account of the people and events that carved the spiritual landscape of America. It is in one sense a study of migration, with each wave of immigrants bringing a set of religious beliefs to a new world. The narrative unfolds through sharply detailed biographical vignettes--stories of religious "pathfinders," including William Penn, Mary Baker Eddy, Henry David Thoreau, and many other leaders of movements, both marginal and mainstream. In addition, Marty considers the impact of religion on social issues such as racism, feminism, and utopianism. And engrossing, highly readable, and comprehensive history, Pilgrims in Their Own Land is written with respect, appreciation, and insight into the multitude of religious groups that represent expressions of spirituality in America.

The legacy and power of Christian humanism- "True Christian humanism is the full flowering of the theology of the Incarnation. It is rooted in a totally new concept of what it means to be human that grew out of the mystery of the union of God and humanity in Christ." -Thomas Merton From biblical times to the present day, the massively influential and engaging tradition of Christian reflection on the value of being human is presented here. With its primary documents, carefully selected and edited by a team of experts, Readings in Christian Humanism fully represents the variety and vitality of the humanistic tradition found in historic Christianity. Bringing together highlights from the almost unlimited gallery of Christian humanist thinkers as stimulants to our own imaginations, this anthology also boldly sets claim to a ground for Christian humanism today. "An invaluable resource for students concerned with human dignity and sovereignty under God." -George H. Williams, Harvard University "A splendid, wide-ranging, ecumenical collection." -Theodore M. Hesburgh, University of Notre Dame "Christians and non-Christians alike will profit from the stimulus of people who enjoy being part of the race that God honored by choosing to dwell in it." -Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago The research and editorial development of this volume was directed by: Joseph M. Shaw, Saint Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota; R. W. Franklin, Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota; Harris Kaasa, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa; and Charles W. Buzicky, College of Saint Catherine, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

"National Book Award-winning author and historian Martin E. Marty's A Nation of Behavers is a characteristically perceptive new map of American religion. . . . Marty's years of astute observation of America's religious trends and developments have yielded six informal but clearly defined clusters around which people attempt to find not only basic group identity but also some kind of power. Anyone concerned about belief and its manifestations will be immensely aided by Marty's cogent comments on recent religious happenings."—Commonweal"This is a book for everyone, more than for the scholar of American religion. . . . Its value is in breadth of vision and new interpretation."—Dean R. Hoge, Theology Today"As a means of making sense out of the potpourri of competing groups that compose religious America today, A Nation of Behavers is a first-rate tool."—Edward A. Fiske, New York Times