No one can doubt that the Bible has exerted a tremendous influence on Western civilization since the dawn of Christianity. But few of us have considered the precise nature of that influence in particular historical contexts. In this book, David Kling traces the fascinating story of how specific biblical texts have at different times emerged to be the inspiration of movements that have changed the course of history. By examining eight such pivotal texts, Kling elucidates the ways in which sacred texts continue to shape our lives as well as our history. Among the passages he discusses are: * "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18), which inspired the formation of the papacy and has served as its foundation for centuries * "The righteous will live by faith" (Romans 1:17), which caught the imagination of Martin Luther and sparked the Protestant Reformation * "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may worship me'" (Exodus 8:1), which has played an important and diverse role in African American history from early slave spirituals through the modern civil rights movement and beyond * "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28), which has been adopted by feminists as a rallying cry in the battle for women's ordination Each of the historical episodes he explores--from the beginning of Christian monasticism to the emergence of Pentecostalism--is evidence of the dynamic interplay between Scripture and the social and cultural context in which it is interpreted. Kling's innovative study of this process shows how sacred texts can give life to social movements, and how powerful social forces can give new meaning to Scripture.

The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times

Religion & Spirituality

Kling, David W.

Christian Books & Bibles

Oxford University Press

No one can doubt that the Bible has exerted a tremendous influence on Western civilization since the dawn of Christianity. But few of us have considered the precise nature of that influence in particular historical contexts. In this book, David Kling traces the fascinating story of how specific biblical texts have at different times emerged to be the inspiration of movements that have changed the course of history. By examining eight such pivotal texts, Kling elucidates the ways in which sacred texts continue to shape our lives as well as our history. Among the passages he discusses are: * "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18), which inspired the formation of the papacy and has served as its foundation for centuries * "The righteous will live by faith" (Romans 1:17), which caught the imagination of Martin Luther and sparked the Protestant Reformation * "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Let my people go, so that they may worship me'" (Exodus 8:1), which has played an important and diverse role in African American history from early slave spirituals through the modern civil rights movement and beyond * "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28), which has been adopted by feminists as a rallying cry in the battle for women's ordination Each of the historical episodes he explores--from the beginning of Christian monasticism to the emergence of Pentecostalism--is evidence of the dynamic interplay between Scripture and the social and cultural context in which it is interpreted. Kling's innovative study of this process shows how sacred texts can give life to social movements, and how powerful social forces can give new meaning to Scripture.

History

World

Product Description 
Conversion has played a central role in the history of Christianity. In this first in-depth and wide-ranging narrative history, David Kling examines the dynamic of turning to the Christian faith by individuals, families, and people groups. Global in reach, the narrative progresses from early 
Christian beginnings in the Roman world to Christianity's expansion into Europe, the Americas, China, India, and Africa. Conversion is often associated with a particular strand of modern Christianity (evangelical) and a particular type of experience (sudden, overwhelming). However, when examined 
over two millennia, it emerges as a phenomenon far more complex than any one-dimensional profile would suggest. No single, unitary paradigm defines conversion and no easily explicable process accounts for why people convert to Christianity. Rather, a multiplicity of factors-historical, personal, 
social, geographical, theological, psychological, and cultural-shape the converting process.\nA History of Christian Conversion not only narrates the conversions of select individuals and peoples, it also engages current theories and models to explain conversion, and examines recurring themes in the conversion process: divine presence, gender and the body, agency and motivation, testimony 
and memory, group- and self-identity, "authentic" and "nominal" conversion, and modes of communication. Accessible to scholars, students, and those with a general interest in conversion, Kling's book is the most satisfying and comprehensive account of conversion in Christian history to date; this 
major work will become a standard must-read in conversion studies.\nReview 
"impressive in its chronological and geographical scope and in the effort it clearly entailed, 
A History of Christian Conversion...is comprehensive and engagingly written..." -- M.A. Singer, Minot State University, 
CHOICE\n"This book would be useful in a variety of settings DS schools, churches, mission fields, and Christian homes. It can even be used as a devotional book. By reading one portion each day, the reader can reflect and learn from history and the many life stories." -- Perlita Tan, 
Evangelical Missions\nQuarterly\nAbout the Author \nDavid W. Kling is the author of 
A Field of Divine Wonders: The New Divinity and Village Revivals in Northwestern Connecticut, 1792-1822; 
The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times; co-editor (with Douglas A. Sweeney) of 
Jonathan Edwards at Home and Abroad: Historical Memories,\nCultural Movements, Global Horizons; and an area editor (American Christianity) for the 
Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. He is Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Miami.

A History of Christian Conversion

The Bible in History

Over 15 years after its original publication The Bible in History remains an essential examination of the symbiotic relationship between Scripture and the social and cultural contexts shaping its interpretation. David W. Kling traces the fascinating story of how specific biblical texts-sometimes a single verse, other times a selection of verses or chapters, even books-have at various times emerged to be the inspiration of movements that have changed the course of history. Episodes range from Anthony's call to the desert and a life of monasticism after hearing Jesus's directive to the "rich young rule" to give up his possessions, to the Anabaptists non-violent ethic in following Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, to the varied applications of the exodus motif in African American history. This revised and expanded second edition adds two new chapters. The first examines the text in Matthew 28:18-20 and considers the multitudinous interpretations before, during, and after the text emerged as the iconic "Great Commission" of missionary motivation in the modern period. The second assesses those biblical texts that encompass the divisive and ongoing issue of male homosexuality. Both chapters engage the question of, "how the texts have shaped the times," but, as Kling argues, the "times" have also exerted an enormous impact on shaping the interpretation of the texts, and hence, on the continuing disputes over the meaning of those texts.

It began as a trickle in 1792, but by century's end northwestern Connecticut was awash in revival. In 1799 Edward Dorr Griffin wrote that he could stand at his doorstep in Litchfield County and "number fifty or sixty congregations laid down in one field of divine wonders." Griffin was one of the leading ministers whose electrifying preaching triggered the Second Great Awakening—the subject of this award-winning study. 
A Field of Divine Wonders focuses on the village revivals sparked by Griffin and his fellow New Divinity ministers—the theological heirs of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards died in 1758—long before the rash of revivals in 1798—but he left an enduring legacy that later generations of disciples followed. But it was the third generation of Edwardseans, pastors such as Griffin, Asahel Nettleton, and Bennet Tyler, who personified the theology of revival. For thirty years, they successfully preached, counseled, and defended the New Divinity message of salvation until the mid-1820s when most of the leaders had passed from the scene and New Divinity revivalism had lost its appeal. Nevertheless, there remained a form of piety rooted in Edwards's teaching on "affectionate" religion, which merged with other evangelical traditions and has endured up to our own day. 
Unlike previous studies focused chiefly on leaders or institutions, or theology or converts, A Field of Divine Wonders integrates the history of ideas with newer approaches in historical research—collective biography, modes of discourse, gender studies, social and quantitative history, and local community studies—to supply the kind of "new religious history" that historians have long called for.

A Field of Divine Wonders: The New Divinity and Village Revivals in Northwestern Connecticut, 1792–1822 (Kenneth Scott Latourette Prize in Religion and Modern Literature)

Americas

Penn State University Press

The Bible in History How the Texts Have Shaped the Times

Oxford University Press (Galaxy imprint)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kling, David W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kling, David W.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kling, David W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times

The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times

A History of Christian Conversion

The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times

A Field of Divine Wonders: The New Divinity and Village Revivals in Northwestern Connecticut, 1792–1822 (Kenneth Scott Latourette Prize in Religion and Modern Literature)

The Bible in History How the Texts Have Shaped the Times