You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Contrary to popular impressions, the days of the missionary are far from over. North American churches send more missionaries than ever before, and 90 percent of them are evangelicals who are not affiliated with the "mainline" Protestant mission boards. The first major historical treatment of the distinctly evangelical wing of twentieth-century American missions, Earthen Vessels truly breaks new ground. Covering territory that missions histories have scarcely explored yet, the distinguished historians contributing to this volume portray the North American (including Canadian) evangelical missionary enterprise from the Student Volunteer Movement to the very recent past. The book traces the in...
Revelations of abuse at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison and the U.S. detention camp at Guantánamo Bay had repercussions extending beyond the worldwide media scandal that ensued. The controversy surrounding photos and descriptions of inhumane treatment of enemy prisoners of war, or EPWs, from the war on terror marked a watershed moment in the study of modern warfare and the treatment of prisoners of war. Amid allegations of human rights violations and war crimes, one question stands out among the rest: Was the treatment of America’s most recent prisoners of war an isolated event or part of a troubling and complex issue that is deeply rooted in our nation’s military history? Military expert...
During World War II, Kentuckians rushed from farms to factories and battlefields, leaving agriculture throughout the state--particularly the lucrative tobacco industry--without sufficient labor. An influx of Axis prisoners of war made up the shortfall. Nearly 10,000 German and Italian POWs were housed in camps at Campbell, Breckinridge, Knox and other locations across the state. Under the Geneva Convention, they worked for their captors and helped save Kentucky's crops, while enjoying relative comfort as prisoners--playing sports, performing musicals and taking college classes. Yet, friction between Nazi and anti-Nazi inmates threatened the success of the program. This book chronicles the POW program in Kentucky and the vital contributions the Bluegrass State made to Allied victory.
David A. Shank has been reflecting on the mission of the church from an Anabaptist perspective for more than half a century. His writings represent among the best biblical, theological, and missiological study on the matter, shaped by two primary contexts—Europe and Africa—where his ministry took place. This collection will be of particular interest to global church leaders wanting to know more about how to contextualize the gospel message; to mission and church historians interested in examining how missiological thought and practice evolves over time; and to pastors, students, and mission workers seeking insights from a wise elder as they serve the church through its mission efforts in the twenty-first century.
With this book, Yaakov Ariel offers the first comprehensive history of Protestant evangelization of Jews in America to the present day. Based on unprecedented research in missionary archives as well as Jewish writings, the book analyzes the theology and activities of both the missions and the converts and describes the reactions of the Jewish community, which in turn helped to shape the evangelical activity directed toward it. Ariel delineates three successive waves of evangelism, the first directed toward poor Jewish immigrants, the second toward American-born Jews trying to assimilate, and the third toward Jewish baby boomers influenced by the counterculture of the Vietnam War era. After W...
During World War II, Axis prisoners of war received arguably better treatment in the U.S. than anywhere else. Bound by the Geneva Convention but also hoping for reciprocal treatment of American POWs, the U.S. sought to humanely house and employ 425,000 Axis prisoners, many in rural communities in the South. This is the first book-length examination of Tennessee's role in the POW program, and how the influx of prisoners affected communities. Towns like Tullahoma transformed into military metropolises. Memphis received millions in defense spending. Paris had a secret barrage balloon base. The wooded Crossville camp housed German and Italian officers. Prisoners worked tobacco, lumber and cotton across the state. Some threatened escape or worse. When the program ended, more than 25,000 POWs lived and worked in Tennessee.
Examining the largest prisoner-of-war handling operation in U.S. history, this book offers a meticulous account of the myriad history, this book offers a meticulous account of the myriad problems—as well as the impressive successes—that came with problems—as well as the impressive successes—that came with housing 371,000 German POWs on American soil during World War II. Antonio Thompson draws on extensive archival research to probe the various ways in which the U.S. government strove to comply with the Geneva Convention’s mandate that enemy prisoners be moved from the war zone and given food, shelter, and clothing equal to that provided for American soldiers. While the prisoners be...
"Two observations initiated this study; the statistical fact that today less than 1% of the French population are evangelical Christians, despite centuries of Christianity present in France and multiplied missionary efforts in the twentieth century, and the the obvious lack of missiological studies about these poor results and the particularities of secularist France as mission field. A preliminary research project (survey concerning communication and relations in French churches) indicated the existence of a specific French mindset. An investigation of the place of religion throughout history and a sociological analysis of today's values and self-image in France provided insight into the French collective identity. This identity, compared to a relational approach of the New Testament Christian identity, led to the identification of conflict zones. Among the different possiblities for handling the conflict, the incarnational ministry model was withheld. This study concludes with the proposal of a six-principle framework for a church-growth inducing approach that takes into account the cultural specificities of the French mission field.
How American Protestant missionaries created a new worldwide religious network Among a wide spectrum of American Protestants, the horrors of World War II triggered grave concern for Europe’s religious future. They promptly mobilised resources to revive Europe’s Christian foundation. Saving the Overlooked Continent reconstructs this surprising redirection of Western missions. For the first time, Europe became the recipient of America’s missionary enterprise. The American missionary impulse matched the military, economic, and political programs of the U.S., all of which positioned the United States to become Europe’s dominant partner and point of cultural reference. One result was the ...
This book explores the significance of the peach as a cultural icon and viable commodity in the American South.