The Puritan As Yankee: A Life of Horace Bushnell (Library of Religious Biography) [Paperback]

Mr. Robert Bruce Mullin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Library of Religious Biography | Publication Date: August 23, 2002

"Horace Bushnell (1802-76), the much maligned 19th-century liberal pastor/scholar/ theologian, is here vindicated as a deeply conservative Puritan and misunderstood intellectual of his time. In this biography, Mullin (General Theological Seminary) considers Bushnell in the context of his time and milieu. While calling him a "flinty character," Mullin argues that Bushnell was quintessentially a Yankee and a Puritan, seeking innovation yet all the while sustained by a bedrock trust in the values and continuity of the Puritan tradition. Mullin places great emphasis on Bushnell's European travels as well as his writings (published as well as unpublished) from 1846 to early 1849, where he finds him working through his concerns for the lost unity of the Puritans. These ideas fed into Bushnell's sense that "the fractiousness of American political life was an outgrowth of the New Light piety," an evangelical piety that stressed individualism over community. Sophisticated, well informed, and challenging, this first biography of Bushnell in 50 years requires some awareness of American religious history. Recommended for all religion and early American history collections." - Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Horace Bushnell (1802-76), the much maligned 19th-century liberal pastor/scholar/ theologian, is here vindicated as a deeply conservative Puritan and misunderstood intellectual of his time. In this biography, Mullin (General Theological Seminary) considers Bushnell in the context of his time and milieu. While calling him a "flinty character," Mullin argues that Bushnell was quintessentially a Yankee and a Puritan, seeking innovation yet all the while sustained by a bedrock trust in the values and continuity of the Puritan tradition. Mullin places great emphasis on Bushnell's European travels as well as his writings (published as well as unpublished) from 1846 to early 1849, where he finds him working through his concerns for the lost unity of the Puritans. These ideas fed into Bushnell's sense that "the fractiousness of American political life was an outgrowth of the New Light piety," an evangelical piety that stressed individualism over community. Sophisticated, well informed, and challenging, this first biography of Bushnell in 50 years requires some awareness of American religious history. Recommended for all religion and early American history collections.
Sandra Collins, Duquesne Univ. Lib., Pittsburgh
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (August 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802842526
• ISBN-13: 978-0802842527
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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