Revivalism and Social Reform: American Protestantism on the Eve of the Civil War (Paperback)

by Professor Timothy L. Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Continues to be a stimulating interpretation of the dynamics of late ante-bellum American Protestantism." -- Fides et Historia

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (September 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080182477X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801824777
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,744,674 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sympathetic Approach to Antebellum Reform, April 3, 2000

By	Glenn M. Harden (Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this work, Smith demonstrated how a sympathetic approach to the revivalists and reformers can yield different conclusions from social control historians like C. S. Griffin or Charles Foster. In antebellum revivalism, Smith discovered little that religious elites could control or exploit, but rather saw the reform impulse as a constructive Christian response to the problems of the age. Furthermore, he virtually rejected Turner's frontier thesis as applied to church history, believing that late-antebellum revivalism and reform were urban phenomena stimulated in part by events across the Atlantic. Finally, Smith emphasized the importance of widely-held theological ideas as sources of social behavior. His work is an important contribution to the social organization approach to antebellum reform, but like the work of many church historians, it has not received its fair share of attention from other scholars. I highly recommend this work for students of antebellum religion and reform. My main criticism is that it dismissed too quickly the theological influence of Calvinism in reform thought. For an interesting counterpoint, see Leo Hirrel's Children of Wrath.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Study of Religion in pre-Civil War America, November 30, 2004

By	J. Earp "Frere Jacques" (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this scholarly yet readable survey, Dr. Timothy L. Smith does a great service to the study of American religious history. Especially notable are the connections he draws between revivalism and the social reform movements, such as temperance & abolitionism, which led up to the Civil War. Highly recommended for anyone interested in American history, especially the history of religion as it relates to society in America.