Introduction
1. The Bible Cause in America
2. The American Bible Society
3. Towards a Christian Nation
4. A Bible For Every American Family
5. The Business of Benevolence
6. The Bible is the Religion of Protestants
7. A Bible House Divided
8. Rebuilding a Christian Nation
9. The Bible Cause in an Age of Immigration and Expansion
10. ABS in the Levant
11. The ABS in Mexico
12. China
13. The ABS and African Americans in the Wake of Reconstruction
14. The American Bible Society and the War to End All Wars
15. The Bible in Times of Plenty and Want
16. Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear
17. Bibles, Not Bombs
18. Asia
19. The Bible and One World
20. The Bible Cause at Home in a Post-War World
21. God's Word for a New Age
22. Catholics
23. Good News
24. More Good News
25. The Bible Cause in the "Worst of Times"
26. God and Country
27. Engaging the Age of Evangelicalism
Epilogue: The Bible Cause in the Twenty-First Century
John Fea is Professor of American History and Chair of the History Department at Messiah College, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
"The Bible Cause is a sagacious telling of history; Fea turned what
I had anticipated to be a rather pedestrian and insignificant story
into a poetically strong historical narrative with rich
sociological lessons." -- Joseph T. Cochran , American Theological
Library Association
"Fea is at his best when interweaving this story of a new nation
with one of that country's most important religious organisations
as both struggled to establish the boundaries of faith and public
life. This struggle continues through to the book's skilfully
written last pages. The Bible cause is required reading for
scholars interested in American religious nationalism,
evangelicalism, mission history and history of the book." -- Joseph
S. Moore, Gardner-Webb
University, Journal of Ecclesiastical History
"Fea's work is comprehensive and insightful, and his study will
complement an array of recent historical scholarship on American
Christian print culture and biblicism."-Shari Rabin, Journal of
Religion
"For two hundred years, supporters have opened their wallets to
fund the [American Bible Society], trekked into unknown lands on
its behalf, and distributed Bibles with its name stamped inside the
cover. Fea tells this story perceptively and with care. He ably
sets the ABS in the context of US history in a way that makes The
Bible Cause especially helpful for those interested in the history
of missions, US imperialism, the Bible (both in the United
States and globally), and biblical translation. Ultimately, Fea's
work offers a well-researched and thoughtfully argued account of
the institution and people who dedicated themselves to the Bible
cause."-Andrew
Klumpp, Reading Religion
"By integrating anecdotes of colorful and heroic agents such as P.
M. Ozanne, Young Bin Im, and Frances Hamilton, Fea makes
organizational history an enjoyable read. In an institution
dominated by white men, he also goes out of his way to stress the
importance of laypeople and women in accomplishing the society s
goals...[The book] will be of most interest to historians of the
early republic, national identity, and American religion."--Kansas
History: A Journal of the Central Plains
"Fea's work is scholarly but accessible...Readers who are
interested in the Bible in popular culture or American religious
history will find this an engaging read."--The Bible Today
"Fea's work, which will appeal to anyone interested in American
religious history, offers a well-written account of the history of
a group that has had a tremendous impact on religious life in the
United States and worldwide, adapting to new situations and
technologies while remaining true to its original mission."
--Augustine J. Curly, Library Journal
"John Fea's history of two hundred years of the American Bible
Society is full of unusually perceptive insights. The book shows
how the society advanced both evangelistic and nationalistic
purposes, sustained great activity at home and abroad, balanced
heavenly-minded goals with up-to-date business savvy, promoted an
old religion through modern technologies, and prospered with
inter-denominational cooperation while surviving considerable
controversy. It is a
splendid book to mark a noteworthy anniversary." --Mark A. Noll,
author of In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American
Public Life, 1492-1783
"The Bible Cause is far more than a definitive history of the
American Bible Society, though it succeeds admirably in that
respect. John Fea also tells a broader story about American
culture, how religion came to play such a central role in shaping
national identity and how, in turn, secular ideals have shaped
American belief and behavior. It is an important story, told with
affection, care, and thoughtful critique." --Margaret Bendroth,
Executive
Director of the Congregational Library & Archives
"In an engaging survey of the American Bible Society, Fea leads us
through Bible distribution in ever-widening circles. His expansive
sweep highlights dissemination on the U.S. frontier, within the
war-ravaged communities of the postbellum American South, and
around the globe. He shows how the Good Book both followed and
accompanied U.S. imperial aspirations, and also how its influence
motivated believers to see America as a Christian nation united
by
reverence for the Word." --Laurie Maffly-Kipp, author of Setting
Down the Sacred Past: African American Race Histories
"This comprehensive history, written to commemorate the American
Bible Society (ABS) bicentennial, explores the ABS's roots, guiding
philosophies, evolving mission, and influence domestically and
internationally . . . Fea references 'sensational accounts of the
struggles faced in Bible distribution' included in ABS
publications, and highlights individuals such as Frances Hamilton,
ABS's first female agent, who stayed in Mexico through the 1910
Revolution, and
'Aunt Sue,' an African American ABS volunteer who in 1943 boarded a
bus full of whites to explain how the Bible would bring racial
harmony. These stories put a human face on this national
movement."--Publishers Weekly
"Institutional histories are tricky to writeELFea should be
commended for completing in 2016 what no less a scholar than
Kenneth Scott Latourette was unable to finish in 1966."--Religion
in American History
"John Fea has written a lively and reasonably comprehensive
bicentennial history of the American Bible Society (ABS)...this
outstanding public history deserves careful consideration from both
religious executives and university scholars."--The Journal of
American History
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