Editor's Foreword (Jon Woronoff)
Acknowledgments
Preface
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
Introduction
The Dictionary
Bibliography
About the Author
William H. Brackney is a Millard R. Cherry Distinguished Professor of Christian Thought and Ethics, Acadia University. He teaches in the fields of Protestant Christian Thought and Global Ethical Issues.
Brackney (Millard R. Cherry Distinguished Professor of Christian
Thought and Ethics, Acadia Univ.) explores numerous attempts—some
highly successful, some not—at changing the Christian faith over
time. Introductory material presents the “evolving nature of
radical Christianity” in a time line covering periods stretching
from the first five centuries CE to today. Brackney distinguishes
among five general types of radical Christians: theological,
ethical, reconstructive, prophetic, and sacramental—a useful
typology for understanding the remainder of the text, as each entry
is coded with one of these types. The concise entries cover
movements, people, new religions, sects, and other related subjects
that figure into the overall history of radical Christianity and
include bolded keywords, indicating cross-referenced topics
throughout. The bibliography is subdivided chronologically, and
each section highlights primary and secondary sources; this makes
it useful for further study. Brackney also provides a short
explanation of the types and nature of the literature available for
each period of history discussed. VERDICT One of the stronger and
most clearly organized entries in this series, this is a good
resource for those interested in further exploration of the nature
of religious radicalism and the reasoning behind various
uprisings.
*Library Journal*
This dictionary by Brackney (Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia)
is a fascinating compilation of various groups and movements that
at one time or another have been considered ‘radical’ or
‘unorthodox.’ By ‘radical,’ the author means ‘an identifiable
person/group that sought in some way to restore or recover the
original essence of Christianity, as witnessed in the New Testament
scriptures and literature of first-century Christianity.’ The
introduction provides a brief, insightful overview of the ‘evolving
nature of radical Christianity’ from the foundation of the church
to the present. The most helpful part of this dictionary is the
typology the writer uses to characterize how various individuals
and movements have differed from the creeds and practices developed
by and in the early church. The general types include theological
(T), ethical (E), reconstructive (R), prophetic (P), and
sacramental (S). The dictionary is thorough, though not exhaustive.
Each entry is brief but clearly written and well researched. Also
offered is a useful bibliography of general, primary, and secondary
resources. Specialists and theological students, along with church
historians, will find this volume a great ready-reference
dictionary and a welcome supplement to other works on the same
subject. Summing Up: Recommended.
*CHOICE*
Brackney’s study of radical Christianity illuminates this ongoing
tug-of-war between orthodoxy and heresy, each contributing to the
perception of the other. This would be a useful addition to the
reference collections of high schools and universities.
*American Reference Books Annual*
This is [an] excellent encyclopedic “dictionary” from the Scarecrow
stable, with over 400 entries which are handily cross-referenced by
means of bold print....This well-written and endlessly fascinating
book is based upon a thorough knowledge of the work of previous
scholars and upon research in libraries in the US, Canada, and the
UK.
*s*
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