Early American Methodists commonly described their religious lives as great wars with sin and claimed they wrestled with God and Satan who assaulted them in terrible ways. Carefully examining a range of sources, including sermons, letters, autobiographies, journals, and hymns, Jeffrey Williams explores this violent aspect of American religious life and thought. Williams exposes Methodism's insistence that warfare was an inevitable part of Christian life and necessary for any person who sought God's redemption. He reveals a complex relationship between religion and violence, showing how violent expression helped to provide context and meaning to Methodist thought and practice, even as Methodist religious life was shaped by both peaceful and violent social action.
- ISBN10 0253004233
- ISBN13 9780253004239
- Publish Date December 2010 (first published 1 April 2010)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Indiana University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 245
- Language English