Description
For many Christians in America, becoming filled with Christ first requires being empty of themselves-a quality often overlooked in religious histories. In Emptiness, John Corrigan highlights for the first time the various ways that American Christianity has systematically promoted the cultivation of this feeling. Corrigan examines different kinds of emptiness essential to American Christianity, such as the emptiness of deep longing, the emptying of the body through fasting or weeping, the emptiness of the wilderness, and the emptiness of historical time itself. He argues, furthermore, that emptiness is closely connected to the ways Christian groups differentiate themselves: many groups foster a sense of belonging not through affirmation, but rather avowal of what they and their doctrines are not. Through emptiness, American Christians are able to assert their identities as members of a religious community. Drawing much-needed attention to a crucial aspect of American Christianity, Emptiness expands our understanding of historical and contemporary Christian practices.
About the Author
John Corrigan is the Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor of Religion and professor of history at Florida State University. He is the editor of the Chicago History of American Religion series, also published by the University of Chicago Press, and coeditor, most recently, of Religion in American History.
Reviews
"Corrigan's latest book turns a surprising theme-emptiness-into a fresh way to conceptualize the American religious landscape. Drawing on an impressive range of sources, he argues that emptiness is a ubiquitous feature of American Christianity and is experienced in multiple ways-emotionally, bodily, spatially, temporally, and doctrinally. Rich, erudite, and thought-provoking, this is a highly original contribution and a work of considerable theoretical importance." (Peter J. Thuesen, author of Predestination: The American Career of a Contentious Doctrine)
Book Information
ISBN 9780226237466
Author John Corrigan
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 16mm * 2mm
About the Author
John Corrigan is the Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor of Religion and professor of history at Florida State University. He is the editor of the Chicago History of American Religion series, also published by the University of Chicago Press, and coeditor, most recently, of Religion in American History.
Reviews
"Corrigan's latest book turns a surprising theme-emptiness-into a fresh way to conceptualize the American religious landscape. Drawing on an impressive range of sources, he argues that emptiness is a ubiquitous feature of American Christianity and is experienced in multiple ways-emotionally, bodily, spatially, temporally, and doctrinally. Rich, erudite, and thought-provoking, this is a highly original contribution and a work of considerable theoretical importance." (Peter J. Thuesen, author of Predestination: The American Career of a Contentious Doctrine)
Book Information
ISBN 9780226237466
Author John Corrigan
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 16mm * 2mm
