Free Church Research Articles

Organizational Growth and Ecological Constraints: The Growth of Social Movements in Sweden, 1881 to 1940

Based on the theoretical framework of organizational ecology, it is suggested that social movement organizations are inert structures that rarely exceed their initial size. The ecological concept of organizational growth is tested using membership data for Sweden from 1881 to 1940 for virtually all local social movement organizations (29,193 organizations) in three major social movements: the temperance, free church, and trade union movements. Findings show that the organizations in two of the movements have average growth trajectories approximating zero. The ecological argument is then expanded to include information on the movements' organizational niches and intra- and intermovement density development. After controlling for the local organization's initial size, findings reveal that the remaining variation in aggregate membership is more likely to depend on population and niche dynamics (which organizational ecologists focus on) than on the capacity of the movement's local organizations to expand. These findings are consistent for all three Swedish movements. The ecological argument and the findings presented here are contrary to almost all research on social movements, which takes for granted that social movement organizations are necessarily capable of individual growth

Organizational Growth and Ecological Constraints: The Growth of Social Movements in Sweden, 1881 to 1940

Based on the theoretical framework of organizational ecology, it is suggested that social movement organizations are inert structures that rarely exceed their initial size. The ecological concept of organizational growth is tested using membership data for Sweden from 1881 to 1940 for virtually all local social movement organizations (29,193 organizations) in three major social movements: the temperance, free church, and trade union movements. Findings show that the organizations in two of the movements have average growth trajectories approximating zero. The ecological argument is then expanded to include information on the movements’ organizational niches and intra- and intermovement density development. After controlling for the local organization's initial size, findings reveal that the remaining variation in aggregate membership is more likely to depend on population and niche dynamics (which organizational ecologists focus on) than on the capacity of the movement's local organizations to expand. These findings are consistent for all three Swedish movements. The ecological argument and the findings presented here are contrary to almost all research on social movements, which takes for granted that social movement organizations are necessarily capable of individual growth.

Church-State Relations in the United Kingdom: A Westminster View

In any discussion of church-state relations in the United Kingdom, it should be remembered that there are four national Churches: the Church of England, the (Reformed) Church of Scotland, the Church in Wales (disestablished in 1920 as a result of the Welsh Church Act 1914) and the Church of Ireland (disestablished by the Irish Church Act 1869). The result is that two Churches are established by law (the Church of England and the Church of Scotland) and enjoy a particular constitutional relationship with the state, while the other Churches and faith-communities (the Roman Catholics, the Free Churches, the Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others) have particular rights and privileges in particular circumstances.

Die ungarische Revolution von 1848-49. Vergleichende Aspekte der Revolutionen in Ungarn und Deutschland by Holger s> Fischer (review)

REVIEWS 535 Fischer,Holger (ed.).Die ungarische Revolution voni848-49. Vergleichende Aspekte derRevolutionen in UngarnundDeutschland. Beitrage zur deutschen und europaischen Geschichte,27. VerlagKramer,Hamburg,I999. I98 pp. Notes. DM 58.oo. FOURTEENpapers read at a conference of the Finno-Ugrian Seminar, University of Hamburg, in May I998 are published here. In his preface the editor argues that the Hungarian revolution in I848 was an integral part of the European political transformation, and, further, that the German and Hungarianrevolutionsareworthcomparingbecause theyhad many common as well as some diversefeatures.They both aimed to democratize the political order, reform the social system and create the nation-state. While, however, the bourgeoisie was the leading force in Germany, in Hungary it was the nobility. Nor did the industrial workers play any role in Hungary. The chaptersdo not followup thesecomparativepoints:theyaremostlyconcerned with topics discussed exclusively either in relation to Germany or Hungary. Gunter WA'ollstein (Cologne), looking at German nationalism,rejectsthe view that it xvasleft wing, emancipationist and largely defensive before Bismarck and then became right wing, anti-liberal and chauvinistic. Hegemonic aspirationsto turn Germany into a Weltmacht alreadyplayed a central role in the politicsof Paulskirchein I848. Agnes Deak (Szeged) argues that although the principle of nationalitywas the driving force behind social transformationin the Habsburg Monarchy neither the nationalitiesin Hungary nor the Hungarianswanted to destroyit. The latter aimed to shift the centre of the Monarchy to Hungary while the Germanprovinceswould be partsof Grossdeutschlland a plan which Austrian Liberals like Victor Andrian-WNerburg (earlier a supporter of Hungarian reformers)strongly opposed. Magyarismus was isolated because of the Hungarian claim to a 'single political nation' although in I849 the government recogniizedthe languagerightsof non-Hungarians.BarbaraVogel (Hamburg) points out thathistorians(notwithstandingrecentresearch)stillunderestimate the importance of associations and clubs which were instrumental in mobilizing the population against the authorities in the towns and the counitrysidethroughout Germany. Elena Mannova (Bratislava)looks at the associations in Hungary, particularlyin the region which is today Slovakia. Elke Kleinan (Hamburg) writes about the participation of women in the Germani revolution (it was significant particularly in the Free Churches movements). Zsuzsa Kalla (Budapest)reviews the politics of the poet Sandor Pet6fi: the leader of the 'March Youth' was no friend of Kossuth. Gabor Erdody (Budapest)analyses the foreign policy of the Batthyany government whose plan to makeBuda the centre of the HabsburgMonarchy depended on Frankfurtbecoming the centreof a united Germany(andvice versa).The new orderin CentralEuropewas to be based on German-Hungarian alliance. Wolfgang Schwentker (The Hague) reviews European conservatism in I848, Zoltan Fonagy (Budapest) looks at the role the nobility played in Hungary, M\anfredHettling (Bielefeld)analysesBurgertum and civil society in Germany,AmbrusMiskolczy(Budapest)reviewstheissueofJewish emancipation in Hungary, Christof Dipper (Darmstadt) the peasant question in 536 SEER, 79, 3, 200I Germany, Vilmos Heiszler (Budapest)the same topic in Hungary, and in the last chapter Peter Borowsky(Hamburg) describes the revolution in his own town. All in all, only three chapters, Agnes Deak, Gunter Wollstein and Gabor Erd6dy'sdeal with comparativesubjects.The volume exhibitsa rathertypical weakness of conference papers thrown together after the event: the parts do not reallycohere.As the editorobservedin hispreface,the comparativepoints were well explored at the conference. A summary of what emerged in these discussions might have been included in the volume or a comprehensive introductioncould have broughtthe chapterstogether.In itspresentformthe contribution of this compendium rests on fourteen short individual items. Even so theyoffersome insightsinto the currentscholarlyconcernsin the ever green subjectof the I848 revolutions. London LASZL6 PETER Kagan, FrederickW. TheMilitagy Reforms ofJNicholas 1. TheOrigins oftheModern RussianArmy.Macmillan, Basingstoke and London, I999. xii+337 pp. Notes. Bibliography.Index. ?40.??. THE 'iron tsar' a reformer?The term need not mean liberal or progressive, explains FrederickW. Kagan of the US Military Academy, and so even conservative measures designed to buttress autocracy may legitimately be accounted reforms. Judged in this light, Nicholas I deserves credit for centralizing the military administration (I832-36) and placing it on a firm legal basis by promulgating a systematicdigest of army regulations in I838. Though certainlyimportant, these achievements were scarcelyon a par with those of D. A. Miliutin in the next reign, and to claim that 'Russia'smilitary administration was [... .] revolutionized by Nicholas's policies' (p. 6) goes much too far...

The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Excess Male Mortality in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Sweden

weden has the lowest per capita consumption of alcohol in Western Europe together with the Nordic sister nations Norway and Iceland, according to recent official statistics. Alcohol-related deaths are consequently low in a European perspective. This level is ascribed to the Swedish policy based on farreaching administrative restrictions and on the high taxes imposed on alcohol sale. However, ideological influences that encourage conscientiousness and temperance have also been exercised historically by strong popular movements: the absolutist temperance societies, working class organisations and the non-conformist free churches (outside the Swedish Lutheran Church). Many of those who defend this system with a low consumption policy today foresee great risks regarding the social and health-related consequences if the European Union efforts to liberalise the restrictive Swedish policy in order to ‘harmonise’ trade in alcoholic beverages are carried through. The great interest in alcohol in the contemporary debate on public health issues in Sweden motivates a closer examination of the historical experiences with alcohol policies and traditions regarding consumption levels and health effects.

Reluctant Voluntaries: Peter and George Brown: The Scottish Disruption and the Politics of Church and State in Canada

This article situates the intellectual development of Peter and George Brown, two Scottish Free Church Presbyterians whose newspapers, the Banner and the Globe, launched in Toronto, upper Canada, during the 1840s made a central contribution to the redefinition of colonial liberalism. Although their starting point was the idea of plural establishment as safeguarding Scottish national traditions, the Browns' radical Scottish Whiggism moved, under the impact of British church-state controversies of the early 1840s, the Scottish Disruption of 1843, and the debate within Upper Canada over the fate of the colonial Clergy Reserves, to a radical position of total disestablishment and religious voluntaryism. This article shows the connections between the Browns' Presbyterianism, their religiously-centred Scottish nationalism, and the effect of their commitment to evangelical antislavery causes, and their espousal of a more democratic British constitutionalism. In the Upper Canadian context, this article illustrates the close links that prevailed between religious radicalism and colonial definitions of political democracy that emerged during the late 1840s.

‘Its own little share of service to the national cause’: The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland's Chaplains in the First World War

For Europe, the First World War was probably the single most shattering event of the twentieth century and indeed it seems fair to say that '[t]he world has lived in the shadow of the Great War ever since.' 2 As well as killing millions of men and doing irreparable damage to the bodies and minds of countless others, the Great War destroyed a great many of the assumptions on which pre-war hope and optimism were based. Few countries felt a greater impact than Scotland; Scots joined the British army with great enthusiasm, 3 and it has been estimated that over one quarter of all the Scots who fought were killed, with a higher percentage of Scots being killed in action than any other country. 4 The impact on non-combatants can only be guessed at. There had been nothing to prepare anyone for the catastrophic carnage of the War and the Scottish Presbyterian churches struggled to come to terms with the implications of all this bloodshed; ultimately they saw themselves being severely damaged by the Great War, with both the power and the weight of the churches being acutely undermined. 5 One of the ways in which a church could respond, of course, was by providing chaplains, and the larger churches in Scotland certainly did that; about 200 Church of Scotland ministers volunteered for that undertaking in the first few months of the War. 6 The roll of divinity students at the United Free Church's seminary at New College in Edinburgh was 'reduced to a mere fraction of its pre-war strength' by men volunteering for the war effort, and as early as October 1914, the Senate Minutes recorded that two of their ex-students were already assisting chaplains in military camps. 7 This article, however, will explore the chaplaincy endeavour of one of the smallest Scottish Presbyterian churches: the predominantly highland Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Although a tiny church, with only between fifteen and twenty ministers in Scotland during the War years, its efforts at making 'its own little share of service to the national cause' 9 were impressive, and its experience complex and at times ambiguous is an illuminating one. Free Presbyterian ministers acted as military chaplains both officially and unofficially, and there are probably few denominations that could claim such a level of involvement thirteen out of the seventeen Free Presbyterian ministers listed in 1917, 76 per cent, were involved in preaching to servicemen based in southern England, while two served as official chaplains. It should perhaps be pointed out here then that the vast bulk of the Free Presbyterian commitment was in the 'unofficial' capacity. These 'unofficial' chaplains tended to travel down to England and stay close to military bases for a period of around two months; while not a year-round obligation by any individual, it

Shaping Teachers' Interpretation of Spirituality: The Contribution of Anglican and Free Church Colleges in England and Wales

A sample of 298 primary-school teachers working within the state-maintained sector in England completed a 150-item questionnaire to assess their understanding of the term “spirituality.” The data demonstrate that after controlling for sex, age, personality, and current religiosity, teachers trained in an Anglican or Free Church College were more likely than teachers trained in secular institutions to interpret the educational construct of spirituality in terms of traditional features of Christianity. There is some evidence for the distinctive religious contribution of Church Colleges to teacher education.

Liberating Sojourn: Frederick Douglass and Transatlantic Reform

Still in his twenties but already famous for his fiery orations and controversial autobiography, black abolitionist Frederick Douglass traveled to Great Britain in 1845 on an eighteen-month lecture and fund-raising tour. This book examines how that visit affected transatlantic reform movements and Douglass s own thinking. The first book dedicated specifically to the trip, it features the work of scholars from both sides of the Atlantic--including Douglass biographer William McFeely and abolitionist scholar R. J. M. Blackett--who use Douglass s visit to reexamine aspects of his life and times. The contributors reveal the visit s significance to an understanding of transatlantic gender relations, religion, radicalism, and popular views of African Americans in Britain and also examine such topics as Douglass s attitudes toward the Irish and his campaign against the Free Church of Scotland for accepting southern money. Together, these essays show that Douglass s journey was a personal and political triumph and a key event in his development, leaving him better prepared to set the strategies and ideologies of the abolitionist movement.

“The Republic of Letters”: Frederick Douglass, Ireland, and the Irish Narratives

ONE of the most notable visitors to Irish shores during the nineteenth century was Frederick Douglass, author, abolitionist, and fugitive slave. (1) Douglass had left the United States following the publication in 1845 of his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, in order to avoid recapture and re-enslavement, and to generate support for the antislavery cause in Europe. His travels throughout the then United Kingdom in the two years from 1845 to 1847 had profound effects on Douglass' social and intellectual status. Alan Rice describes him as arriving in [and Ireland] as raw material of a great black figure; [and leaving] ... in April 1847 the finished independent man, cut from a whole cloth and able to make his own decisions about the strategies and ideologies of the abolitionist movement. (2) Douglass' personal and political transformation is evident in the shifting form of his literary work, itself enmeshed in those same strategies and ideologies. In Ireland his autobiography was republished by the Dublin Quaker printer Richard Webb shortly after Douglass' arrival in September 1845, and it went into variant and second Irish editions in 1846. (3) Just as Douglass' personal and professional standing were deeply affected by the experience of being outside the US, the reprinting of the Narrative in Ireland marks the beginning of a stage in Douglass' literary career that has profound implications for contemporary readings of his life and work. Taken in conjunction with his other literary output at this time--the letters to Garrison from Britain and Ireland that were subsequently published in the abolitionist newspaper, the Liberator--the Irish Narratives mark a transitional phase in Douglass' emergence as a modern subject and in his negotiation of nineteenth-century models of socio-cultural identity. For with the republication of the Narrative in Dublin came several and various changes in the form of the work, with often contradictory implications. These changes included the incorporation of a resolution of the Hibernian Anti-Slavery Society on the flyleaf; varying portraits of Douglass on the title spread; a verse from John Greenleaf Whittier on the title page; and a written by Douglass and inserted before the preface to the US edition. New appendices included the Address to the Friends of the Slave; a reproduction and contestation of A.C.C. Thompson's refutation of Douglass' Narrative in the Delaware Republican; a selection of favorable critical notices from US and British newspapers; and two testimonies from Protestant clergymen in Belfast. All of these changes, most notably the new preface written by Douglass himself, illustrate the strategies he used in negotiating the social, economic, and ideological landscape of the Atlantic world. (4) The new first appears in the variant first Irish edition published in March 1846 and, in an extended version, in the second Irish edition of May of the same year. Both editions were produced after Douglass had left Ireland for Britain and was lecturing on his famous Send Back the Money campaign against the Free Church of Scotland. (5) The first introduction, therefore, was written in Ireland in 1845 and extended while Douglass was in Glasgow in 1846. As such, the appearance and meaning of the can be seen as bearing directly on Douglass' Irish experience--an experience marked by economic success, social mobility, and increasing ideological independence. The preface is important both as autobiographical and ideological commentary on Douglass' changing status within abolitionism and his increasing awareness of the risks and opportunities of engagement with the society and politics of the Atlantic world. While the American edition confined itself to the exposure and abolition of slavery as part of an ongoing domestic campaign against that institution in the US, the Irish editions reconfigure--through the addition of the preface--the anti-slavery debate and the slave-subject in the international discourse of Western modernity. …

Scenes of Ecclesiastical Theatre in the Free Church of Scotland, 1981-2000

Scenes of Ecclesiastical Theatre in the Free Church of Scotland, 1981-2000

Historical and Theological Analysis of the Pentecostal Church in Norway

The Pentecostal churches in Norway are comparatively small, and yet the influence of the Norwegian Pentecostals on global Pentecostalism has been significant. Pentecostalism is now the largest Free Church in Norway and the church that Barratt built to house the new tradition is still in use in central Oslo (then Kristiania) and still innovative in its mission and radical in its spirituality.' This essay will trace the development of the tradition founded by a de-frocked Methodist clergyman, persecuted in the press and attacked from the left and the right, to its role in defining the theology and praxis of Pentecostalism around the world. Contrary to what might be expected, the Norwegian Pentecostal church was not founded by North American missionaries, nor have the Norwegian Pentecostal churches ever been controlled by the North American churches. Like other European Pentecostal churches, indeed as the majority of the Pentecostal churches around the world, Norwegian Pentecostalism is and has always been an indigenous religious tradition with neither financial nor moral support from foreign churches.

Communion and the Trinity: The Free Church Ecclesiology of Miroslav Volf-A Catholic Response

Communion and the Trinity: The Free Church Ecclesiology of Miroslav Volf-A Catholic Response

Christology from Within: Spirituality and the Incarnation in Hans Urs von Balthasar by Mark A. McIntosh

330 BOOK REVIEWS text itself, while starting with a modest claim, grows increasingly sententious: "The various Free Churches are growing most rapidly among Protestants"; "Just as significant as the rapid growth of the Free Churches, however, are the incipient structural transformations within the traditional Protestant and Catholic churches"; "This 'process of congregationalization' is clearly evident even in the Catholic Church, which is (still?) committed to a hierarchical structure "; "Today's global developments seem to imply that Protestant Christendom of the future will exhibit largely a Free Christian form"; "It seems to me that we are standing in the middle of a clear and irreversible 'process of congregationalization ' ofall Christianity"; and "The Free Church model is without a doubt being borne by irreversible social changes of global proportions." Most ofVolf's claims here are over blown. Not only would many Catholics challenge his thesis as regards the Catholic Church but the recent Lambeth Conference seems to witness to the fact that the old hierarchical structures in Protestantism, vestigial though they may be, can serve even today as the most salient means for addressing a contemporary issue. At the recent Lambeth conference, a world synod of Anglican bishops, native African bishops representing the ancient biblical tradition were able, if I may use Preston's words, to stand Gegenuber, over and against, in a sort of "reciprocity of the Church and Christ," the proposals of those bishops from Europe and North America who represented an attitude ofsexual liberalism popular in their congregations. l.AWRENCEB. PORTER Seton Hall University South Orange, New Jersey Christology from Within: Spirituality and the Incarnation in Hans Urs von Balthasar. By MARK A MCINTOSH. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1996. Pp. 224. $29.00 (doth). ISBN 0-268-00815-9. Various attempts have been made to introduce the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar, from general treatments to methodological and thematic ones. In Christology from Within, Mark Mcintosh has taken a dogmatic locus and guides the reader through its constructive attunements by von Balthasar. In doing so he really manages two things: an excellent treatment of von Balthasar's Christology, but one that really gets to the core of his entire work. No surprise really for those already familiar with von Balthasar but enlightening to veteran and novice readers alike of this theological master. BOOK REVIEWS 331 Long recognized by those attracted to von Balthasar is the more innovative aspect of the book's thesis, namely, the integration of spirituality and theology. I say "long recognized" for avid readers of von Balthasar are often drawn to him because of this, and in Mcintosh they will now find an interpreter for whom such integration is of special interest, continued by the way in a more recent publication (Mystical Theology: The Integrity ofSpiritualityandTheology [Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998]). Often issues of Christian life, holiness, and perfection have been left to spiritual, ascetical, and mystical theologies (as Mcintosh is quick to point out), but this is not the case with von Balthasar. It is merit of this book to test and affirm the constructive and systematic implications for Christian dogma. The hard questions are posed from the beginning and would be a litmus test for any contemporary Christology. To what extent does von Balthasar accede to a docetic Christology, one that in the overall flavor of his oeuvre ignores historical-critical method, does not give sufficient attention to the humanity of Christ, and prefers the inner life of God as the real spectrum by which to measure Christology? A further complication attends the whole project. Not all are enthusiastic over von Balthasar's spirituality, whether played out in the inner-Trinitarian life, the person of Jesus Christ, or the call of Christians to holiness and mission. Best come to expression programmatically in Mysterium Paschale, von Balthasar seems absorbed by Christ's transposition into kenosis, suffering, and death, such that the humanity that emerges is one totally dominated by an overbearing passiology. As stated before, one has almost to be drawn to this sort of thing really to appreciate it. Mcintosh is sensitive to this reaction and confronts these questions head on. His case for von Balthasar is thus perforce the stronger...

‘Austere Ritual’: the Reformation of Worship in Inter-War English Congregationalism

Writing in 196s, Horton Davies, in his magisterial examination of worship and theology in England, gave a glowing account of advances made in Free Churches over previous decades towards ‘a worship that is deeply reverent, sacramentally rich, ecumenically comprehensive, and theologically faithful’. This study examines the pressure for reformation in worship which emerged, particularly in the 1930s, within English Congregationalism. Pressure came from an exploration of the Reformed and Puritan roots of the denomination and from the influence of wider forms of corporate devotion. By 1943, Nathaniel Micklem (1888-1976), Principal from 1932 of Mansfield College, Oxford, and the most formative theologian espousing new versions of Reformed thought, could write Congregationalism and the Church Catholic, affirming that ‘by the faithful preaching of the Word, the believing celebration of the sacraments and the exercise of Gospel discipline, the Church is kept in the doctrine and fellowship of the apostles and stands in true succession’. The inter-war years, a period of marked Anglo-Catholic dominance, saw Anglican and Free Church leaders who had been shaped by evangelical theology re-examining their practices in the light of higher forms of worship. In Congregationalism, which with almost 300,000 members in England was the largest of the older Dissenting denominations, this process had distinctive features deriving from its own history.

Omvendelse og forbøn

This article deals with the charismatic Protestant Free Church in Denmark, "Kristent Centrum". It describes the organization of "Kristent Centrum" and the importance of healing within the Free Church, and it compares "Kristent Centrum" with the healing groups in Meredith B. McGuire's study Ritual Healing in Suburban Africa.The main goal of the Free Church is to convert ordinary people and mainstream Christians into born-again Christians. Mopst of the Church meetings are "revivalist meetings", where leader Hans Berntsen tries to convince people to open up their hearts to Jesus. At the end of each session, Hans Berntsen prays for the people who have different kinds of problems and healing takes place. The church, which has approximately 2,000 members, has meetings all over Denmark. Besides activities which are directed towards conversion, only little goes on within "Kristent Centrum". The members go to meetings to experience an atmosphere of closeness to God, which Hans Berntsen and other leaders try to create. The healing and the singing at meetings contribute to this atmosphere and are appreciated by many participants. As shown in McGuire's study, few people go to the meetings for the sole purpose of being healed. In this respect religious healing seems to differ from other forms of alternative treatment, which are normally used in response to a specific illness. It is my belief that healing within "Kristent Centrum" is supposed to build up faith among the members. Healing seems to work differently within "Kristent Centrum" than among healing groups om McGuire's study, where healing restores order and meaning for the sick person by constructing illness etiologies based on the sick person's illness episodes. Furthermore, the healing gives the person a feeling of personale empowerment. Due to their belief in the greatness and the immediacy of God's power and the complete powerlessness of the human being, the participants in the meetings of "Kristent Centrum" do not feel empowered. Because of the lack of contact between Free Church leaders and people seeking healing at the meetings, no illness etiologies for sick people are constructed.

NON‐INDIGENOUS CHRISTIAN GROUPS: THEIR PROSPECTS FOR BEING CHURCH ALONGSIDE THE ESTABLISHED CHURCHES

International Review of MissionVolume 87, Issue 345 p. 269-272 NON-INDIGENOUS CHRISTIAN GROUPS: THEIR PROSPECTS FOR BEING CHURCH ALONGSIDE THE ESTABLISHED CHURCHES Rudy Polanen, Rudy Polanen Rudy Polanen is from Suriname, and is currently minister of the Evangelical Brother Council in Amsterdam.Search for more papers by this author Rudy Polanen, Rudy Polanen Rudy Polanen is from Suriname, and is currently minister of the Evangelical Brother Council in Amsterdam.Search for more papers by this author First published: 25 March 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-6631.1998.tb00087.x AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume87, Issue345April 1998Pages 269-272 RelatedInformation

German Free Churches and the Nazi Regime

There are a number of excellent studies on the Protestant Churches in the Third Reich, but none contains a thorough treatment of the smaller Free Churches. Ernst Christian Helmreich included a short chapter on these in his 1979 work on The German Churches under Hitler: background, struggle and epilogue. The recent publication of a work by Andrea Strübind on the German Baptist Churches, Die unfreie Freikirche: der Bund der Baptistengemeinden im Dritten Reich (1995), and by Herbert Strahm on the Episcopal Methodist Church, Die Bischöfliche Methodistenkirche im Dritten Reich (1989), should encourage research on a topic that has been badly neglected in the past.This article seeks to shed light on the relationship of German evangelicalism as embodied in the Free Churches to the mainline provincial churches as well as to the regime of National Socialism. It will show that evangelicals were actually far less united than is generally perceived to be the case.

Hugh Miller and the controversies of Victorian science

Preface. 1: Bonneted Mechanic and Narrative Hero: the Self-Modelling of Hugh Miller. 2: Geologist from Cromarty. 3: The Natural Historian as Antiquary of the World: Hugh Miller and the Hieroglyphs of Geology. 4: Palaeontology and Theodicy: Religion, Politics and the Asterolepsis of Stromeness. 5: Like Minds: The God of Hugh Miller. 6: Hugh Miller, the Disruption and the Free Church of Scotland. 7: The Fallen Meteor: Hugh Miller and Local Tradition. 8: Miller's Improvement: A Classic Tale of Self Advancement?. 9: 'Stand and unfold yourself: My Schools and Schoolmasters. 10: Miller's Madness. 11: Hugh Miller's Contribution to the Witness: 1840-1856. A Bibliography of Hugh Miller. Index

Denominational Pluralism and Chur Ch Membership in Contemporary Sweden

AbstractRecent theoretical developments within the sociology of religion assume a positive relationship between religious pluralism and religious participation. The relationship is explained by rational choice theory, which suggests that the more competition churches face, the more likely they are to adapt their services to the demands of their potential members and participants. Such market adaptation is expected to result in a diversified supply of religious services and hence to increase the likelihood that consumers can find a religious suply well adapted to their individual tastes. In order to overcome the weaknesses of previous cross-sectional analyses, this study investigates whether increases in denominational pluralism are followed by the theoretically expected increases in denominational membership. The results for the free church sector of 269 Swedish municipalitites show that, other things equal, increases in free church pluralism led to a comparatively better development of free church membership. The effect of the increases in religous pluralism was particularily evident where the level of free church pluralism was relatively low at the beginning of the period under study.