Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America [2 volumes]
The history of Christianity in North America--Protestantism in particular--has included a number of revivals, from the Northampton Awakening of 1734-35 to the revivalist and evangelistic crusades of Billy Graham in our time. No reference work to date documents this rich history and important thread in Christianity, making theEncyclopedia of Religious Revivals in Americaa unique and welcome new resource.The first volume contains 227 alphabetically arranged articles on many aspects of revivals in America. Biographical entries cover the lives and work of important preachers such as Jonathan Edwards, Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, and Billy Sunday. The article entitledWomen and revivals,along with biographical entries for Kathryn Kuhlman, Aimee Semple McPherson, Amanda Berry Smith, and Sojourner Truth, establishes the importance of women in the revival tradition. Specific revivals, such as theAzusa Street Revival,theCane Ridge Revival,and thePensacola (Brownsville) Revival,of just over a decade ago, are covered. Phenomena associated with revivals (e.g.,Altar call, Dancing in revivals, Serpent- and fire-handling believers,andSpeaking in tongues) are described. Entries are signed, usually conclude with suggestions for further reading, and are often enhanced with illustrations.Volume 2 is a collection of primary source documents, usually a first-person account of a revival experience. Also included in this volume is a massive bibliography of some 3,700 citations on religious revivals and revivalism in North America. Unfortunately, the citations are alphabetically arranged by the author's last name and not otherwise grouped by topic, which would have made it easier to use. A second bibliography on international revivals is divided by world region. There is also an extensive directory of archival collections.The temptation may be to regard the encyclopedia as a specialized reference work in the field of religion. However, fully one-quarter of the world's Christians today belong to a revivalist/charismatic/Pentecostal church, and they are the fastest-growing group within world Christianity, with attendant social and political ramifications. The need to understand the North American roots of this global phenomenon makes this work a worthwhile addition to the collections of academic and large public libraries.Christopher McConnellCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved