Overview
- The first social scientific perspective on the Open Bretheren
- Studies the Open Brethren from several perspectives, including historical and psychological accounts
- Examines the challenge of fundamentalism to modernity and globalization
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Table of contents (19 chapters)
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Perspectives
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Authority
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Separation
Keywords
About this book
This book gives a personal insight into the hearts and minds of a fundamentalist Christian sect, the Open Brethren. Using Brethren magazine articles, obituaries, and testimonies, Peter Herriot argues that the Brethren constitute a perfect example of a fundamentalism. Their culture is entirely opposed to the beliefs, values, and norms of modernity. As a result, like other fundamentalisms they challenge modern Christianity and impede its efforts to engage with global society.
Reviews
“Herriot describes what life is like within the tight Open Brethren, including in the discussion conversion, service, opposition to political activity, and the role of women in the church. … Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.” (W. T. Lindley, Choice, Vol. 56 (11), July, 2019)
“This is a highly readable book exploring the dynamics of the faith of the author’s father, the Open Brethen. It is an especially valuable study showing that fundamentalism can be associated with peaceful withdrawal from the larger society rather than engaged in acts of violence directed against it.” (Ralph W. Hood, Jr., Professor of Psychology and Leroy M. Martin Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, USA)
“Herriot gives us a gripping theological explanation of the movement, and one that is also complemented with a fine critique and moving autobiography that deals with his experiences of the Open Brethren. It is a compelling volume: one that blends insight, narrative, description and critical interpretation. Herriot’s account and reflection is handled with sensitivity, and it makes for a captivating volume. This book will have an enduring value for research in the field.” (Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Peter Herriot, who was brought up in a Brethren family, was Professor of Psychology at the City University and at Birkbeck College, University of London. He has since written on fundamentalism from a social psychological perspective. Among his books are ‘Religious Fundamentalism: Global, Local, and Personal’ (2009) and ‘Warfare and Waves: Calvinists and Charismatics in the Church of England’ (2017).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Open Brethren: A Christian Sect in the Modern World
Authors: Peter Herriot
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03219-7
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-03218-0Published: 29 December 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-40481-9Published: 18 February 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-03219-7Published: 13 December 2018
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 194
Topics: Religion and Society, Religion and Psychology, Sociology of Religion