For the story of Joseph Smith and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we are studying Jan Shipps' Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition. She argues that like the earliest Christians who saw themselves as a distinct Hebrew tradition which eventually morphed into a new religion, Christianity, that, “Mormonism is a … Continue reading Class Notes →

Alexander Campbell is one of the most important American religious figures of the 19th Century. The Stone/Campbell movement is the foundational movement for the creation of the Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ. Yet today Campbell is relatively unknown even by members of the Churches he founded. There are a few reasons for … Continue reading Class Notes →

While Russia was our ally during WWII, things turned sour quickly after the war ended. The first major issue was Poland. Russia had liberated Poland from the Nazis but now instead of allowing free elections as Truman insisted, the Russians decided to keep Poland under their control. While this was clearly an act of aggression, … Continue reading Class Notes →

The Campbellite movement grew out the Baptist theology. Though Alexander Campbell began as a Presbyterian he saw more similarity with the Baptists, especially as Douglas Foster pointed out here, “commitment to the Scripture; the emphasis at the local church and rejection of hierarchical structures; the practice of believers’ immersion.” However, Baptist leaders soon saw too … Continue reading Class Notes →

As soon as Campbell started to distinguish his theology from other mainstream theology he came under attack. In this way Campbell is like most of the leaders that started new religions in the Americas, they came under attack from the established religions. The attack against Campbell came because he claimed the established religions had perverted … Continue reading Class Notes →

At 7:02 am on December 7, 1941, an Army mobile radar unit picked up a blip of something approaching. Radar was new and it was being staffed by two privates. When they reported what they were seeing they were told it was a squad of B-17 they were expecting in from California. Instead, it was … Continue reading Class Notes →

During the 1920s and 1930s Congress was able to take back some control away from the president as the Progressive movement faded away. This was seen in the way they passed neutrality laws during the 1930s to keep the U.S. out of war with Germany. FDR felt the U.S. would probably be needed to stop … Continue reading Class Notes →

Alexander Campbell belied in a Christianity that could bring all followers together. This would be accomplished by the restoration of the true gospel created by the apostles. While he did not believe all sects would end, he understood people would always have opinions. Different sects were fine as long as they did not interfere with … Continue reading Class Notes →

When FDR took over the presidency, he brought with him a new type of brain trust made up of Ivy Leaguers and New York social workers. These advisors were highly influenced by the Progressives and believed government could solve of the world’s ills. There was one major difference between the New Dealers and the Progressives, … Continue reading Class Notes →

The problem for Herbert Hoover was that the commonly held economic theory at the time was that recessions were simply part of the business cycle, meaning there were times of boom and bust. The belief held that if government interfered with the business cycle, they could do permanent harm. Because of this, Hoover was hesitant … Continue reading Class Notes →