This dissertation is a thematic exploration of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the early national period of American history. Between the years 1784 and 1835, the denomination achieved unprecedented numeric growth, autonomy from its English counterpart, established a distinct but complex form of church government, and transited from an apolitical, small, loosely confederated group of Societies to a fully functioning, mammoth religious organization that was involved in almost all parts of American society.
The thematic explorations present in this dissertation reveal a number of important elements related to the identity of early American Methodism. Among those critical attributes is that the early Methodists were, to some extent, the architects of their own story. The Methodist Episcopal Church, and Methodism broadly conceived, was not simply caught up in the unfolding tapestry of important trends in American history. They were not mere byproduct of the market, democratic fervor, revivalism, or political tensions that characterized the early American Republic. In fact, some of the transitions in early American Methodism, which might be conceived as corollaries to these events, were as much the product of personality conflicts, as anything.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-03242009-143318 |
| Date | 16 April 2009 |
| Creators | Turner, Michael Kenneth |
| Contributors | James Hudnut-Beumler, M. Douglas Meeks, James P. Byrd, Dennis C. Dickerson |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu//available/etd-03242009-143318/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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