Always A Fair Representation Of America's Many Denominations

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	• Handbook of Denominations in the United States, 12th Edition Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, ... Abingdon Press, 2005 - 430 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Great Up to Date Survey of American Religious Groups

Our church pulled out of the United Church of Christ in 2001, and our denomination search committee needed a resource to get more information. We were very happy to find this book. At your finger tips are brief sketches of practically every major religious group in the United States. Some of the essays are very brief in nature, while others are pages long. Still, it is an excellent starting point, and for most people who just want the basic facts, it is all the information a person could want on the religious movements in the country. And one of the other things I like about the book is that as far as it it is possible, the authors take a very objective position. No trace of bias or sectarian coloring mars the book, as far as I can tell. There is no way of discerning which denominational perspective the authors write from, and that's the way I like it.

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Always A Fair Representation Of America's Many Denominations

Extremely helpful when researching various group's beliefs. Unbiased, and fair to the individual Christian denominations that number in the hundreds here in America. So many churches. So many groups you may never have heard of. For example; when a certain minister in my church gave testimony that he once served in the Church of the Living God denomination as a pastor, a group formerly unheard of to me, I used this handbook for research into that group's background. I love studying the different beliefs that are a part of this nation's freedom to practice them, according to the dictates of our hearts.

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Identity Crisis, But Still Helpful...

Islam, Judaism, Gnosticism and more are included along with Christianity within the ever-expanding scope of this classic reference book. Supposedly selection is limited to those groups within the "Abrahamic-monotheistic tradition," but that's arguable, since it includes for ex: Mormonism (multiple gods throughout universe), Nation of Islam (succession of gods thru time), Unitarian-Universalism (not required to believe in any particular religious belief), and pantheistic groups. Other inclusion/exclusion oddities: Native American Church--in; Voodoo and Santeria--out. Spiritualism--in; Hinduism and Urantia--out. Unification Church--in; Taoism--out. Nation of Islam--in; Scientology--out. There are also inconsistencies regarding where within the book groups are listed: Messianic Judaism is not listed in Christianity, but in Judaism, yet Church of God and Saints of Christ ("Black Jews") are under Christianity and not Judaism. Sufism is listed under Islam, but Nation of Islam is not. Including such incompatible religions under the title of "Handbook of Denominations" implies theological (as opposed to social) toleration and some underlying fundamental agreement, which perhaps risks contributing ever so subtly to the psychological preparation for acceptance of an ecumenical religion that sacrifices biblical truth for the sake of societal unity. Fortunately, the authors say "future editions of the Handbook may require a different title" (though they do not suggest the possibility of narrowing the book's scope). Other books have used titles that more accurately convey their contents--"Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult" or "Encyclopedia of American Religions," no problem.

The Handbook's strength remains its Christianity section, which makes sense of over 100 denominations by organizing them in families (31 alone in Baptist family) and goes beyond mere statistics (self-reported, by the way) to convey interrelationships in a historical narrative style. Even so, some groups get scanty treatment, for ex, Christian Identity groups are only hinted at by including minor groups like Branch Davidians, while others, like a certain nationwide TV ministry, are not even mentioned. Given both Identity's track record as a starting point for domestic terrorism and its increasing acuumlation of followers thru TV/internet, I wish the Handbook would mention prominent ID groups and their [...] serpent seed doctrine. One modern phenomenon this 12th edition has included, though, is "Community and New Paradigm Churches," saying that these "mega-churches" are "congregations that actually function as small denominations." Overall, despite concerns, the Handbook is now more up-do-date, and I strongly recommend it, but exhort discernment, as it not only displays subjectivity in terms of inclusion and self-reporting, but also in narrative description, for ex: Islam is "subject to unfair stereotyping," and "it seeks to build a just and peaceful society based on a rational moral code."

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Still a wonderful reference

I had access to older editions of this book in our public library, and finally found one in a used bookstore. I was thrilled to find out it had been updated. I was disappointed to a degree, however. The older editions had many small bodies listed in it, which are nowhere to be found in this edition. I really enjoyed reading about some of these churches (I remember one was down to a single church). On the other hand, I think it is a plus that more coverage is now being given to non-Christian groups as these have grown in recent years in this country.

I still give it five stars, I just wish they had left some of the smaller groups in the book.

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Excellent Resource

I have used this resource in my ministry on a regular basis since purchasing an earlier edition in 1976. I have found it to be informative and helpful in understanding the scope of Christianity in the United States. This is a valuable resource for those wanting a beginning point for research and for reference.

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