Bowing toward Babylon : the nationalistic subversion of Christian worship in America / Craig M. Watts ; foreword by Michael Kinnamon.

By:

Watts, Craig M [Author]

Contributor(s):

Kinnamon, Michael []

Material type: Text

text

Media type:

computer

Carrier type:

online resource

ISBN:

9781532611735

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

Electronic Books.

LOC classification:

BL65 .B695 2017

Online resources:

Click to access digital title | log in using your CIU ID number and my.ciu.edu password.

Available additional physical forms:

Contents:

1 Nationalistic idolatry in the church of Babylon -- 2 Who God is, who we are -- 3 Where are we worshiping? -- 4 What time is it? holidays or holy days? -- 5 Displaying the banner of Babylon -- 6 Pledging to Babylon's banner -- 7 Singing the songs of Babylon -- 8 Born into a larger family and eating at a bigger table than Babylon.

Subject: What is being done in worship when national holidays are celebrated, the American flag is displayed and honored, and songs are sung that extol the nation? Are these benign gestures? Or could they actually be idolatrous? In this insightful and persuasively argued study Craig M. Watts contends the inclusion of elements of American nationalism in worship is detrimental to the integrity of Christian worship. He maintains that in faithful worship the story of Jesus must be re-presented and performed in such a way that the only affections and loyalty that are fostered are those Christians everywhere rightfully share. To do otherwise opens the door to idolatry and leaves the church doing what Watts calls "bowing toward Babylon." He reviews the development of the symbols, songs, and gestures that celebrate America and how they were introduced into worship. Watts concludes that the spirituality of American Christian nationalism does not complement the faith of the church but distorts it, hindering global Christian unity and the peaceable witness of the church in a divided world.

Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Call number	URL	Status	Date due	Barcode
Online Book (LOGIN USING YOUR MY CIU LOGIN AND PASSWORD)	G. Allen Fleece Library ONLINE	Non-fiction	BL65.3 (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Link to resource	Available		ocn983030029

Browsing G. Allen Fleece Library shelves, Shelving location: ONLINE, Collection: Non-fiction Close shelf browser (Hides shelf browser)

Previous								Next
Previous	BL60 Darwin's cathedral evolution, religion, and the nature of society /	BL65.2 The religious aspects of war in the ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome /edited by Krzysztof Ulanowski.	BL65.3 Religion and national identities in an enlarged Europe /Willfried Spohn, Professor of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Wroclaw, Poland, Matthias Koenig, University Professor, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany, Wolfgang Knöbl, University Professor, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany.	BL65.3 Bowing toward Babylon : the nationalistic subversion of Christian worship in America /	BL65.3 The calling of the nations : exegesis, ethnography, and empire in a biblical-historic present /	BL65.3 Preaching about Racism : a Guide for Faith Leaders.	BL65.35 The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Nature.edited by Laura Hobgood and Whitney Bauman.	Next

Includes bibliographies and index.

Introduction -- 1 Nationalistic idolatry in the church of Babylon -- 2 Who God is, who we are -- 3 Where are we worshiping? -- 4 What time is it? holidays or holy days? -- 5 Displaying the banner of Babylon -- 6 Pledging to Babylon's banner -- 7 Singing the songs of Babylon -- 8 Born into a larger family and eating at a bigger table than Babylon.

What is being done in worship when national holidays are celebrated, the American flag is displayed and honored, and songs are sung that extol the nation? Are these benign gestures? Or could they actually be idolatrous? In this insightful and persuasively argued study Craig M. Watts contends the inclusion of elements of American nationalism in worship is detrimental to the integrity of Christian worship. He maintains that in faithful worship the story of Jesus must be re-presented and performed in such a way that the only affections and loyalty that are fostered are those Christians everywhere rightfully share. To do otherwise opens the door to idolatry and leaves the church doing what Watts calls "bowing toward Babylon." He reviews the development of the symbols, songs, and gestures that celebrate America and how they were introduced into worship. Watts concludes that the spirituality of American Christian nationalism does not complement the faith of the church but distorts it, hindering global Christian unity and the peaceable witness of the church in a divided world.

https://lib.ciu.edu/copyright-request-form

There are no comments on this title.

to post a comment.