Preaching and Paganism

Fitch, Albert Parker, 1877-1944Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 373K words
Chapters: 38

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Preaching and Paganism by Albert Parker FitchAuthor: Fitch, Albert Parker, 1877-1944,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Jun 16, 2005

Editor's review

This book is Albert Parker Fitch's work exploring the relationship between preaching and pagan culture, falling within the fields of practical theology and religious philosophy. Writing in the early twentieth century, the author confronted Christianity's situation under the impact of modern thought and sought to distinguish which elements of preaching derive from pagan tradition and which belong to Christianity's own core. The discussion carries a distinct awareness of the issues of its time and has reference value for understanding the religious intellectual history and the theological foundations of preaching practice of that era. As a public-domain ebook, it is better suited as supplementary material for religious studies, church history, or theological training than as popular reading. Readers need a certain background in Christian theology and English reading ability to grasp the argument. The cultural tensions discussed in the book remain illuminating for thinking about the relationship between faith and multiculturalism today, but its historical context should be noted, and it should not be directly applied to contemporary issues.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of theology or religious studies needing supplementary historical materials on practical theology theory
Enthusiasts of church history wanting to understand changes in early twentieth-century preaching thought
Pastors or preachers with English reading ability seeking material for reflection on preaching

Not a good fit for

General readers without background knowledge of Christianity, for whom the reading threshold is relatively high
Casual readers expecting light stories or inspirational content
Readers who need Chinese-language materials only, as the original is written in English

Reading tips

Read the introduction or first chapter first to grasp the author's central problematic regarding the relationship between preaching and paganism.
Read alongside a textbook on the history of Christian thought to understand the historical background and the author's debate partners.
When taking notes, distinguish the author's historical judgments from your own contemporary applications to avoid confusion.
For the English original, read through once to grasp the main idea, then return to key argumentative passages.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no theological background at all?

Not really. The book involves distinguishing preaching practice, pagan tradition, and Christian theology, requiring readers to have some understanding of basic Christian doctrine and church practice. If you have no background at all, it is advisable to read an introductory guide to Christian theology first and then return to this book, which will make comprehension much smoother.

Why is the book said to carry a distinct awareness of the issues of its time?

The author, Fitch, lived from the late nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth century, when Christian preaching faced the impact of modern thought and cultural pluralism. The book's discussion of the relationship between preaching and paganism responds precisely to this situation, so the argument carries the concerns of that era, and readers need to understand it in its historical context.

What language level is needed to read the English original?

The book is an early twentieth-century English discursive essay, with relatively formal sentence structures and vocabulary leaning toward academic and religious usage. It roughly requires the ability to read English social science articles fluently, along with a dictionary for looking up theological terms. If English is difficult, you can first seek relevant Chinese research materials for support.

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About the author

Fitch, Albert Parker, 1877-1944 Author · American · 1877–1944

Albert Parker Fitch (1877–1944) was an American Presbyterian minister and writer. Public information about him is limited, and the details of his life are now difficult to verify; still, his surviving works and recorded identity give a basic picture. He devoted himself to religious work over many years and also wrote on the intersection of religion and literature. His representative work, Preaching and Paganism, discusses the relationship between preaching and the pagan tradition. Such themes show his concern with how religious expression draws on literature and classical culture, and with the situation and adjustment of religious discourse in a modern context. His writing has the reflective quality of a minister-author, steady in tone and argumentative rather than expansive. One work by him is held in this collection. Though little known and sparsely studied, his writings offer a useful case for understanding the interaction between American religious circles and literary criticism in the early twentieth century.