New England's Hidden Histories: Congregational Church Records in the Digital Age

• Published in: Bunyan studies no. 20; pp. 111 - 119
• Main Author: Bendroth, Margaret
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Newcastle Upon Tyne Northumbria University, Department of Humanities, Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Ambiguity; American history; Archives & records; Bendroth, Margaret; British & Irish literature; Bunyan, John (1628-1688); Church buildings; Corporate profiles; Cultural identity; Digitization; English literature; Internet; Libraries; Library collections; Literary translation; Objectives; Puritanism; Religion; Researchers; Sermons; Society; Spirituality; Success; Theology; Websites; New York; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Massachusetts; England

From one-fifth of all American church members in 1776, Congregationalists had declined to four per cent, dwarfed by the astonishing success of denominations with centralized organizational structures and a popular style much more suited for the burgeoning religious marketplace, Methodists and Baptis...