David Hempton is Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, Alonzo L. McDonald Family Professor of Evangelical Theological Studies, and John Lord O'Brian Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. He is author of several books, including The Church in the Long Eighteenth Century, Methodism: Empire of the Spirit, and Methodism and Politics in British Society, 1750-1850.
Evangelical Conversion and Disenchantment Narratives
Speaker(s): David Hempton
Date: July 14 - 25, 2008
Length: 14:26:42
Product ID: RGDL3827S
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Description
This course concentrates on discourses and processes of religious conversion and disenchantment within the Evangelical tradition in both Europe and the United States from the early eighteenth to the later twentieth centuries. Questions addressed include what was the appeal of Evangelical religion and spirituality to different religious and social groups? How were religious conversions understood and expressed; and what factors promoted subsequent disenchantment? We will examine conversion narratives, various expressions of disenchantment (in art and literature), and some examples of reconversion. By exploring these categories, the course hopes to shed light on wider themes such as the nature of the evangelical tradition (both its strengths and weaknesses), the emergence of a concept of self in the early modern period, and the causes of religious disenchantment and secularization in later periods. Lectures include:
- Introduction
- Enchantment and Disenchantment
- Conversion in the Evangelical Awakening
- Discussion Questions
- Conversion Narratives of Evangelical Leaders
- Disenchantment Narratives
- Examining Themes in Conversion and Disenchantment
- Vincent Van Gogh
- James Baldwin
- Conclusion: Disenchantment and Conversion
See All Audio by David Hempton

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