By the Vision of Another World: Worship in American History

The third commentary by George M. Marsden, written from an historian's perspective, supplies an insightful assessment of the book's chief essays and concludes with an appeal to historians not to overlook or minimize the spiritual dimension in analyses of religious history. A wider representation inclusive of Anglican, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal groups would, of course, have offered a richer fare; yet the inclusion of two studies specifically on Reformed groups is able to show how Calvin's descendants negotiated cultural minority and majority status, and also how theological, political, and social factors compelled Reformed congregations in American to change from austere, Bible-based worship practices, to more "liturgical" forms and finally to an eclectic and ecumenical "contemporary" style more or less "Reformed."