Craig White's Literature Courses

Terms / Themes

Pilgrims as beginnings of USA dominant culture

x

 

As traditional immigrants

Journey

2nd generation changes

Material opportunity beats spiritual tradition (which is never deep anyway)

 

As model minority

 

Special language / literacy / education attributes

Bradford knows many languages; like Moses, writes down history: past lives into future

 

(contrast true minorities with alt languages or limits on literacy)

 

(compare Asian American education traditions, respect for elders; contrast redneck distrust of public schools, bookish authorities besides "Bible-based" churches and Bible academies)

 

 

 

 

As dominant culture

 

Don’t assimilate, are assimilated to; maintenance of written culture

 

Plain style

 

White flight, maintenance of purity

 

God on our side

 

 

 

Capitalism as competitive individualism, not communism or communalism

 

Connection to past, but drive to future

 

 

2 churches of God revert to their ancient purity and recover their primitive order

[irony of moving into future to retain past]

19 came as near the primitive pattern of the first churches as any other church of these later times [utopia]

 

Point: historically, Protestantism tends to feel threatened by the modernity that its people are always creating

2 churches of God revert to their ancient purity and recover their primitive order

19 came as near the primitive pattern of the first churches as any other church of these later times 

Church of Christ of Santa Clara CA

Point:

American dominant culture attempts to maintain stability--attempts to move forward or change without losing control, changing too fast

balances future shaped by capitalism and desire with past shaped by old-time religion and restraint (commitment to family, honoring father and mother, etc.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capitalism propels into modern future: individualistic, competitive, materialistic, expansive

Evangelical Protestantism constantly adapts to changing material environment, but past ideal remains

 

cf. Exodus

 

 

 

Apostolic generation

communalism in Book of Acts

+ expectations of Messiah's return: "the last generation"

 

 

 

 

growth and change: chapters