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  • The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline by Elesha J. Coffman
  • Jason S. Lantzer
The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline. By Elesha J. Coffman. (New York: Oxford University Press. 2013. Pp. x, 271. $27.95. ISBN 978-0-19-993859-9.)

Mainline Protestantism, no matter how it is defined, is at the heart of American religious history and experience. Although that definition (and thus who is in and who is outside of the group) does have implications for that story, the composition throughout most of the twentieth century was made up of the Seven Sisters of American Protestantism: the Episcopal Church, the Congregational Church, the United Methodist Church, the American Baptist Church, the Evangelical [End Page 384] Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church, and the Disciples of Christ. Of course, given so many theological, doctrinal, organizational, and historic differences, it can be difficult to get a grasp on what actually defined the Mainline. To start answering that question, Elesha J. Coffman offers readers The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline, an excellent look at those who crafted the intellectual heart of this incarnation of the Mainline.

At the center of Coffman’s tome is Charles Clayton Morrison, the editor of the Christian Century from 1908 to 1947. Hailing from Iowa and a member of the Disciples of Christ, Morrison was not only devoted to the Social Gospel but also to the tenets of liberal Protestantism, including higher criticism. Under Morrison’s long tenure, the paper turned magazine sought to forge an intellectual consensus that washed away denominationalism and replaced it with at least a united American Protestantism as defined by the Christian Century, if not a single denomination. Although Morrison ultimately was unsuccessful in his larger goals—indeed, neither liberal Protestantism nor the Christian Century ever became as dominant a voice as to speak truly for all American Protestants, let alone all the nation’s Christians—the editor and his cohort were able to define what it meant to be a part of the Mainline for several generations.

The usual critiques simply do not apply to Coffman’s book. Does the reader want photographs of the principal actors? They are included. Does the reader need graphs to chart various topics? They appear as well. There are minor quibbles, of course. Some readers might wonder what Morrison or the readership of the Christian Century thought of eugenics or the Ku Klux Klan, as well as what influences these movements did or did not have on the Mainline. If there is one area for further expansion, it would be that although (true to her title) Coffman charts the rise of the Protestant Mainline quite well, she does not spend enough time on its decline and the implications it might have for the old Mainline, the new Mainline, or other organized religious bodies either in the United States or around the globe in the twenty-first century. There is some discussion of these areas, but some readers will want more.

In the end, Coffman has given readers a wonderful look at the Christian Century and its influence on the course of Mainline Protestantism. Her writing is straightforward, insightful, and fair to her subject (and their detractors). Indeed, it is one of those books that other authors (including this reviewer) will wish they had had handy when they were doing work on the topic of the Mainline. It is sure as well to find a home on the bookshelves, or electronic readers, of anyone who is interested in the topic of the Mainline, as well as those who want to learn more about American religious history in the first half of the twentieth century. [End Page 385]

Jason S. Lantzer
Butler University
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