"The topic of melancholy and depression is certainly a central one for American Protestants and others, and this book provides an historical overview that will be of interest and use to many people in various professions."--Philip Greven, Rutgers University
"A fascinating, thought-provoking book....Should spur considerable debate."--Christian Century
"Historians will appreciate the insight that Rubin brings in his fresh reading of selected materials from American religious history."--History
"A valuable scholarly contribution."--Journal of American History
"A masterly piece of research. All credit must go to Julius H. Rubin for the way he has marshalled his evidence to validate his thesis. This evidence consists of well documented historical biography and autobiography, unpublished diaries, fascinating case studies of patients treated in nineteenth century asylums and other material old and new that he has carefully unearthed."--Churchman
"The topic of melancholy and depression is certainly a central one for American Protestants and others, and this book provides an historical overview that will be of interest and use to many people in various professions."--Philip Greven, Rutgers University
"A fascinating, thought-provoking book....Should spur considerable debate."--Christian Century
"Historians will appreciate the insight that Rubin brings in his fresh reading of selected materials from American religious history."--History
"A valuable scholarly contribution."--Journal of American History
"A masterly piece of research. All credit must go to Julius H. Rubin for the way he has marshalled his evidence to validate his thesis. This evidence consists of well documented historical biography and autobiography, unpublished diaries, fascinating case studies of patients treated in nineteenth century asylums and other material old and new that he has carefully unearthed."--Churchman
From the Back Cover
This thought-provoking study examines an apparent paradox in the history of American Protestant evangelical religion. Fervent believers who devoted themselves completely to the challenges of making a Christian life, who longed to know God's rapturous love, all too often languished in despair, feeling forsaken by God. Indeed, some individuals became obsessed by guilt, terror of damnation, and the idea that they had committed an unpardonable sin. Ironically, those most devoted to fostering the soul's maturation seemingly neglected the well-being of the psyche. Drawing upon many sources, including unpublished diaries, spiritual narratives, and case studies of patients treated in nineteenth-century asylums, Julius Rubin thoroughly explores religious melancholy - as a distinctive stance toward life, a grieving over the loss of God's love, and an obsession and psycho pathology associated with the spiritual itinerary of conversion. The varieties of this spiritual sickness include sinners who would fast unto death ("evangelical anorexia nervosa"), religious suicides, and those obsessed with unpardonable sin. From colonial Puritans like Michael Wigglesworth to contemporary evangelicals like Billy Graham, Rubin shows that religious melancholy has shaped the experience of self and identity for those who sought rebirth as children of God. Religious Melancholy and Protestant Experience in America offers a fresh and revealing look at a widely recognized phenomenon. It will be of interest to scholars and students of religious studies, American history, psychology, and sociology of religion.
About the Author
Julius H. Rubin is Associate Professor of Sociology at SaintJoseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut.
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