Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a "Peculiar People"

Center Books in Anabaptist Studies

by Carl Desportes Bowman

In the first book ever written on the subject, Carl Bowman examines how and why members of the Church of the Brethren―historically known as "Dunkers" after their method of baptism―were assimilated faster and earlier than their Amish, Mennonite, or even Hutterite cousins.

512 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

Reviews

[Denise Kettering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Bowman's Brethren Society is one of the most significant works of Brethren history produced in the last thirty years. With a focus on the transition of the Dunkers from a predominantly closed group to a group that attempted to appear more like other Protestants, the book focuses predominantly on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bowman is clearly a sociologist, more comfortable with cultural change than with explicating theological ideas. Yet his work reveals an unfolding cultural change in a small part of society that he deftly relates to larger cultural shifts in America. The research that went into this book is thorough and the footnotes contain a wealth of helpful material. Overall, when people want to understand who the Brethren are and where they came from, this is one of the best books to recommend.

[Kathy Dobronyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully interesting book full of history and insight.