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Handbook of Denominations

Discussion in 'Baptist History' started by rlvaughn, Jan 23, 2009.

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  1. rlvaughn

    rlvaughn Well-Known Member
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    #1 rlvaughn, Jan 23, 2009
  2. Joseph M. Smith

    Joseph M. Smith New Member

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    And I can just about bet that the statistical information then was no better than it is now. Denominational numbers reporting is deeply flawed, particularly among Baptists.
     
    #2 Joseph M. Smith, Jan 23, 2009
  3. Alive in Christ

    Alive in Christ New Member

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    I've got one just to my left, on the book shelf, here in the study as I post this.

    Mines the 8th edition, came out in 1985. I think I bought it in the late 80's sometime.

    Its been a decent reference book, but of course every edition is becomes out dated fairly soon after printing.


    :godisgood:
     
    #3 Alive in Christ, Jan 26, 2009
  4. rlvaughn

    rlvaughn Well-Known Member
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    I agree that Mead's Handbook of Denominations is flawed -- sometimes in its statistics, sometimes in its history, and sometimes in its description of some detail of a particular group. But it is not so seriously flawed as to not be a good starting point to get some grasp on the Christians bodies in the United States of America. I recommend it for that purpose. Serious statisticians and taxonomists can leave it behind and move on to other things.

    Probably best for statistics, though not without its flaws as well, is the decennial
    report of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies.
     
    #4 rlvaughn, Jan 26, 2009
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