Early American Methodists commonly described their religious lives as                  great wars with sin and claimed they wrestled with God and Satan who assaulted them                  in terrible ways. Carefully examining a range of sources, including sermons,                  letters, autobiographies, journals, and hymns, Jeffrey Williams explores this                  violent aspect of American religious life and thought. Williams exposes Methodism's                  insistence that warfare was an inevitable part of Christian life and necessary for                  any person who sought God's redemption. He reveals a complex relationship between                  religion and violence, showing how violent expression helped to provide context and                  meaning to Methodist thought and practice, even as Methodist religious life was                  shaped by both peaceful and violent social action.

Religion and Violence in Early American Methodism: Taking the Kingdom by Force (Religion in North America) PDF

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