A denominational schism from a behavorial perspective : the 1857 Dutch Reformed separation

The reasons for ecclesiastical schisms often seem plainly obvious to participants, but scholars struggle for generations to comprehend their origins. Theological declension, historic cultural or ethnic rivalries, and personality clashes usually enter into these tragedies in varying degrees. Admitting the complexities of such events, it is the obligation of historians to search for underlying patterns of thought and behavior that might illuminate the causes. For Dutch Calvinists in North America, the schism of 1857 within midwestern immigrant congregations of the Reformed Church in America (RCA... Mehr ...