The Branch Davidians of Waco

What were the beliefs of the Branch Davidians? This is the first full scholarly account of their history. Kenneth G. C. Newport argues that, far from being an act of unfathomable religious insanity, the calamitous fire at Waco in 1993 was the culmination of a long theological and historical tradition that goes back many decades. The Branch Davidians under David Koresh were an eschatologically confident community that had long expected that the American government, whom they identified as the Lamb-like Beast of the book of Revelation, would one day arrive to seek to destroy God's remnant people. The end result, the fire, must be seen in this context.

ISBN 0199245746   Pages 396 ISBN13 9780199245741 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Oxford University Press   Weight (grammes) 848 Imprint Oxford University Press   Published in Oxford Format Hardback   Height (mm) 234 Publication date 13 Apr 2006   Width (mm) 156 Library of Congress 2005033133   Spine width (mm) 26 DEWEY 289.9   Academic level Professional / Scholarly DEWEY edition DC22

1		'A mad man in Waco' : David Koresh in popular perspective		1
2		'A sure word of prophecy' : the Bible, prophecy belief, and the seventh-day adventist church		25
3		'Hear Ye the Rod' : Victor T. Houteff, the Shepherd's Rod, and the Davidian seventh-day adventists		47
4		'Thy kingdom come' : the theology of Victor Houteff and the Davidian seventh-day adventists		76
5		'But the end is not yet' : Florence Houteff and the end of the world		95
6		'Behold the man whose name is "The Branch"' : Ben Roden and the emergence of Branch Davidianism		115
7		'The Branch he' : Ben Roden and the theology of Branch Davidianism		136
8		'The Branch she' : Lois Roden, Shekinah, and the struggle for leadership		155
9		'A pale rider' : Vernon Howell and the Branch Davidians, 1959-1985		171
10		'And death shall follow in his wake' : Vernon Howell, David Koresh, and the Branch Davidians, 1986-1993		191
11		'The seventh angel' : David Koresh and the mystery of God		213
12		'A lamb-like beast' : the Branch Davidians and the ATF		234
13		'A call for the endurance of the saints' : Mt. Carmel, 28 February-19 April 1993		261
14		'An ultimate act of faith'? : the cause of the Waco fire		278
15		'For behold the Lord will come with fire' : theology and the Waco inferno		307
16		'Prophecies shall fail' : post-1993 Branch Davidianism		325
17		Concluding observations		341
App. A		A personal view : Derek Lovelock		344
App. B		Davidian seventh-day adventists, 1961-2003		354
App. C		Deaths at Waco		359
App. D		Waco survivors		363

...comprehensive study ... a careful and detailed account that will both support further studies and challenge prevailing orthodoxies. Eugene V. Gallagher, Journal of the American Academy of Religion carefully-documented study. Jeffrey W. Barbeau, Journal of Ecclesiastical History Newport's detailed exposition of these matters ... is itself worth the reading of his book for anyone who cares about the varieties of Bible prophecy schools of thought, as well as about apocalyptic religious movements in general. But his analysis takes on added significance for a very down-to-earth hypothesis that he sets forth regarding the setting of the Waco fire that destroyed the Davidians' Mt. Carmel compound. Richard J. Mouw, Books & Culture ...a readable, careful, and meticulous survey of the Branch Davidians and their apocalyptic beliefs. Church Times In this meticulously documented, judicious and readable book, free of easy ironies, we now have the definitive study of the subject. David Martin, Times Literary Supplement

 Be the first to write a customer review