Hunter Price, "Sacred Capital: Methodism and Settler Colonialism in the Empire of Liberty" (U Virginia Press, 2024)

An interview with Hunter Price

Episode 288 of the New Books in Christian Studies podcast, hosted by Marshall Poe, titled "Hunter Price, "Sacred Capital: Methodism and Settler Colonialism in the Empire of Liberty" (U Virginia Press, 2024)" was published on February 16, 2025 and runs 61 minutes.

February 16, 2025 ·61m · New Books in Christian Studies

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

In the early years of American independence, Methodism emerged as the new republic’s fastest growing religious movement and its largest voluntary association. Following the contours of settler expansion, the Methodist Episcopal Church also quickly became the largest denomination in the early American West. With Sacred Capital: Methodism and Settler Colonialism in the Empire of Liberty (University of Virginia Press, 2024), Dr. Hunter Price resituates the Methodist Episcopal Church as a settler-colonial institution at the convergence of “the Methodist Age” and Jefferson’s “Empire of Liberty.” Dr. Price offers a novel interpretation of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a network through which mostly white settlers exchanged news of land and jobs and facilitated financial transactions. Benefiting from Indigenous dispossession and removal policies, settlers made selective, strategic use of the sacred and the secular in their day-to-day interactions to advance themselves and their interests. By analyzing how Methodists acted as settlers while identifying as pilgrims, Dr. Price illuminates the ways that ordinary white Americans fulfilled Jefferson’s vision of an Empire of Liberty while reinforcing the inequalities at its core. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Episode Description

In the early years of American independence, Methodism emerged as the new republic’s fastest growing religious movement and its largest voluntary association. Following the contours of settler expansion, the Methodist Episcopal Church also quickly became the largest denomination in the early American West. With Sacred Capital: Methodism and Settler Colonialism in the Empire of Liberty (University of Virginia Press, 2024), Dr. Hunter Price resituates the Methodist Episcopal Church as a settler-colonial institution at the convergence of “the Methodist Age” and Jefferson’s “Empire of Liberty.” Dr. Price offers a novel interpretation of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a network through which mostly white settlers exchanged news of land and jobs and facilitated financial transactions. Benefiting from Indigenous dispossession and removal policies, settlers made selective, strategic use of the sacred and the secular in their day-to-day interactions to advance themselves and their interests. By analyzing how Methodists acted as settlers while identifying as pilgrims, Dr. Price illuminates the ways that ordinary white Americans fulfilled Jefferson’s vision of an Empire of Liberty while reinforcing the inequalities at its core. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Apr 13, 2026 ·3m

Apr 13, 2026 ·4m

Apr 13, 2026 ·2m

Apr 13, 2026 ·4m

Apr 13, 2026 ·3m

Apr 13, 2026 ·5m

Similar Podcasts

The Greg Stier Youth Ministry Podcast Dare 2 Share The Greg Stier Youth Ministry Podcast - formally Gospelize with Greg Stier is the perfect podcast for any church leader especially youth Pastors, Youth Leaders, and Church Leaders. This podcast will help train and equip you as a leader in the church. Each episode will bring unique Christian voices to weigh in on the world. Look forward to a new episode on the last Tuesday of every month!Greg Stier is a champion for unleashing this generation with the Gospel. As the founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries, he is driven to help the Church activate Christian teenagers to reach their friends. In the last 30 years, Greg has trained millions of youth leaders and students on how to relationally engage their world with the Good News of Jesus. A much sought-after speaker, Greg is a former pastor, church planter, youth leader, as well as the author of numerous books.Write in question and thoughts at: [email protected] Bible (KJV) NT 27: Revelation (Version 2) by King James Version (KJV) LibriVox The Book of Revelation, often known simply as Revelation or the Apocalypse, is the final book of the New Testament and occupies a central place in Christian eschatology. Written in Koine Greek, its title is derived from the first word of the text, apokalypsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation." The author of the work identifies himself in the text as "John" and says that he was on Patmos, an island in the Aegean, when he was instructed by a heavenly figure to write down the contents of a vision. This John is traditionally supposed to be John the Apostle, although some historical-critical scholarship reject this view. Recent scholarship has suggested other possibilities including a putative figure given the name John of Patmos. Most modern scholars believe it was written around AD 95, with some believing it dates from around AD 70.The book spans three literary genres: epistolary, apocalyptic, and prophetic. It begins with an epistolary address to the reader followed by an The Shadows Project Podcast Reverend Anthony Kelley The Shadows Project Podcast is where we learn how to effectively organize, recruit, train, certify and enlist Christian workers to engage in a ministry to prisoners behind prison walls. Based upon the new book SHADOWS: Serving with Character, Competence, Commitment, and Pride in the Absence of Accolades and Recognition, authored by Reverend Anthony Kelley our Podcast Host, three “Kingdom Principles” are presented to guide volunteers in their quest to help regenerate, reclaim, and to prepare the returning citizens for restoration to their families and communities. New Books in Critical Theory Marshall Poe This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field.Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetworkSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

URL copied to clipboard!