Book Summary
Re-issued in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the mass suicides at Jonestown, this revised edition of David Chidester's pathbreaking book features a new prologue that considers the meaning of the tragedy for a post-Waco, post-9/11 world. For Chidester, Jonestown recalls the American religious commitment to redemptive sacrifice, which for Jim Jones meant saving his followers from the evils of capitalist society. "Jonestown is ancient history," writes Chidester, but it does provide us with an opportunity "to reflect upon the strangeness of familiar ... promises of redemption through sacrifice." Praise for the first edition: " This] ambitious and courageous book is a] benchmark of theology by which questions about the meaningful history of thePeoples Temple may be measured." -- Journal of the American Academy ofReligion Re-issued in recognition of the 25th anniversary of themass suicides at Jonestown, this revised edition of David Chidester's pathbreakingbook features a new prologue that considers the meaning of the tragedy for apost-Waco, post-9/11 world. For Chidester, Jonestown recalls the American religiouscommitment to redemptive sacrifice, which for Jim Jones meant saving his followersfrom the evils of capitalist society. "Jonestown is ancient history,"writes Chidester, but it does provide us with an opportunity "to reflect uponthe strangeness of familiar... promises of redemption throughsacrifice."
Book Details
| Book Name | Salvation And Suicide: An Interpretation Of Jim Jones, The Peoples Temple, And Jonestown |
| Author | David Chidester, Catherine L. Albanese, Stephen J. Stein |
| Publisher | Indiana University Press (Oct 2003) |
| ISBN | 9780253216328 |
| Pages | 224 |
| Language | English |
| Price | 1062 |
