The Emmanuel Movement in a New England Town by Lyman P. Powell from 1909
Book Details
- Title: The Emmanuel Movement in a New England Town
- Author: Lyman P. Powell
- Signed: No
- Publisher: The Knickerbocker Press
- Edition: First Edition
- Printing: 1909
- Publication Year: 1909
- Binding: Hardcover
- Dust Jacket Condition: N/A
- Condition: Excellent for age – minor cover wear; no writing or interior markings
- Dimensions (H × W × D): ~8.0 × 5.5 × 1.0 in
- Weight: ~18 oz
- ISBN/Standard No.: —
- Provenance: Not specified
- Rarity / Collectibility: Early and significant volume supporting the Emmanuel Movement, particularly noted for its discussion of alcoholism treatment within a Christian framework.
Description
Published in 1909, The Emmanuel Movement in a New England Town by Lyman P. Powell offers one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of the Emmanuel Movement—a pioneering integration of psychological therapy and Christian ministry in the treatment of nervous and functional disorders, including alcoholism.
The Emmanuel Movement, founded in Boston in 1906, sought to combine spiritual counseling with emerging psychotherapeutic techniques, emphasizing the importance of addressing both body and spirit in healing. Powell’s work endorses this approach, documenting its application in Northampton, Massachusetts, and its potential to transform the broader Christian church’s role in society.
Particularly notable are the chapters “What the Emmanuel Movement Is” and “The Cure of the Alcoholic”, which present a progressive understanding of alcoholism as a treatable condition rather than a moral failing—a perspective that would later influence movements like Alcoholics Anonymous.
From the Preface: The present volume has two ends in view: (1) To show the possibilities of the principle applied in Northampton to a wide range of cases of so-called nervous functional disorders. (2) To indicate that far wider reach of the whole Emmanuel movement which in one way or another is destined, I believe, to re-energise the entire Christian Church and to make it more useful to society.
Over a century later, this book remains an important artifact of early 20th-century thought on the intersection of faith, medicine, and addiction treatment, and is a must-have for collectors of recovery-related history.
Condition Notes
- Binding: Tight and secure.
- Covers: Minor wear consistent with age.
- Interior: Clean pages throughout, no writing or markings.
Please review all photos for an accurate representation of condition.
