Charles Samuel Braden (19 September 1887 – 1970) was Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Literature of Religions at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. He joined the faculty in 1926 and held the professorship from 1943; he was awarded emeritus status in 1954. Braden became known in particular for the study of

new religious movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as a new religion, is a religious or Spirituality, spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin, or they can be part ...

s (NRM) and

world religions World religions is a socially-constructed category used in the study of religion to demarcate religions that are deemed to have been especially large, internationally widespread, or influential in the development of human societies. It typicall ...

. His '' Spirits in Rebellion: The Rise and Development of New Thought'' (1963) remains an important history of the

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a new religious movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy ...

family of NRMs.

Early life and education

Born in

Chanute, Kansas Chanute () is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, Neosho County, Kansas, United States. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer Octave Chanute. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the po ...

, to George Washington and Flora Birt Braden,"Guide to the Charles S. Braden (1887-1970) Papers"
Northwestern University. Braden obtained his A.B. in 1909 from

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. Th ...

, and his B.D. in 1912 from

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

. He also spent time at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

(1911–1912). In 1914 he became a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister and undertook missionary work in Bolivia (1912–1915) and Chile (1916–1922), before completing a Ph.D. in practical theology in 1926 at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. In 1943 he received a D.D. (doctorate of divinity) from Baker University.

Career

In 1926, he joined

as an assistant professor, becoming an associate professor in 1936 and professor in 1943. He helped to move the university's religious studies department away from its focus on Christian biblical studies, and in 1927 created its first course on

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

."Department history"
Department of Religious Studies, Northwestern University. Northwestern awarded him emeritus status in 1954. Braden also held visiting professorships at

Scripps College Scripps College is a private liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1926, a year after the consortium's formation. Journalist and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps pr ...

in Claremont, California (1954–1956) and at the

Perkins School of Theology Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools and is located in Dallas, Texas. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of Wichita Falls, Texas. De ...

in Dallas, Texas (1954 and 1959). In 1954 he held the Fondren lecturership at

Scarritt College for Christian Workers Scarritt College for Christian Workers was a college associated with the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The campus is now home to Scarritt Bennett Center. History of Scarritt College (1892–1988) The Scarritt College for ...

in Nashville, Tennessee, and in 1957 was a faculty member at the ''Evangelica de Teologia'' in Buenos Aires. Braden married Grace Eleanor McMurray (1888–1951) in 1911.Kristen D. Turner and Mark C. Shenise
"Electronic Guide to the Papers of Grace McMurray and Charles Samuel Braden"
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church. The couple had two sons. He married LaVenia Craddock Ulmer (d. 1964) in 1956.

Selected works

;Books *''Spirits in Rebellion: The Rise and Development of New Thought'', Southern Methodist University Press, 1963. *'' Christian Science Today: Power, Policy, Practice'', Southern Methodist University Press, 1958. *''Jesus Compared: A Study of Jesus and Other Great Founders of Religions'', Prentice Hall, 1957. *''War, Communism, and World Religions'', Harper & Brothers, 1953. *''The Scriptures of Mankind, An Introduction'', The Macmillan Company, 1952. *''These Also Believe: A Study of Modern American Cults and Minority Religious Movements'', The Macmillan Company, 1949. *''Man's Quest for Salvation'', Willett, Clark & Company, 1941. *''The World's Religions, A Short History'', Abingdon Press, 1939. *''Varieties of American Religion'', Willett, Clark & Company, 1936. *''Procession of the Gods'', Harper & Brothers, 1936. (with Gaius Glenn Atkins) *''Modern Tendencies in World Religions'', George Allen & Unwin, 1933. *''Religious Aspects of the Conquest of Mexico'', Duke University Press, 1930. ;Articles
"Teaching the History of Religion"
''Journal of Bible and Religion'', Vol. 17, No. 2 (Apr., 1949), pp. 108–111.
"The Sects"
''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', Vol. 256, Organized Religion in the United States (Mar., 1948), pp. 53–62.
"Why People Are Religious: A Study in Religious Motivation"
''Journal of Bible and Religion'', Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan., 1947), pp. 38–45. *

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braden, Charles S. 1887 births 1970 deaths American Methodist clergy American Methodist missionaries American religion academics Baker University alumni Methodist missionaries in Bolivia Northwestern University faculty Researchers of new religious movements and cults People from Chanute, Kansas Scripps College faculty Union Theological Seminary alumni University of Chicago Divinity School alumni Presidents of the American Academy of Religion American expatriates in Bolivia American expatriates in Chile Methodist missionaries in Chile