ABSTRACT
This book provides a fresh, engaging multi-disciplinary introduction to religion in contemporary America. The chapters explore the roots of contemporary American religion from the 1950s up to the present day, looking at the major traditions including mainline Protestantism, the evangelical-pentecostal surge, Catholicism, Judaism, African-American religions and new religious movements. The authors ask whether Americans are becoming less religious, and how religious thought has moved from traditional systematic theology to approaches such as black and feminist theology and environmental theology. The book introduces religion and social theory, and explores key issues and themes such as: religion and social change; politics; gender; sexuality; diversity; race and poverty. Students and instructors will find the combination of historical and sociological perspectives an invaluable aid to understanding this fascinating but complex field.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |43 pages
Setting the stag
chapter |13 pages
Contemporary views and theories of religion
chapter |15 pages
The changing faces of history
part |93 pages
Mainline religions in historical and sociological context
chapter |14 pages
The evangelical surge
chapter |15 pages
Transmitting religion
chapter |13 pages
Religion, politics, and government
part |67 pages
Moving beyond the mainstream
chapter |14 pages
Religion, race, and poverty
chapter |13 pages
Faiths on the margins
chapter |12 pages
The Mormon perspective
chapter |15 pages
Religion and social change
part |59 pages
Where American religion is heading