|
God is not dead in America, but the way He lives and breathes has nothing in common with the old-time religion dramatized in Inherit the Wind. In this groundbreaking work, leading American religion has been transformed beyond recognition. God has met and struggled fiercely against American culture--and the culture has won. On the face of it, religion in American seems to be booming. Church attendance remains high and God talk is omnipresent. Yet after traveling across the country, visiting with clergy, joining in worship services, and digesting reports from every corner of the land, Wolfe discovered that the reality of religion as we actually practice it is utterly different from the stereotype. Gone is the language of sin and damnation. Forgotten are all the doctrinal differences that were once of burning importance. Worship and prayer serve the needs of the inner self. Witnessing is another lifestyle option. In short, American religion has been tamed, and God has become a friend rather than an authority figure. Even conservative religion has become part of the culture of narcissism. Evangelicals are more interested in planting and growing churches than they are in saving souls. People change denominations as frequently as they change jobs. Americans continue to take their religion seriously, but as a group we have thoroughly domesticated what was once a matter of spiritual life and death. We are witnessing the end of religion as our grandparents understood it--and the start of a new religion we are just beginning to know. This book offers nothing less than a roadmap to our new national faith.
God is not dead in America, but the way he lives and breathes has nothing in common with the old-time religion dramatized in Inherit the Wind. In this groundbreaking work, leading American social scientist Alan Wolfe demonstrates that American religion has been transformed beyond recognition. God has met and struggled fiercely against American culture -- and the culture has won. On the face of it, religion in America seems to be booming. Church attendance remains high and God talk is omnipresent. Yet after traveling across the country, visiting with clergy, joining in worship services, and digesting reports from every corner of the land, Wolfe discovered that the reality of religion as we actually practice it is utterly different from the stereotype. Gone is the language of sin and damnation. Forgotten are all the doctrinal differences that were once of burning importance. Worship and prayer serve the needs of the inner self. Witnessing is another lifestyle option. In short, American religion has been tamed, and God has become a friend rather than an authority figure. Even conservative religion has become part of the culture of narcissism. Evangelicals are more interested in planting and growing churches than they are in saving souls. People change denominations as frequently as they change jobs. Americans continue to take their religion seriously, but as a group we have thoroughly domesticated what was once a matter of spiritual life and death. We are witnessing the end of religion as our grandparents understood it -- and the start of a new religion we are just beginning to know. The Transformation of American Religion offers nothing less than a roadmap to our new national faith.
Jay P. DolanProfessor Emeritus of History, University of Notre DameWolfe's argument is most persuasive. Anyone interested in understanding what has happened to American religion in the past few decades needs to read this book. It is one of the most important studies of American religion since Will Herberg's classic, Protestant, Catholic, Jew.
Andrew Delbancoauthor of The Death of Satan: How Americans Have Lost the Sense of EvilIn this lively and observant book, Alan Wolfe shows how tolerant individualism remains the dominant faith in contemporary America, and how it moderates the sectarian religious passions that have torn apart so many human societies.
Richard J. MouwPresident and Professor of Christian Philosophy, Fuller Theological SeminaryI consider Alan Wolfe to be one of my teachers. I always learn from what he writes, even -- especially, actually -- when the subject is one I think I know a lot about. He notices things that I would otherwise miss, and worries about matters that I try to ignore. And in The Transformation of American Religion he is at his best.
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4 out of 5 stars)
1 of 1 Reviews Showing: 4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Seph Coutinho (Alpharetta, GA), October 09, 2007 In his book, The Transformation of American Religion, Alan Wolfe makes many astute observations about the monolithic changes in the religious landscape of America.
Read any church planting book, and you will find arguments about how the American church is in decline; Wolfe argues that the decline has already occurred. In fact, he claims, “in the most modern society of all [America] religion has neither declined or advanced; it has been transformed” (p248). He notes that the change is so drastic that if it continues, “American Christians and Jews, soon to be joined by American Muslims and Buddhists, will have more in common with secular people in the societies in which they live and worship than they will have with coreligionists who live in countries where older forms of faith flourish” (p249).
The thing that is so significant about this book is that it is written by an outsider. As he puts it, “I do not write about religion out of religious conviction” (vii). In other words, this is a thoroughly secular individual writing about the downward spiral of American Religion. Throughout the book, he comments on how our religious culture is becoming post-denominational, relativistic, consumer-driven, and narcissistic.
Before you say, “Well, this does not apply to MY CHURCH!” I would give this book a quick read. It will raise your eyebrows, and may even show you how much of a mission field America has become.
With the decline of the American church, it is necessary for believers to plant new, biblically centered churches that fulfill the Great Commission and maintain the Bible as the absolute truth. Write a review of The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith
Availability: Only 1 in stock - order soon! Additional quantities may be backordered.
Start A New Christianbook.com Search
|
Catalog Shopping
Membership
