American Religious Life Research Articles

Review Essays

Book reviewed in this article:THE NEW TESTAMENT AND HOMOSEXUALITY: ARE WE GETTING ANYWHERE?BIBLICAL ETHICS AND HOMOSEXUALITY: LISTENING TO SCRIPTUREEdited by Robert L. BrawleyHOMOSEXUALITY AND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITYEdited by Choon‐Leong SeowLOVE BETWEEN WOMEN: EARLY CHRISTIAN RESPONSES TO FEMALE HOMOEROTICISMBy Bernadette J. BrootenHOMOEROTICISM IN THE BIBLICAL WORLD: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEBy Martti NissinenRECLAIMING THE SACRED: THE BIBLE IN GAY AND LESBIAN CULTUREEdited by Raymond‐Jean FrontainMOSES, MONOTHEISM, AND MEMORYMOSES: A LIFEBy Jonathan KirschFREUD AND THE LEGACY OF MOSESBy Richard BernsteinLIKE UNTO MOSESBy James NohrnbergMOSES THE EGYPTIANBy Jan AssmannPaperback Reprint !The Coptic Gnostic LibraryA Complete Edition of the Nag Hammadi CodicesREASSESSING RELIGION'S PLACE IN A LIBERAL DEMOCRACYRELIGION AND CONTEMPORARY LIBERALISMEdited by Paul J. WeithmanRELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE: THE PLACE OF RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS IN POLITICAL DEBATEBy Robert Audi and Nicholas WolterstorffRELIGION IN PUBLIC LIFE: A DILEMMA FOR DEMOCRACYBy Ronald F. ThiemannCHRISTIAN JUSTICE AND PUBLIC POLICYBy Duncan B. ForresterNew reference sources from OxfordORALITY AND LITERACY IN ANCIENT ISRAELSCRIBES AND SCHOOLS IN MONARCHIC JUDAH: A SOCIO‐ARCHAEOLOGICAL APPROACHBy David W. Jamieson‐DrakeORAL WORLD AND WRITTEN WORDBy Susan NiditchSTORIES IN SCRDPTURE AND INSCRD7TIONS: COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN NORTHWEST SEMITIC INSCRIPTIONS AND THE HEBREW BIBLEBy Simon B. ParkerSCRIBES AND SCHOOLS: THE CANONIZATION OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURESBy Philip R. DaviesTHE SCHOOL TRADITION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: THE BAMPTON LECTURES FOR 1994By E. W. HeatonEDUCATION IN ANCIENT ISRAEL: ACROSS THE DEAFENING SILENCEBy James CrenshawRELIGIOUS PLURALISM, IDENTITY, AND GLOBALIZATION IN THE AMERICASBLESSED ANASTACIA: WOMEN, RACE, AND POPULAR CHRISTIANITY IN BRAZILBy John BurdickLIVING IN THE NEW JERUSALEM: PROTESTANTISM IN GUATEMALABy Virginia Garrard‐BurnettBORN AGAIN IN BRAZIL: THE PENTECOSTAL BOOM AND THE PATHOGENS OF POVERTYBy R. Andrew ChesnutRELIGIOUS POLITICS IN LATIN AMERICA, PENTECOSTAL VS. CATHOLICBy Brian H. SmithLATIN AMERICAN RELIGION IN MOTION: TRACKING INNOVATION, UNEXPECTED CHANGE AND COMPLEXITYEdited by Christian Smith and Joshua ProkopyRENDERING UNTO CAESAR: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE STATE IN LATIN AMERICABy Anthony GillOUR LADY OF THE EXILE: DIASPORIC RELIGION AT A CUBAN AMERICAN CATHOLIC SHRINE IN MIAMIBy Thomas A. TweedBUDDHISM IN THE WEST: AN EMERGING GENRETHE FACES OF BUDDHISM IN AMERICAEdited by Charles S. Prebish and Kenneth K. TanakaLUMINOUS PASSAGE: THE PRACTICE AND STUDY OF BUDDHISM IN AMERICABy Charles S. PrebishAMERICAN BUDDHISM: METHODS AND FINDINGS IN RECENT SCHOLARSHIPEdited by Duncan Ryūken Williams and Christopher S. QueenTHE AWAKENING OF THE WEST: THE ENCOUNTER OF BUDDHISM AND WESTERN CULTUREBy Stephen BatchelorBUDDHISM AND AFRICAEdited by M. Clasquin and J. S. Krüger

Luminous passage: the practice and study of Buddhism in America

In Luminous Passage, a well-known Buddhologist and longtime observer of Buddhism in the United States presents the first comprehensive scholarly study of American Buddhism in nearly two decades. Charles S. Prebish revisits the expanding frontier of the fastest growing religion in North America and describes its historical development, its diversity, and the significance of this ancient tradition at century's end. More than anything else, this is a book about American Buddhist communities (sanghas) and about life within those communities. Prebish considers various Buddhist practices, rituals, and liturgies, as well as the ways these communities have confronted the changing American spiritual landscape. In profiling several different sanghas Prebish reveals the ways that Buddhism is being both reinvented and Westernized. He includes the first exploration of the American Buddhist 'cybersangha', a community that has emerged from recent developments in information-exchange technology, and discusses the growing community of 'scholar-practitioners'. The interactions of Buddhist identities that are related to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social engagement, and the healing professions are also examined. This book fully captures the vibrancy and importance of Buddhism in American religious life today. Finally, Prebish appraises the state of Buddhism at the millennium. Placing the development of American Buddhism squarely in the midst of the religion's general globalization, he argues for an ecumenical movement which will embrace Buddhist communities worldwide.

Encyclopedia of Native American shamanism: sacred ceremonies of North America

Encyclopedia of Native American Shamanism focuses on or sacred ceremonies conducted through shamans in which the power of the Creator is made manifest for all to behold. Historically, Native American peoples believed that life was to be lived in a sacred manner. There were ceremonies for nearly every act of life that formed the very basis of Native American religious life and were a means of invoking good fortune. Entries include the names and results of medicine ceremonies, renowned shamans famous for their powers, techniques used by shamans to acquire and control the power of sacred ceremonies, technical terms used by anthropologists, biographies of anthropologists who research these ceremonies, cross-cultural symbolic motifs, plants and sacred paraphernalia associated with ceremonies, and recurring themes that structure these ceremonies. Scholars, students, and everyone interested in Native American cultures or shamanism will find this work fascinating and informative. * Includes biographies of key anthropologists

Being There: Culture and Formation in Two Theological Schools

This book offers a close-up look at theological education in the USA today. The authors' goal is to understand the way in which institutional culture affects the outcome of the educational process. To that end, they undertake ethnographic studies of two seminaries - one evangelical and one mainline Protestant. These studies, written in a lively journalistic style, make up the first part of the book and offer fascinating portraits of two very different intellectual, religious, and social worlds. The authors go on to analyse these disparate environments, and suggest how in each case corporate culture acts as an agent of educational change. They find two major consequences stemming from the culture of each school. First, each culture gives expression to a normative goal that aims at shaping the way students understand themselves and from issues of ministry practice. Second, each provides a cultural tool kit of knowledge, practices, and skills that students use to construct strategies of action for the various problems and issues that will confront them as pastors or in other forms of ministry. In the concluding chapters, the authors explore the implications of their findings for theories of institutional culture and professional socialization and for interpreting the state of religion in America. They identify some of the practical dilemmas that theological and other professional schools currently face, and reflect on how their findings might contribute to their solution. This accessible, thought-provoking study will not only illuminate the structure and process by which culture educates and forms, but also provide invaluable insights into important dynamics of American religious life.

Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America by Colleen McDannell

Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. By Colleen McDannell. (New Haven, Connecticut:Yale University Press. 1996. Pp. xii, 312. $35.00.) For too long, Colleen McDannell argues,American historians have thought of religion as the sacred, the transcendent, the spiritual, set against the the everyday, the material, the commercial.This strict dichotomy, she contends, had blinded them to the way American Christians have continuallyscrambled such categories, the sacred and the profane, the material and spiritual, by employing goods and artifacts, many of them purchased, in the practice of their faith. Even on the few occasions when historians have paid attention to religion's material dimension, this rigid dichotomy, reinforced by intellectual disdain for mass-produced objects, had led to odd distortions in the historical literature. McDannell points out, for example, that we know far more about the material environment of the Shakers-a community that tried to simplify their physical universe-than we do about that of Roman Catholics whose sacramental theology fully exploited the material world Colleen McDannell's book is an attempt to address this long-neglected material dimension in American Christian history, to open up study of it by offering some theoretical arguments about how objects have functioned in American religion and to illustrate those arguments through six case studies. These case studies range widely over time and Christian denominations: the emergence of the family Bible as the centerpiece of the Victorian parlor; the place of Christian imagery in the rural cemetery movement of the early nineteenth century; the devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes in late nineteenth-century American Catholicism; Catholic and Protestant debates over Christian art in the 1950's and 1960's; the meanings of sacred garments to contemporary Mormons; and the rise of Christian bookstores in modern America. These case studies are more than mere demonstrations of the importance of objects in American religious life; they are each sophisticated analyses of how and why objects play such central roles in the religious life of American Christians. The research is thorough and imaginative, drawing on a wide variety of sources: the objects themselves, probate records, advertisements, oral history interviews, as well as conventional sources of magazines, newspapers, and manuscripts. McDannell, for example, uses Farm Security Administration photographs of rural workers' homes to show us not only what religious objects and artifacts average people owned, but also how they used them, where they placed them in their homes, and how they surrounded them with other objects and images: how, for example, images of saints were set next to photographs of family members, mixing heavenly patrons and earthly family together in a single communal network. …

Through Family Eyes: Towards a More Adequate Perspective for Viewing Native American Religious Life

Through Family Eyes: Towards a More Adequate Perspective for Viewing Native American Religious Life

A Monograph Both Inspiring and Frustrating

religionists are listened to, learned from, and appreciated. Likewise, by using only one student (himself something ofan anomaly) as an example of AMERC "products," McCauley has again failed to utilize effective methodology. Interviews with other students would have revealed that they too are a diverse and complex group, some of whom understand the realities of mountain religion, while others do not. Thus Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History, is itself something of an anomaly and dilemma for scholars of American religion. It is a helpful resource for understanding a rich tradition and a fine study of a much neglected and misunderstood expression of American religious life. Yet this valuable resource is flawed by the author's decision to move from the historical to the polemical without applying a rigorous academic method to every aspect of the work. —Bill J. Leonard A Monograph Both Inspiring and Frustrating Deborah McCauley's Appalachian Mountain Religion is an impressively comprehensive examination of distinctly Appalachian Christianity. What is most striking is her success in enabling mountain church people to speak for themselves and in helping her readers to get inside the minds and hearts of a religious group that is often caricatured. Her critique of American Protestantism's arrogant attitude toward mountain Christians is often incisive. However, in her zeal to defend Appalachian religion, she often paints its practitioners and apparent detractors with disturbingly broad strokes. The resulting monograph is one that is alternately inspiring and frustrating. McCauley's greatest achievement is her thoroughly nuanced portrayal of the different traditions that have given mountain religion its distinctive character. She makes a compelling case that groups as diverse as Old Regular Baptists and independent Holiness/Pentecostal Christians have far more in common than is generally recognized, that mountain religiosity has its roots in an irreducibly varied web of historic religious traditions, and that this religiosity contrasts sharply with that of the Protestantism that came to dominate American life and thought by the middle of the nineteenth century. It is a measure of her achievement that she presents this shared religiosity without violating the particularities of the different traditions, groups, and individuals she studies. McCauley makes a strong case that mountain religion is a uniquely vital bearer of the "plain folk, camp meeting" religion that so crucially shaped American Protestantism in its formative stages and that this religion stands in stark contrast to the denominationalism that later came 49 to characterize mainline Protestants. She repeatedly argues that Protestant denominations now meet themselves in Appalachia as they once were at their best before giving in to the hierarchical, rationalistic, and Arminian ("do-it-yourself) ethos that came to describe America after the mid-nineteenth century. Among other things, she sees considerable virtue in how mountain churches nurture community through sacramental worship, corporate conversion experiences, an emphasis upon spontaneity and the heart in worship, preaching that is anecdotal and not doctrinal, the centrality of love as a treasured virtue, minimal organizational and doctrinal structure, democratic self-governance, and the absence of a paid caste of preachers. As readers will quickly gather, she contrasts these virtues with what she sees as the individualistic and hierarchical character of mainline American Protestantism. McCauley is at her best when she carefully traces the lineage of contemporary mountain religious practices to their antecedents. Her thesis, developed from Schmidt's and Westerkamp's research, that the protracted meetings of the Second Great Awakening have precedents in Scots-Irish sacramental meetings and conventicles is riveting. The same is true of her contention that mountain Holiness/Pentecostal religion is not simply the descendent of the Wesleyan holiness movement but that it has been powerfully shaped by Baptist influences. (Saying any Appalachian church tradition has been unaffected by Baptist traditions is like saying that Protestant church life in Boston has been unaffected by Roman Catholicism!) McCauley's critique of American Protestantism's attitude toward Appalachian mountain religion is more problematic. She offers plenty of examples of arrogant stereotyping by mainline missionaries, who often feel compelled to try to save Appalachians from themselves and their supposedly primitive religiosity. Most Appalachians are all too familiar with such caricatures by writers such as William Byrd in the eighteenth century and Jack Weller...

The encyclopedia of American religious history

This volume charts new territory in its coverage of religious history and diversity in the United States. More than 800 entries, 100 of which have been added for this edition, outline the numerous philosophers, personalities, social issues, and cultural histories of religious practices throughout American history. Special emphasis has been given to recent developments in American religious life and on the historical contributions of people long neglected by religious historians, including African Americans, Native Americans, and women.

Naming the Antichrist: The History of an American Obsession

The Antichrist, though mentioned a mere four times in Bible, and then only obscurely, has exercised a tight hold on popular imagination throughout history. This has been particularly true in U.S., says author Robert C. Fuller, where Americans have tended to view our nation as uniquely blessed by God--a belief that leaves us especially prone to demonizing our enemies. In Naming Antichrist, Fuller takes us on a fascinating journey through dark side of American religious psyche, from earliest American colonists right up to contemporary fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson and Hal Lindsey. Fuller begins by offering a brief history of idea of Antichrist and its origins in apocalyptic thought in Judeo-Christian tradition, and traces eventual 71Gws how colonists saw Antichrist personified in native Americans and French Catholics, in Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, and witches of Salem, in Church of England and King. He looks at Second Great Awakening in early nineteenth century, showing how such prominent Americans as Yale president Timothy Dwight and Reverend Jedidiah Morse (father of Samuel Morse) saw work of Antichrist in phenomena ranging from French Revolution to Masonry. In twentieth century, he finds a startling array of hate-mongers--from Gerald Winrod (who vilified Roosevelt as a pawn of Antichrist) to Ku Klux Klan--who drew on apocalyptic imagery in their attacks on Jews, Catholics, blacks, socialists, and others. Finally, Fuller considers contemporary fundamentalist writers such as Hal Lindsey (author of The Late Great Planet Earth, with some 19 million copies sold), Mary Stewart Relfe (whose candidates for Antichrist have included such figures as Henry Kissinger, Pope John Paul II, and Anwar Sadat), and a host of others who have found Antichrist in sinister guise of European Economic Community, National Council of Churches, feminism, New Age religions, and even supermarket barcodes and fibre optics (the latter functioning as the eye of Antichrist). Throughout, Fuller reveals in vivid detail how our unique American obsession with Antichrist reflects struggle to understand ourselves--and our enemies--within mythic context of battle of absolute good versus absolute evil. From Scofield Reference Bible (no other book had greater impact on American Antichrist tradition) to Scopes Monkey Trial, Fuller provides an informative and often startling look at a thread that weaves persistently throughout American religious and cultural life.

The Americanization of the Jews

How did Judaism, a religion so often defined by its minority status, attain equal footing in the trinity of Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism that now dominates modern American religious life? THE AMERICANIZATION OF THE JEWS seeks out the effects of this evolution on both Jews in America and an America with Jews. Although English, French, and Dutch Jewries are usually considered the principal forerunners of modern Jewry, Jews have lived as long in North America as they have in post- medieval Britain and France and only sixty years less than in Amsterdam. As one of the four especially creative Jewish communities that has helped re-shape and re-formulate modern Judaism, American Judaism is the most complex and least understood. German Jewry is recognized for its contribution to modern Jewish theology and philosophy, Russian and Polish Jewry is known for its secular influence in literature, and Israel clearly offers Judaism a new stance as a homeland. But how does one capture the interplay between America and Judaism? Immigration to America meant that much of Judaism was discarded, and much was retained. Acculturation did not always lead to assimilation: Jewishness was honed as an independent variable in the motivations of many of its American adherents- -and has remained so, even though Jewish institutions, ideologies, and even Jewish values have been reshaped by America to such an degree that many Jews of the past might not recognize as Jewish some of what constitutes American Jewishness. This collection of essays explores the paradoxes that abound in the America/Judaism relationship, focusing on such specific issues as Jews and American politics in the twentieth century, the adaptation of Jewish religious life to the American environment, the contributions and impact of the women's movement, and commentaries on the Jewish future in America.

The "Semi-involuntary Institution" Revisited: Regional Variations in Church Participation among Black Americans

This study explores contemporary regional variations in Afican American religious life. Building on a rich tradition of historical and ethnographic research on the Black church, we contrast the religious environments that have traditionally prevailed in the Black communities of the rural South and urban non-South. We emphasize regional variations in (1) the social role of religious institutions, (2) the availability of alternative lifestyles and secular opportunities for status and resources, and (3) the social norms and community expectations regarding church involvement. A series of hypotheses regarding patterns and correlates of church participation are then tested, using data from the National Survey of Black Americans. Findings indicate that historical regional variations in African American religious life persist in the contemporary period. Moreover, our results suggest that the rural southern Black church retains its traditional semiinvoluntary character, and we discuss the broader theoretical implications of this issue forfuture research in the sociology of religion. Throughout American history, the Black church has occupied a distinctive position in the individual and collective lives of African Americans. Research over the years has consistently reported that Blacks attend church more frequently, participate in other church-related affairs more often, and belong to more church-affiliated organizations than their white counterparts (Glenn 1964; Jacobson, Heaton & Dennis 1990; Roof & McKinney 1987). Studies indicate that

The Dawn of Religious Pluralism: Voices from the World's Parliament of Religions, 1893

On September 11th, 1893, the Columbian Liberty Bell at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago sounded ten times - symbolising what were then considered the ten great religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As the bell tolled, more than 60 religious leaders from around the globe proceded into the Hall of Columbus to gather in solemn assembly. The ochre robes of Buddhist ascetics, the vermilion cloaks and turbans of Hindu swamis, the silk vestments of Confucians, Taoists, and Shinto priests, the sombre garb of Protestant ministers, all gathered together in the platform around a Catholic cardinal dressed in scarlet and seated in a high chair of state. The near-ecstatic crowd repeatedly burst into tumultuous applause, waving handkerchiefs and mingling tears with smiles. The World's Parliament of Religions was the first event of its kind in the history of the world: a gathering of representatives of numerous world religions for an exchange of views. It was also a turning point in American religious and cultural life, presaging the multiculturalism of a century later. This volume contains a selection of 60 representative and revealing addresses given to the Parliament, with introductions and notes by Professor Seager. The addresses include contributions by Protestant mainstream ministers, African Americans, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and other Asian religions. Also included are various points of contact and contention, in which religious leaders attempted to analyse or reach out to their counterparts in other traditions.

Song and Dance: Native American Religions and American History

What are some recent works on Native American religions that make good additions to courses on American History? With this question, the editors framed their charge for this review. This is a good moment to pose such a question because of the recent upsurge in publishing on the subject of Native American religious life. The treatment of some recent books is outlined in three stages that cover three ways of including Native American religions in courses: framing questions, case study, and key themes. Of course, teachers teach best within the compass of their own interests. This is where their passions reside and where there is the deepest motivation to communicate clearly with others. There is much to be interested in and passionate about in the recent publications on Native American religions. Can there be a more pressing question for historians of American culture than this: how will we reflect on and

Song and Dance: Native American Religions and American History

What are some recent works on Native American religions that make good additions to courses on American History? With this question, the editors framed their charge for this review. This is a good moment to pose such a question because of the recent upsurge in publishing on the subject of Native American religious life. The treatment of some recent books is outlined in three stages that cover three ways of including Native American religions in courses: framing questions, case study, and key themes.Of course, teachers teach best within the compass of their own interests. This is where their passions reside and where there is the deepest motivation to communicate clearly with others. There is much to be interested in and passionate about in the recent publications on Native American religions.

"Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Left to Do": Choosing a Textbook for Religion in America America: Religions and Religion Catherine L. Albanese Exploring American Religion Denise Lardner Carmody John Tully Carmody Religion in America Julia Mitchell Corbett A Religious History of America Edwin Scott Gaustad Religion in America: An Historical Account of the Development of American Religious Life

"Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Left to Do": Choosing a Textbook for Religion in America America: Religions and Religion Catherine L. Albanese Exploring American Religion Denise Lardner Carmody John Tully Carmody Religion in America Julia Mitchell Corbett A Religious History of America Edwin Scott Gaustad Religion in America: An Historical Account of the Development of American Religious Life

Questions regarding the CUNY National Survey of Religious Identification

A preliminary version of Research Report: The National Survey of Religious Identification 1989-90, done under aegis of Graduate School and University Center of City University of York, has recently received wide publicity, principally because of reported size of sample. CUNY surveyed 113,000 households by telephone, making this largest survey since last religious census in 1936. The study has received wide publicity, including major articles in York Times, USA 7bday, and Los Angeles Times. The gist of headlines appeared to be that number of non-Judeo-Christian religionists in country was much smaller than had been given in most estimates. Muslims, for example, were projected by CUNY survey to number only 527,000, rather than 4-6 million of most other estimates. (This was one of several figures surveyors thought might be low because of language difficulties, but the range of error will not be enormous even in these cases:') Much was made also of study's discovery of only some 20,000 New Age believers, despite all publicity. At same time, figures for some larger groupings were probably within range of expectation, even if they did not always jibe with denominations' own statistics: There are reportedly some 46 million Roman Catholics, 34 million Baptists, 14 million Methodists, and 9 million Lutherans. Episcopalians and Unitarians are well above their own figures at 3 million and 463,000 respectively, but this would not be unexpected in a survey based on self-identification. However, we believe there are some major flaws in this study which throw its sociological and statistical value into serious question, and must be addressed. First, survey let stand self-identifications which were unclear, overlapping, and occasionally downright naive in relation to realities of American religious life. Thus, denomination or tradition names like Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, etc., were intermingled

The Mainstream Protestant "Decline": The Presbyterian Pattern

The meaning of the declining membership in mainline Protestant denominations has been hotly contested since the 1960s. Drawing on statistical analysis of membership trends, congregational surveys, individual interviews, research on disaffiliation, and case studies of congregations and presbyteries, this volume examines patterns and causes of congregational growth and decline in the Presbyterian church. Through its examination of American Presbyterianism, the Presbyterian Presence series illuminates patterns of change in mainstream Protestantism and American religious and cultural life in the twentieth century.

Holding Fast/Pressing on: Religion in America in the 1980s

Jorstad has written the first comprehensive history of American religion in the past decade. Drawing on many contemporary sources, he divides religion in the Eighties into three sections, each characterized by its own struggle. Mainline churches are largely involved in identity crises and social issues. Evangelicals are confronting scandals, politics, and the pressures of the mass media. Private seekers, which the author sees as the wave of the future, swing between quietistic New Age philosophies and the desire for world transformation. Everywhere the tension is between the conservatives holding fast and the liberals pressing on. While Jorstad clearly sympathizes with the latter, he presents a balanced picture of recent religious history. An excellent work of social and historical analysis with insights for the future. Recommended for academic and public libraries. Library Journal During the 1980s, some of the most far-reaching and dramatic changes in American life were those occurring in religious life. Battles over abortion, televangelist morality scandals, responding to AIDS, gender issues, and American political policy toward South Africa are just a few of the major issues that made front-page news. This comprehensive history of American religion in the 1980s explores these and other issues, beginning with their historical background in the great awakening of the 1960s counterculture. It proceeds to trace the contours of the holders fast/pressers on battle (conservatives vs. moderates and liberals) in three areas: mainline struggles over denominational identity, social gospel outreach, and gender issues; evangelical struggles over involvement in office-seeking politics, televangelist morality, and popularization of traditional teaching; and privatized seeking of fulfillment through personal relationships, inner spiritual growth, and pursuit of the promises of New Age transformations of self and society. Using contemporary writings, interviews, reports, and other primary documents of the times as well as drawing on the interpretations of specialists in contemporary religious life, Jorstad throroughly explores every aspect of the themes covered. In Part I, the book focuses on mainliners, documenting the decline of ecumenical energy and the sources and results of the fierce internal battles within mainline denominations over holding to older identities at the expense of extensive involvement in the major social crises of the day. Within the evangelical/fundamental section, the book examines the effects of the Falwells, Robertsons, and others in elective national politics and to what extent this movement depended on the leadership in the White House. EvangelisM's expression through and use of mass media is also addressed. The third major trend, privatization (largely New Age), is examined with attention to how seekers sought fulfillment through improving the quality of their relationships with partner, spouse, family, friends, and local community. The leadership of such interpreters as Scott Peck, James Dobson, Charles Swindoll, and Robert Schuller is also examined in detail. The final chapter explores the history, spread, and impact of New Age faith on the religious expression of the 1980s. Holding Fast/Pressing On is the first full-length account of the major developments of religion during the decade. It breaks new ground in using sociological theory to interpret the importance of the search for the self and will be of interest to students of American religious history and life, contemporary social trends and problems, and mass media, politics and religion.

<sc>robert c. fuller</sc>. <italic>Alternative Medicine and American Religious Life</italic>. New York: Oxford University Press. 1989. Pp. viii, 164. $19.95

Journal Article robert c. fuller. Alternative Medicine and American Religious Life. New York: Oxford University Press. 1989. Pp. viii, 164. $19.95 Get access Fuller Robert C.. Alternative Medicine and American Religious Life. New York: Oxford University Press. 1989. Pp. viii, 164. $19.95. John Harley Warner John Harley Warner Yale University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 95, Issue 5, December 1990, Pages 1644–1645, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/95.5.1644 Published: 01 December 1990

Alternative Medicine and American Religious Life.

Journal Article Alternative Medicine and American Religious life. By Robert C. Fuller. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. x + 164 pp. $19.95.) Get access David Hufford David Hufford Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 77, Issue 3, December 1990, Page 985, https://doi.org/10.2307/2079010 Published: 01 December 1990