Description
Book SynopsisPresents lively, research-based essays by premier social scientists on the positive and negative roles of religious groups in American public life.
Trade Review"The very fact that this fine volume, edited by Paul Lichterman and C. Brady Potts, supports such a multidisciplinary dialogue is a testament to its quality and broad utility.Theoretically rich yet eminently accessible,
The Civic Life of American Religion offers a bird's-eye view of how leading social scientists conceptualize and react to the public dimensions of American religion."—Laura R. Olson,
Journal of the American Academy of Religion"The essays, introduction, and conclusion are clearly argued. This book provides not only a good introduction to some of the major themes in the sociological literature, but also a well-formulated challenge for future research on the intersection of religion and civic life."—Albert Wu,
Religious Studies Review"This important work offers helpful correctives to the overly optimistic idea that more religion in the public sphere will lead to more social connectedness." —John H. Evans, University of California, San Diego
"A lot of books lately extol the virtues of religion for American civil society. In contrast, this work offers interpretive essays--backed by systematic research--that provide a balanced assessment of both the benefits and drawbacks of religion in civic life, and point out directions for new theoretical and empirical work." —Rhys Williams, University of Cincinnati
Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments List of Contributors 1 The Civic Life of American Religion: An Introductory Statement Paul Lichterman and C. Brady Potts 2 The Varieties of Civic Experience Michael Schudson 3 Congregations and Civic Life Nancy Ammerman 4 Congregations' Significance to American Civic Life Mark Chaves 5 Beyond Savior, Victim, and Sinner: Neighborhood Civic Life and "Absent Presence" in the Religious District Omar McRoberts 6 How Religion Circulates in America's Local Public Square Paul Lichterman 7 A Tacit Sense of Evil? The Meaning of Politics in United Methodist Debates Over Homosexuality Dawne Moon 8 Conclusion: Rethinking Religion's Civic Life Paul Lichterman and C. Brady Potts Index
