Robert Wuthnow's Books

The Struggle for America's Soul

Evangelicals, Liberals, and Secularism

By: Robert Wuthnow

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The Struggle for America's Soul

Evangelicals, Liberals, and Secularism

By: Robert Wuthnow

Discusses the schism between the religious right and mainstream Protestantism, the separation of church and state, and the relationship between science and religion.

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208

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Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

0802804691

ISBN 13

9780802804693

After Heaven

Spirituality in America Since the 1950s

By: Robert Wuthnow

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After Heaven

Spirituality in America Since the 1950s

By: Robert Wuthnow

The evolution of American spirituality over the past fifty years is the subject of Robert Wuthnow's engrossing new book. Wuthnow uses in-depth interviews and a broad range of resource materials to show how Americans, from teenagers to senior citizens, define their spiritual journeys. His findings are a telling reflection of the changes in beliefs and lifestyles that have occurred throughout the United States in recent decades. Wuthnow reconstructs the social and cultural reasons for an emphasis on a spirituality of dwelling (houses of worship, denominations, neighborhoods) during the 1950s. Then in the 1960s a spirituality of seeking began to emerge, leading individuals to go beyond established religious institutions. In subsequent chapters Wuthnow examines attempts to reassert spiritual discipline, encounters with the sacred (such as angels and near-death experiences), and the development of the "inner self." His final chapter discusses a spirituality of practice, an alternative for people who are uncomfortable within a single religious community and who want more than a spirituality of endless seeking. The diversity of contemporary American spirituality comes through in the voices of the interviewees. Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and Native Americans are included, as are followers of occult practices, New Age religions, and other eclectic groups. Wuthnow also notes how politicized spirituality, evangelical movements, and resources such as Twelve-Step programs and mental health therapy influence definitions of religious life today. Wuthnow's landmark book, The Restructuring of American Religion (1988), documented the changes in institutional religion in the United States; now After Heaven explains the changes in personal spirituality that have come to shape our religious life. Moreover, it is a compelling and insightful guide to understanding American culture at century's end. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1999. The evolution of American spirituality over the past fifty years is the subject of Robert Wuthnow's engrossing new book. Wuthnow uses in-depth interviews and a broad range of resource materials to show how Americans, from teenagers to senior citizens, def

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290

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520924444

ISBN 13

9780520924444

The God Problem

Expressing Faith and Being Reasonable

By: Robert Wuthnow

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The God Problem

Expressing Faith and Being Reasonable

By: Robert Wuthnow

The message of this book is that we can learn something important about faith by listening closely to the language people use in talking about their faith" -- Preface

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344

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520274288

ISBN 13

9780520274280

Poor Richard's Principle

Recovering the American Dream through the Moral Dimension of Work, Business, and Money

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Poor Richard's Principle

Recovering the American Dream through the Moral Dimension of Work, Business, and Money

By: Robert Wuthnow

The American Dream is in serious danger, according to Robert Wuthnow--not because of economic conditions, but because its moral underpinnings have been forgotten. In the past this vision was not simply a formula for success, but a moral perspective that framed our thinking about work and money in terms of broader commitments to family, community, and humanitarian values. Nowadays, we are working harder than ever, and yet many of us feel that we are not realizing our higher aspirations as individuals or as a people. Here Wuthnow examines the struggles in which American families are now engaged as they try to balance work and family, confront the pressures of consumerism, and find meaning in their careers. He suggests that we can find economic instruction and inspiration in the nation's past--in such figures as Benjamin Franklin, for instance, who was at once the prudent Poor Richard, the engaged public person, and the enthusiastic lover of life. Drawing on first-hand accounts from scores of people in all walks of life and from a national survey, the book shows that work and money cannot be understood in terms of economic theories alone, but are inevitably rooted in our concepts of ourselves and in the symbolic rituals and taboos of everyday life. By examining these implicit cultural understandings of work and money, the book provides a foundation for bringing moral reasoning more fully to bear on economic decisions. It re-examines the moral arguments that were prominent earlier in our history, shows how these arguments were set aside with the development of economistic thinking, and suggests their continuing relevance in the lives of people who have effectively resisted the pressures of greater financial commitments. Demonstrating that most Americans do bring values implicitly to bear on their economic decisions, the book shows how some people are learning to do this more effectively and, in the process, gain greater control over their work and finances. At a time when policymakers are raising questions about the very survival of the American dream, Poor Richard's Principle offers an analysis of how moral restraint can once again play a more prominent role in guiding our thinking.

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442

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400822203

ISBN 13

9781400822201

Growing Up Religious

Christians and Jews and Their Journeys of Faith

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Growing Up Religious

Christians and Jews and Their Journeys of Faith

By: Robert Wuthnow

[Wuthnow] provides a unique window into the religious psyche of ordinary Americans. --Zachary Karabell, Los Angeles Times Memories of religious experiences remain in our minds like few others. In Growing Up Religious, Robert Wuthnow-"the most informed and insightful commentator on American religion today" (Harvey Cox)-follows the lives of ordinary people to see how their childhood experiences inform both their adult sense of spirituality and their relation to issues of faith and tradition.

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300

Publisher

Beacon Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

080702807X

ISBN 13

9780807028070

Red State Religion

Faith and Politics in America's Heartland

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Red State Religion

Faith and Politics in America's Heartland

By: Robert Wuthnow

No state has voted Republican more consistently or widely or for longer than Kansas. To understand red state politics, Kansas is the place. It is also the place to understand red state religion. The Kansas Board of Education has repeatedly challenged the teaching of evolution, Kansas voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional ban on gay marriage, the state is a hotbed of antiabortion protest - and churches have been involved in all of these efforts. Yet in 1867 suffragist Lucy Stone could plausibly proclaim that, in the cause of universal suffrage, "Kansas leads the world!" How did Kansas go from being a progressive state to one of the most conservative?

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500

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691160899

ISBN 13

9780691160894

Creative Spirituality

The Way of the Artist

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Creative Spirituality

The Way of the Artist

By: Robert Wuthnow

Creative Spirituality is a fascinating, brilliant, and suggestive book, to be read and appreciated both for its spiritual insights and for the author's astute observations on artistic creativity and spiritual practice. Robert Wuthnow explores the intimate engagements of art and spirituality in their common quests for meaning. This volume represents a substantial contribution to the growing literature on art and religion in the United States and an intelligent appeal to the artist and the truth-seeker in each of us."—Sally M. Promey is author of Painting Religion in Public and coauthor of The Visual Culture of American Religions "Wuthnow's careful listening to the voices of working artists speaking of their work, and his analysis of the rich variety of their experiences, show the universally human, transforming power of creativity. Creative practice reveals itself here as a primary spiritual practice. While some of these artists follow a traditional religious path and make fascinating connections between their working experience and their religious faith others speak directly of spirituality as a discovering of the power of Spirit. Whether religious or not, their voices are witness to the holy power of human creativity and to the mystery in which it leads."—Reverend Donald Schell, St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, San Francisco "Robert Wuthnow has written a brilliant, insightful exploration of how contemporary artists struggle to express their deepest spiritual yearnings. At a time when the notion of spirituality seems inchoate, artists, writers and musicians can often eloquently articulate the mysterious otherness of our lives. Especially powerful are the personal testimonials which reveal the empowerment of transcendence over alienation and disbelief."—Marci Whitney-Schenck, Publisher and Editor, Christianity and the Arts "Here one finds wonderful stories about artists and of the creative spirituality arising out of their work. Wuthnow goes beyond telling us simply that these are people living at the edges of our culture, suggesting that they are spiritual models for our time—people who cultivate spiritual depth through sustained practice, or doing something that is fresh, expressive, and worthwhile. The book addresses the serious, many-sided aspects of their search—indeed, of our search—for 'moments of transcendence' today."—Wade Clark Roof, J. F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society, University of California at Santa Barbara and author of Spiritual Marketplace

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322

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520239164

ISBN 13

9780520239166

Acts of Compassion

Caring for Others and Helping Ourselves

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Acts of Compassion

Caring for Others and Helping Ourselves

By: Robert Wuthnow

Robert Wuthnow finds that those who are most involved in acts of compassion are no less individualistic than anyone else--and that those who are the most intensely individualistic are no less involved in caring for others.

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343

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

140082057X

ISBN 13

9781400820573

American Mythos

Why Our Best Efforts to be a Better Nation Fall Short

By: Robert Wuthnow,Gerhard R Andlinger Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion Robert Wuthnow

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American Mythos

Why Our Best Efforts to be a Better Nation Fall Short

By: Robert Wuthnow,Gerhard R Andlinger Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion Robert Wuthnow

America was built on stories: tales of grateful immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, Horatio Alger-style transformations, self-made men, and the Protestant work ethic. In this new book, renowned sociologist Robert Wuthnow examines these most American of stories--narratives about individualism, immigration, success, religion, and ethnicity--through the eyes of recent immigrants. In doing so, he demonstrates how the "American mythos" has both legitimized American society and prevented it from fully realizing its ideals. This magisterial work is a reflection and meditation on the national consciousness. It details how Americans have traditionally relied on narratives to address what it means to be strong, morally responsible individuals and to explain why some people are more successful than others--in short, to help us make sense of our lives. But it argues that these narratives have done little to help us confront new challenges. We pass laws to end racial discrimination, yet lack the resolve to create a more equitable society. We welcome the idea of pluralism in religion and values, yet we are shaken by the difficulties immigration presents. We champion prosperity for all, but live in a country where families are still homeless. American Mythos aptly documents this disconnect between the stories we tell and the reality we face. Examining how cultural narratives may not, and often do not, reflect the reality of today's society, it challenges readers to become more reflective about what it means to live up to the American ideal.

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288

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ISBN 10

069112504X

ISBN 13

9780691125046

Rediscovering the Sacred

Perspectives on Religion in Contemporary Society

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Rediscovering the Sacred

Perspectives on Religion in Contemporary Society

By: Robert Wuthnow

Claiming that the realm of the sacred in modern societies is characterized more by rediscovery than by revival, Wuthnow examines the main theoretical approaches toward religion that have emerged of late in the social sciences and shows how these approaches can help explain the shifting location of the sacred.

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196

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Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

0802806333

ISBN 13

9780802806338

The Consciousness Reformation

By: Robert Wuthnow

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The Consciousness Reformation

By: Robert Wuthnow

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.

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320

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520335724

ISBN 13

9780520335721

Small-Town America

Finding Community, Shaping the Future

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Small-Town America

Finding Community, Shaping the Future

By: Robert Wuthnow

A revealing examination of small-town life More than thirty million Americans live in small, out-of-the-way places. Many of them could have joined the vast majority of Americans who live in cities and suburbs. They could live closer to more lucrative careers and convenient shopping, a wider range of educational opportunities, and more robust health care. But they have opted to live differently. In Small-Town America, we meet factory workers, shop owners, retirees, teachers, clergy, and mayors—residents who show neighborliness in small ways, but who also worry about everything from school closings and their children's futures to the ups and downs of the local economy. Drawing on more than seven hundred in-depth interviews in hundreds of towns across America and three decades of census data, Robert Wuthnow shows the fragility of community in small towns. He covers a host of topics, including the symbols and rituals of small-town life, the roles of formal and informal leaders, the social role of religious congregations, the perception of moral and economic decline, and the myriad ways residents in small towns make sense of their own lives. Wuthnow also tackles difficult issues such as class and race, abortion, homosexuality, and substance abuse. Small-Town America paints a rich panorama of individuals who reside in small communities, finding that, for many people, living in a small town is an important part of self-identity.

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518

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691165823

ISBN 13

9780691165820

Sharing the Journey

Support Groups and the Quest for a New Community

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Sharing the Journey

Support Groups and the Quest for a New Community

By: Robert Wuthnow

A look at how support groups have affected American society argues that, although support groups provide a warmth and security that holds society together, they can lead to an unhealthy self-absorption and a trivialized sense of what is sacred.

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481

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439105928

ISBN 13

9781439105924

America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity

By: Robert Wuthnow

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America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity

By: Robert Wuthnow

Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and adherents of other non-Western religions have become a significant presence in the United States in recent years. Yet many Americans continue to regard the United States as a Christian society. How are we adapting to the new diversity? Do we casually announce that we "respect" the faiths of non-Christians without understanding much about those faiths? Are we willing to do the hard work required to achieve genuine religious pluralism? Award-winning author Robert Wuthnow tackles these and other difficult questions surrounding religious diversity and does so with his characteristic rigor and style. America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity looks not only at how we have adapted to diversity in the past, but at the ways rank-and-file Americans, clergy, and other community leaders are responding today. Drawing from a new national survey and hundreds of in-depth qualitative interviews, this book is the first systematic effort to assess how well the nation is meeting the current challenges of religious and cultural diversity. The results, Wuthnow argues, are both encouraging and sobering--encouraging because most Americans do recognize the right of diverse groups to worship freely, but sobering because few Americans have bothered to learn much about religions other than their own or to engage in constructive interreligious dialogue. Wuthnow contends that responses to religious diversity are fundamentally deeper than polite discussions about civil liberties and tolerance would suggest. Rather, he writes, religious diversity strikes us at the very core of our personal and national theologies. Only by understanding this important dimension of our culture will we be able to move toward a more reflective approach to religious pluralism.

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412

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400837243

ISBN 13

9781400837243

The Left Behind

Decline and Rage in Small-Town America

By: Robert Wuthnow

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The Left Behind

Decline and Rage in Small-Town America

By: Robert Wuthnow

How a fraying social fabric is fueling the outrage of rural Americans What is fueling rural America’s outrage toward the federal government? Why did rural Americans vote overwhelmingly for Donald Trump? And is there a more nuanced explanation for the growing rural-urban divide? Drawing on more than a decade of research and hundreds of interviews, Robert Wuthnow brings us into America’s small towns, farms, and rural communities to paint a rich portrait of the moral order—the interactions, loyalties, obligations, and identities—underpinning this critical segment of the nation. Wuthnow demonstrates that to truly understand rural Americans’ anger, their culture must be explored more fully, and he shows that rural America’s fury stems less from economic concerns than from the perception that Washington is distant from and yet threatening to the social fabric of small towns. Moving beyond simplistic depictions of America’s heartland, The Left Behind offers a clearer picture of how this important population will influence the nation’s political future.

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203

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691195153

ISBN 13

9780691195155

Rough Country

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Rough Country

By: Robert Wuthnow

How the history of Texas illuminates America's post–Civil War past Tracing the intersection of religion, race, and power in Texas from Reconstruction through the rise of the Religious Right and the failed presidential bid of Governor Rick Perry, Rough Country illuminates American history since the Civil War in new ways, demonstrating that Texas's story is also America’s. In particular, Robert Wuthnow shows how distinctions between "us" and “them” are perpetuated and why they are so often shaped by religion and politics. Early settlers called Texas a rough country. Surviving there necessitated defining evil, fighting it, and building institutions in the hope of advancing civilization. Religion played a decisive role. Today, more evangelical Protestants live in Texas than in any other state. They have influenced every presidential election for fifty years, mobilized powerful efforts against abortion and same-sex marriage, and been a driving force in the Tea Party movement. And religion has always been complicated by race and ethnicity. Drawing from memoirs, newspapers, oral history, voting records, and surveys, Rough Country tells the stories of ordinary men and women who struggled with the conditions they faced, conformed to the customs they knew, and on occasion emerged as powerful national leaders. We see the lasting imprint of slavery, public executions, Jim Crow segregation, and resentment against the federal government. We also observe courageous efforts to care for the sick, combat lynching, provide for the poor, welcome new immigrants, and uphold liberty of conscience. A monumental and magisterial history, Rough Country is as much about the rest of America as it is about Texas.

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662

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691169306

ISBN 13

9780691169309

Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy

By: Robert Wuthnow

How the actions and advocacy of diverse religious communities in the United States have supported democracy’s development during the past century Does religion benefit democracy? Robert Wuthnow says yes. In Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy, Wuthnow makes his case by moving beyond the focus on unifying values or narratives about culture wars and elections. Rather, he demonstrates that the beneficial contributions of religion are best understood through the lens of religious diversity. The religious composition of the United States comprises many groups, organizations, and individuals that vigorously, and sometimes aggressively, contend for what they believe to be good and true. Unwelcome as this contention can be, it is rarely extremist, violent, or autocratic. Instead, it brings alternative and innovative perspectives to the table, forcing debates about what it means to be a democracy. Wuthnow shows how American religious diversity works by closely investigating religious advocacy spanning the past century: during the Great Depression, World War II, the civil rights movement, the debates about welfare reform, the recent struggles for immigrant rights and economic equality, and responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The engagement of religious groups in advocacy and counteradvocacy has sharpened arguments about authoritarianism, liberty of conscience, freedom of assembly, human dignity, citizens’ rights, equality, and public health. Wuthnow hones in on key principles of democratic governance and provides a hopeful yet realistic appraisal of what religion can and cannot achieve. At a time when many observers believe American democracy to be in dire need of revitalization, Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy illustrates how religious groups have contributed to this end and how they might continue to do so despite the many challenges faced by the nation.

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326

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691222649

ISBN 13

9780691222646

Faith Communities and the Fight for Racial Justice

What Has Worked, What Hasn't, and Lessons We Can Learn

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Faith Communities and the Fight for Racial Justice

What Has Worked, What Hasn't, and Lessons We Can Learn

By: Robert Wuthnow

The communities, congregations, and faith-based coalitions that have been working for racial justice over the past fifty years Have progressive religious organizations been missing in action in recent struggles for racial justice? In Faith Communities and the Fight for Racial Justice, Robert Wuthnow shows that, contrary to activists’ accusations of complacency, Black and White faith leaders have fought steadily for racial and social justice since the end of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Wuthnow introduces us to the communities, congregations, and faith-based coalitions that have worked on fair housing, school desegregation, affirmative action, criminal justice, and other issues over many years. Often overshadowed by the Religious Right, these progressive faith-based racial justice advocates kept up the fight even as media attention shifted elsewhere. Wuthnow tells the stories of the faith-based affordable housing project in St. Louis that sparked controversy in the Nixon White House; a pastor’s lawsuit in North Carolina that launched the nation’s first busing program for school desegregation; the faith outreach initiative for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign; and church-mobilized protests following the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, and George Floyd. Drawing on extensive materials from denominations, journalists, and social scientists, Wuthnow offers a detailed and frank discussion of both the achievements and the limitations of faith leaders’ roles. He focuses on different issues that emerged at different times, tracing the efforts of Black and White faith leaders who sometimes worked cooperatively and more often tackled problems in complementary ways. Taken together, these stories provide lessons in what faith communities have done and how they can better advocate for racial justice in the years ahead.

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288

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

069125088X

ISBN 13

9780691250885

Saving America?

Faith-Based Services and the Future of Civil Society

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Saving America?

Faith-Based Services and the Future of Civil Society

By: Robert Wuthnow

On January 29, 2001, President George W. Bush signed an executive order creating the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. This action marked a key step toward institutionalizing an idea that emerged in the mid-1990s under the Clinton administration--the transfer of some social programs from government control to religious organizations. However, despite an increasingly vocal, ideologically charged national debate--a debate centered on such questions as: What are these organizations doing? How well are they doing it? Should they be supported with tax dollars?--solid answers have been few. In Saving America? Robert Wuthnow provides a wealth of up-to-date information whose absence, until now, has hindered the pursuit of answers. Assembling and analyzing new evidence from research he and others have conducted, he reveals what social support faith-based agencies are capable of providing. Among the many questions he addresses: Are congregations effective vehicles for providing broad-based social programs, or are they best at supporting their own members? How many local congregations have formal programs to assist needy families? How much money do such programs represent? How many specialized faith-based service agencies are there, and which are most effective? Are religious organizations promoting trust, love, and compassion? The answers that emerge demonstrate that American religion is helping needy families and that it is, more broadly, fostering civil society. Yet religion alone cannot save America from the broad problems it faces in providing social services to those who need them most. Elegantly written, Saving America? represents an authoritative and evenhanded benchmark of information for the current--and the coming--debate.

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375

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400832063

ISBN 13

9781400832064

The Restructuring of American Religion

Society and Faith Since World War II

By: Robert Wuthnow

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The Restructuring of American Religion

Society and Faith Since World War II

By: Robert Wuthnow

A study of developments in modern American religion examines the interaction between religion and politics that has occurred in the years since World War II, the polarization of religious dogma and the rise of special interest groups.

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392

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691020574

ISBN 13

9780691020570

Experimentation in American Religion

The New Mysticisms and Their Implications for the Churches

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Experimentation in American Religion

The New Mysticisms and Their Implications for the Churches

By: Robert Wuthnow

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232

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520337301

ISBN 13

9780520337305

Inventing American Religion

Polls, Surveys, and the Tenuous Quest for a Nation's Faith

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Inventing American Religion

Polls, Surveys, and the Tenuous Quest for a Nation's Faith

By: Robert Wuthnow

Inventing American Religion traces the history of polling, examining its powerful rise in supplying information about the nation's faith, chronicling its current weaknesses, and tackling the difficult questions of how we should think about polls and surveys in American religion today.

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257

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

019025890X

ISBN 13

9780190258900

Rediscovering the Sacred

Perspectives on Religion in Contemporary Society

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Rediscovering the Sacred

Perspectives on Religion in Contemporary Society

By: Robert Wuthnow

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196

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Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

0802806333

ISBN 13

9780802806338

Be Very Afraid

The Cultural Response to Terror, Pandemics, Environmental Devastation, Nuclear Annihilation, and Other Threats

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Be Very Afraid

The Cultural Response to Terror, Pandemics, Environmental Devastation, Nuclear Annihilation, and Other Threats

By: Robert Wuthnow

Robert Wuthnow has been praised as one of "the country's best social scientists" by columnist David Brooks, who hails his writing as "tremendously valuable." The New York Times calls him "temperate, balanced, compassionate," adding, "one can't but admire Mr. Wuthnow's views." A leading authority on religion, he now addresses one of the most profound subjects: the end of the world. In Be Very Afraid, Wuthnow examines the human response to existential threats--once a matter for theology, but now looming before us in multiple forms. Nuclear weapons, pandemics, global warming: each threatens to destroy the planet, or at least to annihilate our species. Freud, he notes, famously taught that the standard psychological response to an overwhelming danger is denial. In fact, Wuthnow writes, the opposite is true: we seek ways of positively meeting the threat, of doing something--anything--even if it's wasteful and time-consuming. The atomic era that began with the bombing of Hiroshima sparked a flurry of activity, ranging from duck-and-cover drills, basement bomb shelters, and marches for a nuclear freeze. All were arguably ineffectual, yet each sprang from an innate desire to take action. It would be one thing if our responses were merely pointless, Wuthnow observes, but they can actually be harmful. Both the public and policymakers tend to model reactions to grave threats on how we met previous ones. The response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, for example, echoed the Cold War--citizens went out to buy duct tape, mimicking 1950s-era civil defense measures, and the administration launched two costly conflicts overseas. Offering insight into our responses to everything from An Inconvenient Truth to the bird and swine flu epidemics, Robert Wuthnow provides a profound new understanding of the human reaction to existential vulnerability.

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304

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199889740

ISBN 13

9780199889747

Remaking the Heartland

Middle America since the 1950s

By: Robert Wuthnow

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Remaking the Heartland

Middle America since the 1950s

By: Robert Wuthnow

The social transformation of the American Midwest in the postwar era For many Americans, the Midwest is a vast unknown. In Remaking the Heartland, Robert Wuthnow sets out to rectify this. He shows how the region has undergone extraordinary social transformations over the past half-century and proven itself surprisingly resilient in the face of such hardships as the Great Depression and the movement of residents to other parts of the country. He examines the heartland's reinvention throughout the decades and traces the social and economic factors that have helped it to survive and prosper. Wuthnow points to the critical strength of the region's social institutions established between 1870 and 1950--the market towns, farmsteads, one-room schoolhouses, townships, rural cooperatives, and manufacturing centers that have adapted with the changing times. He focuses on farmers' struggles to recover from the Great Depression well into the 1950s, the cultural redefinition and modernization of the region's image that occurred during the 1950s and 1960s, the growth of secondary and higher education, the decline of small towns, the redeployment of agribusiness, and the rapid expansion of edge cities. Drawing his arguments from extensive interviews and evidence from the towns and counties of the Midwest, Wuthnow provides a unique perspective as both an objective observer and someone who grew up there. Remaking the Heartland offers an accessible look at the humble yet strong foundations that have allowed the region to endure undiminished.

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375

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Princeton University Press

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ISBN 10

1400836247

ISBN 13

9781400836246

The Struggle for America's Soul

Evangelicals, Liberals, and Secularism

By: Robert Wuthnow

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The Struggle for America's Soul

Evangelicals, Liberals, and Secularism

By: Robert Wuthnow

Discusses the schism between the religious right and mainstream Protestantism, the separation of church and state, and the relationship between science and religion.

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208

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Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

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ISBN 10

0802804691

ISBN 13

9780802804693

Consuming Mission

Towards a Theology of Short-Term Mission and Pilgrimage

By: Robert Ellis Haynes

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Consuming Mission

Towards a Theology of Short-Term Mission and Pilgrimage

By: Robert Ellis Haynes

Short-term mission trips are commonplace in American church life. Yet their growth and practice have largely been divorced from theological education, seminary training, and mission studies. Consuming Mission takes important steps in offering a theological assessment of the practice of STM and tools for subsequent mission training. Using relevant academic studies and original focus-group interviews, Haynes offers important insights into this ubiquitous practice. While carefully examining the biblical and historical foundations for mission, Consuming Mission engages more contemporary movements like the Missio Dei, Fresh Expressions, the Emergent Church, and Third-Wave Mission movements that have helped shape mission. The unique role of United Methodist mission is illustrated through its historical roots and contemporary expression in the ubiquitous STM movement in the United States. Haynes uses original field research data to gather the implicit and explicit theologies of lay and clergy participants. Cultural influences are significantly influencing STM participants as they use their time, money, sacrifice, and service, applied in the name of mission, to purchase a personal growth experience commonly sought by pilgrims. The resulting tensions from mixing mission, pilgrimage, and tourism creates are explored. Haynes offers important steps to move the practice away from using mission for personal edification.

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242

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Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

153263921X

ISBN 13

9781532639210

American Grace

How Religion Divides and Unites Us

By: Robert D. Putnam,David E. Campbell

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American Grace

How Religion Divides and Unites Us

By: Robert D. Putnam,David E. Campbell

Based on two new studies, "American Grace" examines the impact of religion on American life and explores how that impact has changed in the last half-century.

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720

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Simon and Schuster

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ISBN 10

1416566732

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9781416566731

Faith, Hope, and Love in the Kingdom of God

By: Robert Hernan Cubillos

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Faith, Hope, and Love in the Kingdom of God

By: Robert Hernan Cubillos

We live in a world full of challenges. The three graces can almost be seen as motors for Christian life in today's world, but the words faith, hope, and love have so many everyday uses that their technical, theological meanings are, for many, difficult to appreciate. Modern life also leaves many yearning for authenticity and meaning. Many religions have answered that need by calling to mind the image of a path. Always profound progressions, religious paths tend to be motivated either by practices (the act of walking the path) or focal points. Christianity has a focal point, an object, and it sees the three graces as distinctively content filled. The heart of this book is about helping people find the Christian path and their intellectual, emotional, and spiritual balance--an equilibrium that is sustained by a strong personal faith, an enduring hope for the future, and genuine love that will withstand the worst of times. It contributes to the category of Christian literature that provides a pattern for Christian living without surrendering the intellect to the more popular side of this genre.

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465

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Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1498222838

ISBN 13

9781498222839

Spirituality and Aging

By: Robert C. Atchley

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Spirituality and Aging

By: Robert C. Atchley

Winner, 2009 Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award. Gerontological Society of America A spiritual life, one focused on personal growth and deep human experience, is a major focus and motivator for people over the age of forty. Yet there is a marked lack of rigorous academic study of spirituality's importance in the lives of aging people. Noted gerontologist Robert C. Atchley remedies this problem by developing complex concepts and language about spirituality. Spirituality and Aging incorporates material from two decades of interviews, observations, study, and reflection to illustrate ways of thinking about and discussing spirituality—what it is, why it is important, and how it influences the experience of aging. This book provides a nuanced view of spirituality and the richness it brings to the lives of older people. The book is divided into three sections, with the first providing basic frames of reference for examining spirituality and aging, such as the nature of spirituality, spiritual development, and the spiritual self. Atchley next focuses on two dimensions of spirituality that are likely to manifest later in life: becoming a sage (developing the capacity to bring spiritual light to everyday issues) and serving from spirit (creating opportunities for service that are rooted in spirituality). The last section illustrates how spirituality informs other aspects of late life, such as psychological coping and the experience of dying and death. Separating spirituality from religion—something few books on this topic do—Spirituality and Aging offers a plan for incorporating spirituality into gerontological scholarship, research, education, and practice.

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220

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JHU Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0801896533

ISBN 13

9780801896538

Engaging the Spirit

Essays on the Life and Theology of the Holy Spirit

By: Robert Boak Slocum

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Engaging the Spirit

Essays on the Life and Theology of the Holy Spirit

By: Robert Boak Slocum

For too long the Holy Spirit has tended to be either disregarded or the object of fanatical exclamation in the life of the church, especially in western Christianity," writes general editor Robert Boak Slocum in his introduction to this stimulating collection of eighteen essays from a broad spectrum of noted authors. "The essays in this collection give attention to many ways of the Spirit's life and activity--for salvation and healing, for making Christ present in our lives and in the church, for empowering our prayers and liturgies, for our inspiration and gifting, for transformation of the way we live, for the redemption of the world and the ultimate coming of God's kingdom, for the unity of our relationships with each other and God. . . . As we recognize the Spirit's activity in our traditions and doctrines, our prayers and liturgies, and in all aspects of the life we live, we may be better attuned to the leading of the Spirit into the future of faith and our life in God." Engaging the Spirit was first published as a special Summer 2001 edition of the Anglican Theological Review, and is dedicated to the late Charles P. Price, theologian and professor at Virginia Seminary. A posthumously published essay by Dr. Price is a fitting and unique addition to the collection.

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238

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Wipf and Stock Publishers

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ISBN 10

1725239507

ISBN 13

9781725239500

Religion and Politics in America

Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices

By: Allen D. Hertzke,Laura R. Olson,Kevin R. den Dulk,Robert Booth Fowler

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Religion and Politics in America

Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices

By: Allen D. Hertzke,Laura R. Olson,Kevin R. den Dulk,Robert Booth Fowler

Religion and politics are never far from the headlines, but their relationship remains complex and often confusing. This book offers an engaging, accessible, and balanced treatment of religion in American politics. It explores the historical, cultural, and legal contexts that motivate religious political engagement and assesses the pragmatic and strategic political realities that religious organizations and people face. Incorporating the best and most current scholarship, the authors examine the evolving politics of Roman Catholics; evangelical and mainline Protestants; African-American and Latino traditions; Jews, Muslims, and other religious minorities; recent immigrants and religious "nones"; and other conventional and not-so-conventional American religious movements. New to the Sixth Edition • Covers the 2016 election and assesses the role of religion from Obama to Trump. • Expands substantially on religion’s relationship to gender and sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class, and features the role of social media in religious mobilization. • Adds discussion questions at the end of every chapter, to help students gain deeper understanding of the subject. • Adds a new concluding chapter on the normative issues raised by religious political engagement, to stimulate lively discussions.

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409

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

0429947356

ISBN 13

9780429947353

Theologies of Failure

By: Robert Sirvent,Duncan B. Reyburn

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Theologies of Failure

By: Robert Sirvent,Duncan B. Reyburn

What does failure mean for theology? In the Bible, we find some unsettling answers to this question. We find lastness usurping firstness, and foolishness undoing wisdom. We discover, too, a weakness more potent than strength, and a loss of life that is essential to finding life. Jesus himself offers an array of paradoxes and puzzles through his life and teachings. He even submits himself to humiliation and death to show the cosmos the true meaning of victory. As David Bentley Hart observes, “most of us would find Christians truly cast in the New Testament mold fairly obnoxious: civically reprobate, ideologically unsound, economically destructive, politically irresponsible, socially discreditable, and really just a bit indecent.” By incorporating the work of scholars working with a range of frameworks within the Christian tradition, Theologies of Failure aims to offer a unique and important contribution on understanding and embracing failure as a pivotal theological category. As the various contributors highlight, it is a category with a powerful capacity for illuminating our theological concerns and perspectives. It is a category that frees us to see old ideas in a brand-new light, and helps to foster an awareness of ideas that certain modes of analysis may have obscured from our vision. In short, this book invites readers to consider how both theology and failure can help us ask new questions, discover new possibilities, and refuse the ways of the world.

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260

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BoD – Books on Demand

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ISBN 10

0227177134

ISBN 13

9780227177136

Catholic Spirituality and Prayer in the Secular City

By: Robert A. Burns

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Catholic Spirituality and Prayer in the Secular City

By: Robert A. Burns

Catholic Spirituality and Prayer in the Secular City presents the role of religion and spirituality in a rapidly changing religious scenario. Author Robert A. Burns explores ways Catholics have been called upon to develop their spiritual lives in the most religious pluralistic society that has ever existed.

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144

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University Press of America

Published Date

ISBN 10

076184127X

ISBN 13

9780761841272

The Global Illusion of Citizen Protection

Transnational Threats and Human Security

By: Robert Mandel

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The Global Illusion of Citizen Protection

Transnational Threats and Human Security

By: Robert Mandel

This book comprehensively analyzes the global illusion of citizen protection so common today. This text helps students understand a central puzzle in human security, which has two distinct components: (1) although it might be reasonable to assume that political leaders’ threat responses would almost always have a decent chance of safeguarding the mass public, sometimes they do not, exhibiting rhetoric-reality gaps and purely symbolic gestures; and (2) although the wealth of security information available to the mass public would seem to provide them with the opportunity to gain almost always an accurate picture of existing dangers and state threat responses, sometimes citizens’ evaluation of their own safety is grossly distorted, exhibiting an overly extreme sense of helplessness about ongoing threat and an overly extreme sense of skepticism about state protection. At first glance, it is difficult to comprehend fully why states would often select ineffective means of protecting their citizens (assuming the availability of other options) when it appears that there are incentives for them to choose effective ones, particularly within societies with responsive forms of government; and why citizens would often mischaracterize their own security predicament when they have a direct “on-the-ground” view of their plight and seem to have incentives to view their own safety accurately. In exploring these puzzles through detailed international case study analysis, this text investigation consciously deviates from some prevailing orthodox assumptions. It call into question the desirability of the political centrality of state authority and of the prevailing economic and cultural norms in today’s world, opening up serious questions about when and how existing structures and values contribute to increasing rather than decreasing human insecurity for the average world citizen.

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291

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

178660809X

ISBN 13

9781786608093

China and the Islamic World

How the New Silk Road is Transforming Global Politics

By: Robert R. Bianchi

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China and the Islamic World

How the New Silk Road is Transforming Global Politics

By: Robert R. Bianchi

China is building a New Silk Road that runs through the heartland of the Muslim world, promising it will create integrated economies and stronger ties across Eurasia and Africa. Robert R. Bianchi argues that while China has the financial and technical resources to accomplish its infrastructure goals, it is woefully unprepared to deal with the social and political demands of its partner countries' citizens. China and the Islamic World explores how China's leaders and citizens are learning-through their relationships with Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria and Egypt-that they have to respect and adjust to the aspirations of ordinary people throughout the Islamic world, not just cater to the narrow band of government and business elites. Bianchi demonstrates that turbulent countries along the New Silk Road are likely to transform Chinese society at least as much as China changes them. This realization will be deeply unsettling for China's authoritarian rulers, who desperately want to monopolize power domestically. The party and state bosses have responded to challenges with a contradictory blend of flexibility abroad and rigidity at home, compromising with popular demands in one country after another while refusing to negotiate many of the same issues with their own citizens. This book shows how China faces a growing struggle to maintain their double-sided statecraft as it becomes apparent that the New Silk Road is not a one way street.

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