Protestantism in America / Edition 1

by Randall Balmer

Overview

As America has become more pluralistic, Protestantism, with its long roots in American history and culture, has hardly remained static. This finely crafted portrait of a remarkably complex group of Christian denominations describes Protestantism's history, constituent subgroups and their activities, and the way in which its dialectic with American culture has shaped such facets of the wider society as healthcare, welfare, labor relations, gender roles, and political discourse.

Part I provides an introduction to the religion's essential beliefs, a brief history, and a taxonomy of its primary American varieties. Part II shows the diversity of the tradition with vivid accounts of life and worship in a variety of mainline and evangelical churches. Part III explores the vexed relationship Protestantism maintains with critical social issues, including homosexuality, feminism, and social justice. The appendices include biographical sketches of notable Protestant leaders, a chronology, a glossary, and an annotated list of resources for further study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231111317
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	11/18/2005
Series:	Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Randall Balmer is the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of American Religion at Barnard College, Columbia University. He is the author of Religion in Twentieth Century America and Grant Us Courage. He has written and presented three PBS television documentaries, including Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America. He lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut.Lauren F. Winner is a doctoral candidate in history at Columbia University and a contributor to Christianity Today, The New York Times, and The Christian Century, among other publications.

Table of Contents

Preface: Easter Sunday
1. Protestantism in America
2. Brief History of Protestantism in America
3. Varieties of Protestantism in America
4. Williston Federated Church
5. Abyssinian Baptist Church
6. New Life Family Fellowship
7. Protestants and Feminism
8. Protestants and Homosexuality
9. Protestants and Social Justice

What People are Saying About This

Margaret Bendroth

A deft overview of historical scholarship on American religion with some shrewd insights into the controversies of our own times.... Though this Protestant family portrait includes all the usual warts and wrinkles, it will nonetheless help readers understand why religion continues to beat the odds in modern, secular society. Interwoven with stories of individual congregations and the people who sustain them, this compelling narrative of Protestant history is both frustratingly human and thoroughly believable.

— Margaret Bendroth, author of Growing Up Protestant

Philip A. Amerson

If you are a novice or a lifelong student of religion, [this book] provides fertile new insights into the faith story that was primary in shaping this nation. The dynamic impulses of Protestantism and the imprint of these on this Republic are here told in a fresh, authentic and engaging way.... For the insider seeking a deeper understanding of the way his or her tradition relates to other faith groups, or for the reader unfamiliar with any of these religious expressions, this volume will be a welcome resource.

— Philip A. Amerson, President, The Claremont School of Theology

Robert Wuthnow

Providing a readable overview of American Protestantism is a daunting task, but Balmer and Winner do a masterful job.... Scholars of religious history and religious studies will find this book especially useful in their teaching and research.

— Robert Wuthnow, author of After Heaven: Spirituality in America Since the 1950s

Editorial Reviews

Balmer and Winner have produced a book that is quite readable.

Choice

A useful starting point for reflection on the future of Protestantism.

Booklist - Steven Schroeder

A highly useful text

— Amanda Porterfield

H-Net Reviews

Vivid and engaging

— Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr.

Anglican Theological Review

Balmer and Winner boldly take hold of the large and complex topic of Protestantism in America by its most ungainly part, evangelicalism.

— Christian Sheppard

Chicago Tribune

[A]n innovative and insightful book... The volume [Balmer & Winner] have produced is succinct and sprightly, and full of insights. It is a welcome guide to American Protestantism at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

— Robert Bruce Mullin

Journal of Religion

A useful starting point for reflection on the future of Protestantism.

— Steven Schroeder

Booklist

Following the general pattern of previous volumes in the "Columbia Contemporary American Religion" series (e.g., Jane I. Smith's Islam in America), this volume provides a brief historical overview, case studies of churches, and essays on significant issues facing Protestant congregations today. Balmer (American religion, Barnard Coll.) and Winner, a doctoral candidate at Columbia, do an admirable job of synthesizing recent scholarship and have created an engaging, if occasionally irreverent, account. While always acknowledging the diversity and complexity of Protestant denominations, this book basically divides Protestants into two camps evangelical and liberal with both camps receiving equally critical evaluations. In exploring the challenges of feminism, homosexuality, and social justice, the authors consider both how the issues have affected the churches and how the churches have affected the broader culture. The work also contains brief profiles of significant individuals, a time line, and a glossary. While the book could have used tighter editing virtually identical sentences explaining various terms appear multiple times the amount of information presented and the quality of the analysis make this a useful work for academic and public libraries. Jan Blodgett, Davidson Coll. Lib., NC Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Balmer and Winner boldly take hold of the large and complex topic of Protestantism in America by its most ungainly part, evangelicalism.

Chicago Tribune - Christian Sheppard

A testimony to the historic centrality and energy of Protestantism in the broader American religious culture and a worthy and enlightening new study.

Journal of Church & State

Vivid and engaging

Anglican Theological Review - Gardiner H. Shattuck

A highly useful text

H-Net Reviews - Amanda Porterfield

[A]n innovative and insightful book... The volume [Balmer & Winner] have produced is succinct and sprightly, and full of insights. It is a welcome guide to American Protestantism at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Robert Bruce Mullin