The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Contemporary Christianity in the United States

This book not only offers a thoughtful critique of the old “Church History” paradigm, but it leads by example in offering a fruitful alternative. Essays bring together the social history of religion in the United States with Christian ethics on contemporary social and political challenges. The result is greater than the sum of its parts, for it offers readers a new set of answers as to why Christianity remains so powerful, and popular, in the contemporary Western world. -- Janine Giordano Drake, Indiana University An indispensable guide for understanding the shifting terrain of Christianity in the United States. With essays written by a range of scholars from multiple disciplines, Mark Lamport has assembled a volume that will prove invaluable to students and specialists alike. Accessible in style and filled with in depth analysis, the handbook's chapters remind us of American Christianity's historical complexities and its adaptability in the past and present. -- Christopher Evans, Professor of the History of Christianity and Methodist Studies, Boston University This superb handbook is the one-stop-shop for a comprehensive analysis of the pressing issues of contemporary Christianity in the United States. Its breadth is remarkable as is the list of top-notch scholar-interpreters anchoring each of its four sections – historical, cultural, theological and ethical. You’ll find yourself reaching for this book frequently for reference and orientation, so keep it close at hand. This book is not one that will languish unopened on a top bookshelf! -- Priscilla Pope-Levison, Southern Methodist University