The Columbia Documentary History of Religion in America Since 1945 - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0231118848 ISBN 13: 9780231118842

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2005

Synopsis

Of late, religion seems to be everywhere, suffusing U.S. politics and popular culture and acting as both a unifying and a divisive force. This collection of manifestos, Supreme Court decisions, congressional testimonies, speeches, articles, book excerpts, pastoral letters, interviews, song lyrics, memoirs, and poems reflects the vitality, diversity, and changing nature of religious belief and practice in American public and private life over the last half century. Encompassing a range of perspectives, this book illustrates the ways in which individuals from all along the religious and political spectrum have engaged religion and viewed it as a crucial aspect of society.

The anthology begins with documents that reflect the close relationship of religion, especially mainline Protestantism, to essential ideas undergirding Cold War America. Covering both the center and the margins of American religious life, this volume devotes extended attention to how issues of politics, race, gender, and sexuality have influenced the religious mainstream. A series of documents reflects the role of religion and theology in the civil rights, feminist, and gay rights movements as well as in conservative responses. Issues regarding religion and contemporary American culture are explored in documents about the rise of the evangelical movement and the religious right; the impact of "new" (post-1965) immigrant communities on the religious landscape; the popularity of alternative, New Age, and non-Western beliefs; and the relationship between religion and popular culture.

The editors conclude with selections exploring major themes of American religious life at the millennium, including both conservative and New Age millennialism, as well as excerpts that speculate on the future of religion in the United States.

The documents are grouped by theme into nine chapters and arranged chronologically therein. Each chapter features an extensive introduction providing context for and analysis of the critical issues raised by the primary sources.

About this title

Book Description

This unique documentary history brings together manifestos, Supreme Court decisions, congressional testimonies, speeches, articles, book excerpts, pastoral letters, interviews, song lyrics, memoirs, and poems reflecting the vitality, diversity, and changing nature of religious belief and practice in America since 1945. Covering both the center and the margins of American religious life, these documents reflect the role of religion and theology in the civil rights, feminist, and gay rights movements as well as in the conservative responses to these. Issues regarding religion and contemporary American culture are explored in documents about the rise of the evangelical movement and the religious right; the impact of "new" (post-1965) immigrant communities on the religious landscape; the popularity of alternative, New Age, and non-Western beliefs; and the relationship between religion and popular culture. The editors conclude with selections exploring major themes of American religious life at the millennium as well as excerpts that speculate on the future of religion in the United States.

From the Back Cover

The Columbia Documentary History of Religion in America includes:
Dorothy Day, "Our Brothers, the Communists"Ronald Reagan, "National Association of Evangelicals; Remarks at the Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida"Allen Ginsberg, "A Blake Experience"Shirley MacLaine,Going WithinShunryu Suzuki, "Posture"Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham City Jail"Malcolm X,Autobiography of Malcolm XCésar A. Chávez, "The Mexican-American and the Church"Vine Deloria Jr.,God is RedMary Daly, Gyn/EcologyCynthia Ozick, Judith Plaskow, and Elsye Goldstein on Jewish feminist theologyStarhawk, "Witchcraft and Women's Culture"Patrick J. Buchanan, "1992 Republican National Convention Speech"Billy Graham, "Angels in Our Lives Today"Jason E. McBride, "Goths for Jesus"Harvey Cox, Fire from HeavenRalph Reed,Active FaithBarbara Brown Taylor, "Vishnu's Almonds"Saraji Umm Zaid, "Make Way for Women! Why Your Mosques Should Be Woman Friendly"Jerry Falwell, "A Biblical Look Into the 21st Century"Tikkun Magazine writers, "Religious Visions for the New Millennium"

About this edition

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0231118848
• ISBN 13: 9780231118842
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 584
• Editor: Harvey Paul, Goff Philip