List of Tables ix Preface xi Introduction Confronting Diversity 1 Chapter 1: A Special People in a Diverse World 8 First Encounters 10 Toward a New Nation 14 From Missions to Comparative Religion 19 The Tripartite Settlement 30 Beyond Christian America? 34 Chapter 2: The New Diversity 37 American Hindus 38 American Buddhists 47 American Muslims 56 Living among Christians 63 Pluralism or Coexistence? 73 Chapter 3: The Signi .cance of Religious Diversity 75 A Threat to Democracy? 78 Fairness and Decency 84 Challenges to American Values 88 Religion as Moral Order 95 Chapter 4: Embracing Diversity: Shopping in the Spiritual Marketplace 106 Trev Granger's Story 108 Becoming a Spiritual Shopper 110 The Shopping Mentality 119 Toward a New Consciousness? 126 Chapter 5: "Many Mansions": Accepting Diversity 130 Sandra Michaelson: Beauty in Every Religion 133 Coming to Terms with Diversity 135 How to Be an Inclusive Christian 143 Envisioning an Inclusive Society 153 Chapter 6: "One Way" : Resisting Diversity 159 Trisha Mobley: "It Is Written" 160 The Road to Resistance 163 Maintaining an Exclusivist Worldview 173 The Social Implications of Christian Exclusivism 183 Chapter 7: The Public's Beliefs and Practices 188 Beliefs about Religious Truth 190 Views of America 198 The Impact of Non-Western Religions 201 Social and Cultural Factors 208 Interreligious Contact and Attitudes 212 Interreligious Programs 220 Conclusions 228 Chapter 8: How Congregations Manage Diversity 230 What Churches Are Doing 233 The Role of Theology 237 Strategies of Avoidance 244 Strategies of Engagement 247 The Imprint of Pluralism 253 Beyond Insularity? 255 Chapter 9: Negotiating Religiously Mixed Marriages 259 Falling in Love 260 Negotiating with Religious Authorities 264 The Parsing of Practices 270 Disaggregating Religious Identities 276 The Normalization of Diversity 278 From Religion to Culture 281 Chapter 10: How Pluralistic Should We Be? 286 Reflective Pluralism 287 The Case for Cooperation 292 An Effort to Promote Understanding 295 Multiple Models 299 Why Interreligious Efforts Fail 301 How Interreligious Efforts Succeed 303 What Else Needs to Be Done 305 Extrapolating to Other Kinds of Diversity 306 The Challenges Ahead 308 Notes 315 Selected Bibliography 351 Index 371
This book is one of Wuthnow's best. He lends his fine-grained analysis to a topic that is at the heart of the experiment called American democracy: how people manage the idea that religion should be about the one true faith with their desire to welcome faiths other than their own. -- Alan Wolfe, Boston College This is a wonderful book. I know of no other works that interrogate the contradictions between the historical sense many Americans hold that America is a "Christian nation" and the current realities and challenges of religious diversity and pluralism. It is a very thorough, penetrating examination of a topic that requires immediate attention. -- Lynn Davidman, Brown University
Robert Wuthnow is the Gerhard R. Andlinger '52 Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. His previous books include After the Baby Boomers, Saving America? Faith-Based Services and the Future of Civil Society (both Princeton); Creative Spirituality: The Way of the Artist; and Loose Connections: Joining Together in America's Fragmented Communities.
Winner of the 2007 Mirra Komarovsky Best Book Award, Eastern Sociological Society Finalist for the 2006 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in Analytical-Descriptive Studies, American Academy of Religion Finalist for the 2006 Book Award in Christianity and Culture, Christianity Today "As Robert Wuthnow amply documents, the United States is (on the whole) an open and welcoming country, ready to extend the full benefits of citizenship to strangers who could expect second-class status in much of the rest of the world."--Gary Rosen, New York Times Book Review "With ... America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity, Wuthnow zeros in on one of the most significant issues facing the country today."--Heather Grennan Gary,Publishers Weekly "All of Robert Wuthnow's formidable skills as the nation's leading 'public sociologist' are prominently displayed in this disciplined, accessible study."--Mark A. Noll, Christianity Today "This is a supple, nuanced and thoughtful book, among Wuthnow's best."--John A. Coleman, America "The great virtue of America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity lies in its careful depiction of the state of American Christianity today. Wuthnow's narrative is endlessly subtle and informative."--Clifford Orwin, The American Interest "Wuthnow has conducted careful research, including thousands of interviews, to find out how ordinary American Christians deal in their day-to-day lives with this new religious diversity: how they think about non-Christians; what sort of encounters they have with them, from workplace chatter to interfaith services and even intermarriage; and how they and their pastors deal with such theologically troubling issues as whether non-Christians can be saved or whether Christians should make active efforts to convert them."--Charlotte Allen,Washington Post "Wuthnow is one of the best and most prolific sociologists of religion on the contemporary scene. His work often sets the agenda not only for other scholars, but also for religious leaders and practitioners concerned with making their faith relevant to social issues... In the end [of America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity], Wuthnow calls for a strategy of 'reflective pluralism.' Reflective pluralism will overcome the reluctance to acknowledge significant differences between religions."--Fred Kniss, Christian Century "Another commendable study from prolific sociologist Robert Wuthnow, this comprehensive assessment of US religious self-understanding demonstrates how religious diversity is challenging the privileged notion of the US as a 'Christian' nation... Since Americans believe in the right of groups to worship freely but are not motivated to learn about or interact with diverse believers, Wuthnow advocates a proactive 'reflective pluralism' for creating a more hospitable national ethos."--Choice "His book marks a major contribution to the study of American religion, both for its lucid arguments, its broad canvassing of the relevant literature, and its research methodology."--Patrick J. Hayes, Catholic Library World "A wide-ranging and insightful study into how Americans are responding to dramatic increases in religious and cultural diversity."--Mark E. Button, Perspectives on Politics "Wuthnow's book is a clear exposition of the state of belief and practice with regards to views on religious diversity in America, and an impassioned call for increasing religious tolerance."--Albert Wu, Religious Studies Review
Winner of the 2007 Mirra Komarovsky Best Book Award, Eastern Sociological Society Finalist for the 2006 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in Analytical-Descriptive Studies, American Academy of Religion Finalist for the 2006 Book Award in Christianity and Culture, Christianity Today "As Robert Wuthnow amply documents, the United States is (on the whole) an open and welcoming country, ready to extend the full benefits of citizenship to strangers who could expect second-class status in much of the rest of the world."--Gary Rosen, New York Times Book Review "With ... America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity, Wuthnow zeros in on one of the most significant issues facing the country today."--Heather Grennan Gary,Publishers Weekly "All of Robert Wuthnow's formidable skills as the nation's leading 'public sociologist' are prominently displayed in this disciplined, accessible study."--Mark A. Noll, Christianity Today "This is a supple, nuanced and thoughtful book, among Wuthnow's best."--John A. Coleman, America "The great virtue of America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity lies in its careful depiction of the state of American Christianity today. Wuthnow's narrative is endlessly subtle and informative."--Clifford Orwin, The American Interest "Wuthnow has conducted careful research, including thousands of interviews, to find out how ordinary American Christians deal in their day-to-day lives with this new religious diversity: how they think about non-Christians; what sort of encounters they have with them, from workplace chatter to interfaith services and even intermarriage; and how they and their pastors deal with such theologically troubling issues as whether non-Christians can be saved or whether Christians should make active efforts to convert them."--Charlotte Allen,Washington Post "Wuthnow is one of the best and most prolific sociologists of religion on the contemporary scene. His work often sets the agenda not only for other scholars, but also for religious leaders and practitioners concerned with making their faith relevant to social issues... In the end [of America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity], Wuthnow calls for a strategy of 'reflective pluralism.' Reflective pluralism will overcome the reluctance to acknowledge significant differences between religions."--Fred Kniss, Christian Century "Another commendable study from prolific sociologist Robert Wuthnow, this comprehensive assessment of US religious self-understanding demonstrates how religious diversity is challenging the privileged notion of the US as a 'Christian' nation... Since Americans believe in the right of groups to worship freely but are not motivated to learn about or interact with diverse believers, Wuthnow advocates a proactive 'reflective pluralism' for creating a more hospitable national ethos."--Choice "His book marks a major contribution to the study of American religion, both for its lucid arguments, its broad canvassing of the relevant literature, and its research methodology."--Patrick J. Hayes, Catholic Library World "A wide-ranging and insightful study into how Americans are responding to dramatic increases in religious and cultural diversity."--Mark E. Button, Perspectives on Politics "Wuthnow's book is a clear exposition of the state of belief and practice with regards to views on religious diversity in America, and an impassioned call for increasing religious tolerance."--Albert Wu, Religious Studies Review
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