The Bible in American Life - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0190468920 ISBN 13: 9780190468927

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2017

Synopsis

There is a paradox in American Christianity. According to Gallup, nearly eight in ten Americans regard the Bible as either the literal word of God or inspired by God. At the same time, surveys have revealed gaps in these same Americans' biblical literacy. These discrepancies reveal the complex relationship between American Christians and Holy Writ, a subject that is widely acknowledged but rarely investigated.

The Bible in American Life is a sustained, collaborative reflection on the ways Americans use the Bible in their personal lives. It also considers how other influences, including religious communities and the Internet, shape individuals' comprehension of scripture. Employing both quantitative methods (the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study) and qualitative research (historical studies for context), The Bible in American Life provides an unprecedented perspective on the Bible's role outside of worship, in the lived religion of a broad cross-section of Americans both now and in the past.

The Bible has been central to Christian practice, and has functioned as a cultural touchstone

From the broadest scale imaginable, national survey data about all Americans, down to the smallest details, such as the portrayal of Noah and his ark in children's Bibles, this book offers insight and illumination from scholars across the intellectual spectrum. It will be useful and informative for scholars seeking to understand changes in American Christianity as well as clergy seeking more effective ways to preach and teach about scripture in a changing environment.

About this title

About the Author

Philip Goff is the Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture and Chancellor's Professor of Religious Studies, American Studies, and History at IUPUI. Since 2000, he has been co-editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. His current research is focused on the history of religious radio in the United States.

Arthur E. Farnsley II is director of the Indiana University Center for Civic Literacy and Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI. His books have been about the politics of the Southern Baptist Convention, the role of congregations in faith-based welfare reform, and the ways religious culture shapes and is shaped by urban growth and development. His popular writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Christian Century, and in newspapers across the country, as well as in his most recent book, Flea Market Jesus.

Peter J. Thuesen is Professor of Religious Studies at IUPUI and Co-Editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. His publications include Predestination: The American Career of a Contentious Doctrine (OUP) and In Discordance with the Scriptures: American Protestant Battles over Translating the Bible (OUP).

Review

"The breadth of the essays on offer in this volume is truly impressive... This book, or selected essays in it, could be put to excellent use in a variety of college courses, whether introductory or higher level, as well as being of use to anyone who wants to learn and think deeply about the historic and ongoing presence and influence of the Bible in daily American life." --Kipp Gilmore-Clough, Religion

"Goff, Farnsley, and Thuesen have prepared a feast full of fat insights and sweet research. The questions they raise will enable pastors and professors to better prepare sermons and classes with an eye toward ecumenical dialogue."--Christian Century

"[T]his text adds to the growing library of scholarship that seeks to understand how we, as Americans, arrived at our public discourses regarding the bible and Christianity in general, and perhaps, to remind us all that the Bible has been and remains more than a political tool."--Reading Religion

"This collection of essays offers a cornucopia of new data, old data cast in fresh light, clear writing, deep research, and arresting insights about the unparalleled role of the Bible in American culture. The editors' introductory summary of recent quantitative studies of the Bible's presence in contemporary daily life, and Mark Noll's rumination on the meaning of the Bible for understanding the nation's history, form impressive bookends for two-dozen ground-breaking chapters, crafted by experts in American religion. Collections come and go, but this one will stand the test of time."--Grant Wacker, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Christian History, Duke Divinity School

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0190468920
• ISBN 13: 9780190468927
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 456
• Editor: Goff Philip, Arthur E. Farnsley II, Thuesen Peter