Synopses & Reviews
In Boundless Faith, the first book to look systematically at American Christianity in relation to globalization, Robert Wuthnow shows that American Christianity is increasingly influenced by globalization and is, in turn, playing a larger role in other countries and in U.S. policies and programs abroad. These changes, he argues, can be seen in the growth of support at home for missionaries and churches in other countries and in the large number of Americans who participate in short-term volunteer efforts abroad. These outreaches include building orphanages, starting microbusinesses, and setting up computer networks. Drawing on a comprehensive survey that was conducted for this book, as well as several hundred in-depth interviews with church leaders, Wuthnow refutes several prevailing stereotypes: that U.S. churches have turned away from the global church and overseas missions, that congregations only look inward, and that the growing voice of religion in areas of foreign policy is primarily evangelical. This fresh and revealing book encourages Americans to pay attention to the grass-roots mechanisms by which global ties are created and sustained.
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and#8220;A clear and systemic discussion of a topic that has too often been dominated by polemics.and#8221;
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and#8220;Compelling. . . . a vivid portrait of the interaction between American Christianity and the rest of the world and the future of this relationship.and#8221;
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and#8220;An erudite and readable account.and#8221;
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and#8220;Wuthnowand#8217;s thoughtful and sometimes surprising treatment of available dataand#8212;statistics about membership, mission, and growth in Christian communitiesand#8212;makes it clear why this kind of scholarship matters.and#8221;
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and#8220;Wuthnowand#8217;s latest sociological masterpiece.and#8221;
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“Wuthnows latest sociological masterpiece.” Foreword
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“An erudite and readable account.” Richard Fox Young - Theology Today
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and#8220;Offers an abundance of interesting and highly relevant material. . . . Like [Wuthnowand#8217;s] earlier works, Boundless Faith can be recommended without hesitation.and#8221;
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“Eminent” Journal American Academy Of Religion/ Jaar
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“[Wuthnow] brings something different to the field of study.” Marilyn McEntyre - Sojourners: Faith, Pol and Culture
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and#8220;Eminentand#8221;
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and#8220;[Wuthnow] brings something different to the field of study.and#8221;
Synopsis
"An important and timely work. Wuthnow compiles material and offers an interpretation that is not only more encompassing than any existing work, but is also very insightful and thought provoking, and pulls the reader into the globally extended world of faith and community."and#151;Wade Clark Roof, University of California, Santa Barbara
"Boundless Faith is indispensable, breaking new ground as the only systematic look at American religions' effect on governmental foreign policy. This is an invaluable study of superior scholarship."and#151;John Coleman, Loyola Marymount University
About the Author
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 many books include After Heaven: Spirituality in America since the 1950s, All in Sync: How Music and Art Are Revitalizing American Religion, and Creative Spirituality: The Way of the Artist, all from UC Press. With John H. Evans, he coedited The Quiet Hand of God: Faith-Based Activism and the Public Role of Mainline Protestantism, also from UC Press.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. At Home and Abroad
The Changing Contours of American Religion
2. The Global Christianity Paradigm
From Cultural Connection to Demographic Distance
3. Four Faces of Globalization
Debating Heterogeneity and Inequality
4. The Evolution of Transnational Ties
Changing Patterns of Social Organization
5. The Global Role of Congregations
Bridging Borders through Direct Engagement
6. Faith and Foreign Policy
Does Religious Advocacy Matter?
7. The Challenges Ahead
Good for America, Good for the World?
Appendix
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index