Souls of the City Religion & the Search for Community in Postwar America

Who has time for community in the modern metropolis? The answer may surprise you: apparently lots of us. As this book discusses, religious communities have long been an important way for people in all parts of the modern city to come together. Whether in new suburban subdivisions, in rural areas undergoing change, or in inner-city neighborhoods, people of all social backgrounds, races, and economic means have used their congregations as a way to set down new roots and to hold on to old ones. Focusing on Indianapolis, Indiana, a city in America's geographical and cultural heartland, Souls of the City describes the range of changes to America's cities and American religion during the last decades of the 20th century. In showing the historical ability of religious congregations to become "places" of worship, this book challenges those who lament the soulless nature of modern metropolitan life.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-194) and index.

Etan Diamond is a social historian whose research interests lie at the intersection of urban history and the history of religion. He is author of And I Will Dwell in Their Midst: Orthodox Jews in Suburbia.

Preliminary Table of Contents:

Preface

1. An Introduction to Metropolitan Growth and Religious Change

2. "Hi, Neighbor!": Building New Religious Communities in Suburbia

3. From Small Town to Mall Town: Rural Communities and their Congregations

4. What is "Our" Community?: The Dilemma of the Inner City Congregation

5. Tying the Metropolis Together

6. Finding Community in the Modern Metropolis

Notes

Bibliography

Index