American Protestants
American “heathens”
Kathryn Gin Lum explores the entwining of racial and religious stereotypes in the United States.
The Baptist exception
Christians in the Global South now dominate every major Protestant tradition—except one.
More people, looser ties: Social life in the megachurch
The rise of megachurches has created a larger public role for some churches—even as it has signaled the loosening hold of organized religion.
by David Eagle
Soil and soul: Our Protestant agrarian past
Christians didn’t baptize Aldo Leopold’s land ethic after the fact. They got there years before his work.
How (Not) to Be Secular, by James K. A. Smith
Jamie Smith has written a string of smart books that explain the significance of contemporary theory for Christian life and ministry. His new field guide to Charles Taylor may be his best.
reviewed by Ted A. Smith
Baptizing empire
Matthew McCullough argues that the Spanish-American War signaled a crucial turning point in American self-understanding and self-justification.
American Protestants and the Debate over the Vietnam War, by George Bogaski
Through analysis of denominational statements about what is arguably the most debated military conflict in recent U.S. history, George Bogaski produces an illuminating, if also unvarnished, story.
reviewed by Steven P. Miller
America’s Pastor, by Grant Wacker
Let it be said at once: this is the best book ever written about Billy Graham. I found this an absolutely captivating book and have read every word, including the footnotes.
reviewed by David A. Hollinger
Ways to be Lutheran: New churches experiment with polity
Since 2000, nearly 500,000 ELCA members have left to form two new bodies. These churches are organizing themselves along new patterns.