The Quiet Hand of God - Faith Based Activism & the Public Role of Mainline Protestantism

1. Auflage 2002
ISBN: 978-0-520-23313-3
Verlag: University of California Press

Buch, Englisch, 440 Seiten, Trade Paperback, Format (B × H): 163 mm x 228 mm, Gewicht: 612 g

Robert Wuthnow and John H. Evans bring together a stellar collection of essays that paints a contemporary portrait of American Protestantism—a denomination that has remained quietly, but firmly, influential in the public sphere. Mainline Protestants may have steered clear of the controversial, attention-grabbing tactics of the Religious Right, but they remain culturally influential and continue to impact American society through political action and the provision of social services.

The contributors to this volume address religion's larger role in society and cover such topics as welfare, ecology, family, civil rights, and homosexuality. Pioneering, timely, and meticulously researched, The Quiet Hand of God will be an essential reference to the dynamics of American religion well into the twenty-first century.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wuthnow, Robert

Evans, John H.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Protestantismus, evangelische und protestantische Kirchen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Interessengruppen, Lobbyismus und Protestbewegungen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part I. History, Organization, and Activities
1. The Logic of Mainline Churchliness: Historical Background since the Reformation
Peter J. Thuesen
2. Mainline Protestant Washington Offices and the Political Lives of Clergy
Laura R. Olson
3. The Generous Side of Christian Faith: The Successes and Challenges of Mainline Women’s Groups
R. Marie Griffith
4. Religious Variations in Public Presence: Evidence from the National Congregations Study
Mark Chaves, Helen M. Giesel, and William Tsitsos
5. Connecting Mainline Protestant Churches with Public Life

Nancy T. Ammerman
6. The Changing Political Fortunes of Mainline Protestants

Jeff Manza and Clem Brooks

Part II. Involvement in Public Issues
7. Furthering the Freedom Struggle: Racial Justice Activism in the Mainline Churches since the Civil Rights Era
Bradford Verter
8. The Hydra and the Swords: Social Welfare and Mainline Advocacy, 1964–2000
Brian Steensland
9. Caring for Creation: Environmental Advocacy by Mainline Protestant Organizations
Michael Moody
10. Vital Conflicts: The Mainline Denominations Debate Homosexuality
Wendy Cadge
11. For the Sake of the Children? Family-Related Discourse and Practice in the Mainline
W. Bradford Wilcox
12. From Engagement to Retrenchment: An Examination of First Amendment Activism by America’s Mainline Churches, 1980–2000
Derek H. Davis
13. Doing Good and Doing Well: Shareholder Activism, Responsible Investment, and Mainline Protestantism
Lynn D. Robinson
14. Love Your Enemies? Protestants and United States Foreign Policy

Lester Kurtz and Kelly Goran Fulton
15. Beyond Quiet Influence? Possibilities for the Protestant Mainline
Robert Wuthnow

List of Contributors
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Robert Wuthnow is Professor of Sociology at Princeton University. His most recent books are Creative Spirituality: The Way of the Artist (California, 2001), Growing Up Religious (1999), After Heaven (California, 1998), and Loose Connections (1998). John H. Evans is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of Playing God? Human Genetic Engineering and the Rationalization of Public Bioethical Debate (2002).