America And The Challenges Of Religious Diversity - Rilegato

Winner of the 2007 Mirra Komarovsky Best Book Award, Eastern Sociological Society
Finalist for the 2006 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in Analytical-Descriptive Studies, American Academy of Religion
Finalist for the 2006 Book Award in Christianity and Culture, Christianity Today

"As Robert Wuthnow amply documents, the United States is (on the whole) an open and welcoming country, ready to extend the full benefits of citizenship to strangers who could expect second-class status in much of the rest of the world."--Gary Rosen, New York Times Book Review

"With . . . America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity, Wuthnow zeros in on one of the most significant issues facing the country today."--Heather Grennan Gary,Publishers Weekly

"All of Robert Wuthnow's formidable skills as the nation's leading 'public sociologist' are prominently displayed in this disciplined, accessible study."--Mark A. Noll, Christianity Today

"This is a supple, nuanced and thoughtful book, among Wuthnow's best."--John A. Coleman, America

"The great virtue of America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity lies in its careful depiction of the state of American Christianity today. Wuthnow's narrative is endlessly subtle and informative."--Clifford Orwin, The American Interest

"Wuthnow has conducted careful research, including thousands of interviews, to find out how ordinary American Christians deal in their day-to-day lives with this new religious diversity: how they think about non-Christians; what sort of encounters they have with them, from workplace chatter to interfaith services and even intermarriage; and how they and their pastors deal with such theologically troubling issues as whether non-Christians can be saved or whether Christians should make active efforts to convert them."--Charlotte Allen,Washington Post

"Wuthnow is one of the best and most prolific sociologists of religion on the contemporary scene. His work often sets the agenda not only for other scholars, but also for religious leaders and practitioners concerned with making their faith relevant to social issues. . . . In the end [of America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity], Wuthnow calls for a strategy of 'reflective pluralism.' Reflective pluralism will overcome the reluctance to acknowledge significant differences between religions."--Fred Kniss, Christian Century

"Another commendable study from prolific sociologist Robert Wuthnow, this comprehensive assessment of US religious self-understanding demonstrates how religious diversity is challenging the privileged notion of the US as a 'Christian' nation. . . . Since Americans believe in the right of groups to worship freely but are not motivated to learn about or interact with diverse believers, Wuthnow advocates a proactive 'reflective pluralism' for creating a more hospitable national ethos."--Choice

"His book marks a major contribution to the study of American religion, both for its lucid arguments, its broad canvassing of the relevant literature, and its research methodology."--Patrick J. Hayes, Catholic Library World

List of Tables ix
Preface xi
Introduction Confronting Diversity 1
Chapter 1: A Special People in a Diverse World 8
First Encounters 10
Toward a New Nation 14
From Missions to Comparative Religion 19
The Tripartite Settlement 30
Beyond Christian America? 34
Chapter 2: The New Diversity 37
American Hindus 38
American Buddhists 47
American Muslims 56
Living among Christians 63
Pluralism or Coexistence? 73
Chapter 3: The Signi .cance of Religious Diversity 75
A Threat to Democracy? 78
Fairness and Decency 84
Challenges to American Values 88
Religion as Moral Order 95
Chapter 4: Embracing Diversity: Shopping in the Spiritual Marketplace 106
Trev Granger's Story 108
Becoming a Spiritual Shopper 110
The Shopping Mentality 119
Toward a New Consciousness? 126
Chapter 5: "Many Mansions": Accepting Diversity 130
Sandra Michaelson: Beauty in Every Religion 133
Coming to Terms with Diversity 135
How to Be an Inclusive Christian 143
Envisioning an Inclusive Society 153
Chapter 6: "One Way" : Resisting Diversity 159
Trisha Mobley: "It Is Written" 160
The Road to Resistance 163
Maintaining an Exclusivist Worldview 173
The Social Implications of Christian Exclusivism 183
Chapter 7: The Public's Beliefs and Practices 188
Beliefs about Religious Truth 190
Views of America 198
The Impact of Non-Western Religions 201
Social and Cultural Factors 208
Interreligious Contact and Attitudes 212
Interreligious Programs 220
Conclusions 228
Chapter 8: How Congregations Manage Diversity 230
What Churches Are Doing 233
The Role of Theology 237
Strategies of Avoidance 244
Strategies of Engagement 247
The Imprint of Pluralism 253
Beyond Insularity? 255
Chapter 9: Negotiating Religiously Mixed Marriages 259
Falling in Love 260
Negotiating with Religious Authorities 264
The Parsing of Practices 270
Disaggregating Religious Identities 276
The Normalization of Diversity 278
From Religion to Culture 281
Chapter 10: How Pluralistic Should We Be? 286
Reflective Pluralism 287
The Case for Cooperation 292
An Effort to Promote Understanding 295
Multiple Models 299
Why Interreligious Efforts Fail 301
How Interreligious Efforts Succeed 303
What Else Needs to Be Done 305
Extrapolating to Other Kinds of Diversity 306
The Challenges Ahead 308
Notes 315
Selected Bibliography 351
Index 371