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22 reviews for:
American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us
Robert D. Putnam, David E. Campbell
3.93 AVERAGE
22 reviews for:
American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us
Robert D. Putnam, David E. Campbell
3.93 AVERAGE
Here is a comprehensive look at American Religion and what people think about various faiths, practices and about God. Authors Robert Putnam and David E Campbell are incredibly thorough in their research and presentation of the results of their far reaching surveys. They also seem very even handed and fair in their work to faith perspectives.
The book is loaded with statistics that were gathered from the aforementioned wide reaching surveys. The most fascinating part of this book is finding out what Americans believe about God, different denominations and religions different from their own. Of other intrigue is how religion helps shape political views, how women have contributed to religious faith and lifestyles, and (with a very complicated survey and logical analysis) why religious people make better neighbors (in the author's opinion based on their research.
The major strength of the book is that the authors don't just blast the readers with a bunch of charts and graphs, they also have more personal vignettes where they visited congregations from around the country and simply observed a typical worship service. Included in these vignettes is a visit to Saddleback Church (Pastor Rick Warren's church), a Jewish congregation, a Catholic church, etc
The main point is that American is not growing less religious, in spite of the sexual revolution and a perceived increasing secularism. Americans are actually as religious as they have ever been with high numbers of people reporting that their religion affects their daily lives in drastic ways.
This book is a chore to get through at 569 pages (hardback). But for anyone interested in this topic, this book is indispensable. The research must have been painstaking and exhausting. The result is a historical account of where religious life in American stands at the beginning of the 21st century.
The book is loaded with statistics that were gathered from the aforementioned wide reaching surveys. The most fascinating part of this book is finding out what Americans believe about God, different denominations and religions different from their own. Of other intrigue is how religion helps shape political views, how women have contributed to religious faith and lifestyles, and (with a very complicated survey and logical analysis) why religious people make better neighbors (in the author's opinion based on their research.
The major strength of the book is that the authors don't just blast the readers with a bunch of charts and graphs, they also have more personal vignettes where they visited congregations from around the country and simply observed a typical worship service. Included in these vignettes is a visit to Saddleback Church (Pastor Rick Warren's church), a Jewish congregation, a Catholic church, etc
The main point is that American is not growing less religious, in spite of the sexual revolution and a perceived increasing secularism. Americans are actually as religious as they have ever been with high numbers of people reporting that their religion affects their daily lives in drastic ways.
This book is a chore to get through at 569 pages (hardback). But for anyone interested in this topic, this book is indispensable. The research must have been painstaking and exhausting. The result is a historical account of where religious life in American stands at the beginning of the 21st century.
informative
medium-paced
I’d be curious how thingsare going, since the publication of this book. On one hand, the trend towards secularism might be increasing, just as it has been. Not in the other hand, since 2016, I feel like there’s a lot of backlash and a retrenchment/circling the wagons around more religious and conservative ideas.
Lots of charts and data. As one raised in an evangelical environment, it's interesting to see which of my assumptions are proven in this book and which are turned upside down.
After listening to Robert Putnam lecture on his 2000 book Bowling Alone , I was excited to see what Putnam had learned about Religion in America. At 500+ pages, let's just say he's learned a whole lot, and he shares what he's learned in graphs, statistics, and short vignettes to personalize the message. Putnam's summary is that Americans are deeply religious, religiously diverse, and extremely tolerant. This may seem inaccurate to those who get their news from the media, but Putnam has done a solid job of documenting his research. It's a significant piece of work which I'm sure will stick with me for years.
This was a fascinating book, particularly apt given the Republican field in the presidential election. Here you can find out all about what motivates all those "evangelicals" that Ted Cruz is enticing. What percentage of the American population believes the world is coming to an end soon? How many believe that only people of their own faith can get into heaven? What percentage of the clergy feel the same way? (Hint: more than the flock, by a lot).
The authors describe religion sort of as a entrepreneurial business. That struck me as strange at first, since you wouldn't think the word of God would change to meet societal movements. But then I realized, of course, if a church is losing members, or not attracting enough, of course the church officials are going to try to change things to attract more "customers." Even the Mormons have reversed themselves on God's word when society attitudes reversed.
If you read (and enjoyed as I did) Putnam's previous book, "Bowling Alone", you'll be at home with this one. It's difficult to read, with all the charts and the long explanations of how they were derived. But there are three chapters called "Vignettes" that are very readable fascinating observations of 10 or so churches the authors visited. I loved one fellowship meeting they attended where the host reminded the participants that "what's said in this room stays in this room," despite the authors' presence and previously obtained permission to write about what they saw.
My only reservation is I'm not sure the book had to be so difficult. I was reading mostly for the author's conclusions, not a textbook in statistics and survey sampling. I did get an appreciation for how difficult it is to draw conclusions from survey data, and tease out meaning, so maybe it was best to do all that work to read the book. It was definitely worth it to deeply understand American culture, one of the most religious in the world (Figure 1.1). I guarantee some of the facts presented in this book will surprise and enlighten you, regardless of your religious leaning.
The authors describe religion sort of as a entrepreneurial business. That struck me as strange at first, since you wouldn't think the word of God would change to meet societal movements. But then I realized, of course, if a church is losing members, or not attracting enough, of course the church officials are going to try to change things to attract more "customers." Even the Mormons have reversed themselves on God's word when society attitudes reversed.
If you read (and enjoyed as I did) Putnam's previous book, "Bowling Alone", you'll be at home with this one. It's difficult to read, with all the charts and the long explanations of how they were derived. But there are three chapters called "Vignettes" that are very readable fascinating observations of 10 or so churches the authors visited. I loved one fellowship meeting they attended where the host reminded the participants that "what's said in this room stays in this room," despite the authors' presence and previously obtained permission to write about what they saw.
My only reservation is I'm not sure the book had to be so difficult. I was reading mostly for the author's conclusions, not a textbook in statistics and survey sampling. I did get an appreciation for how difficult it is to draw conclusions from survey data, and tease out meaning, so maybe it was best to do all that work to read the book. It was definitely worth it to deeply understand American culture, one of the most religious in the world (Figure 1.1). I guarantee some of the facts presented in this book will surprise and enlighten you, regardless of your religious leaning.
Having been a big fan of Putnam's "Bowling Alone", I have to say that I was not that impressed with "American Grace". For one thing, it is incredibly long (550 pages), and its conclusions are mildly interesting at best (to me). BA addressed issues that I hadn't thought about too much, whereas AG addresses things that are all over the media all the time. It's true that the authors turn up some findings that contradict the conventional wisdom, but they don't make for the incredibly forceful type of argument marshalled in BA.
I actually would have given this book two stars but for two sections. First, all of the "vignettes" where they leave the statistics and profile a few congregations are pretty interesting. Second, I was very interested by the findings in Chapter 13, "Religion and Good Neighborliness". (I would have appreciated reading it as a scholarly article rather than one chapter in a 550-page book, though.) Unsurprisingly it is the chapter most closely related to the subject matter of BA. The authors first find a high correlation between religiosity and various measures of community involvement, giving, and general niceness. I think that result in itself was reasonably well established before this book. What I found particularly interesting, though, is that the authors dove into the statistics to tease out what specific aspects of religiosity drive these things. And their finding, which they present fairly unambiguously, is that statistically speaking, the driver of all those nice things is specifically social connections with people in your religious congregation. This is in contrast to either social ties with "just anyone" (which make a difference, but not nearly as much), as well as strength of religious convictions (for example, that you should follow the Ten Commandments) and frequency of individual religious practice (such as reading the Bible or praying). Interestingly, religious convictions and individual practice have no effect on civic engagement once you control for congregation-based social ties.
I think this is a fascinating result, and one that resonates with positions of Stanley Hauerwas that I have come to identify with. Specifically, Hauerwas contends that the only legitimate way of practicing Christianity is by practicing and living it out in a community informed by the story of Israel and Jesus (and I don't think it's too great a leap to extend this general principle to other religions). It is important that the Kingdom of God is a community and you can't really live it out on your own.
The authors note that it's possible that this finding doesn't necessarily only apply to religion per se, and that it is possible that a similar effect could obtain from other communities where social bonds have a serious moral foundation; but they also note that there are few if any good examples of such other communities in practice.
Both of the above observations are reasons why I recently have started going to church again, so it did make me happy to read that the data are on my side!
I actually would have given this book two stars but for two sections. First, all of the "vignettes" where they leave the statistics and profile a few congregations are pretty interesting. Second, I was very interested by the findings in Chapter 13, "Religion and Good Neighborliness". (I would have appreciated reading it as a scholarly article rather than one chapter in a 550-page book, though.) Unsurprisingly it is the chapter most closely related to the subject matter of BA. The authors first find a high correlation between religiosity and various measures of community involvement, giving, and general niceness. I think that result in itself was reasonably well established before this book. What I found particularly interesting, though, is that the authors dove into the statistics to tease out what specific aspects of religiosity drive these things. And their finding, which they present fairly unambiguously, is that statistically speaking, the driver of all those nice things is specifically social connections with people in your religious congregation. This is in contrast to either social ties with "just anyone" (which make a difference, but not nearly as much), as well as strength of religious convictions (for example, that you should follow the Ten Commandments) and frequency of individual religious practice (such as reading the Bible or praying). Interestingly, religious convictions and individual practice have no effect on civic engagement once you control for congregation-based social ties.
I think this is a fascinating result, and one that resonates with positions of Stanley Hauerwas that I have come to identify with. Specifically, Hauerwas contends that the only legitimate way of practicing Christianity is by practicing and living it out in a community informed by the story of Israel and Jesus (and I don't think it's too great a leap to extend this general principle to other religions). It is important that the Kingdom of God is a community and you can't really live it out on your own.
The authors note that it's possible that this finding doesn't necessarily only apply to religion per se, and that it is possible that a similar effect could obtain from other communities where social bonds have a serious moral foundation; but they also note that there are few if any good examples of such other communities in practice.
Both of the above observations are reasons why I recently have started going to church again, so it did make me happy to read that the data are on my side!
This is a dense book, but just full of insightful research into the spiritual forces shaping our culture. In all honesty, I haven't finished it, but I pick up a chapter every once in a while. It's a lot of info to take in.
Although it is a few years old, I became aware of "American Grace" at a presentation on the increase in religiously unaffiliated individuals. I checked the hefty hardcover out of the local library, but also e-borrowed the unabridged audio book (19 hours!) to coincide with my daily commute. Make no mistake: this is A LOT of information to get through.
The information is absolutely fascinating! At times, during the drive, I have no doubt I missed some data, but the overall sense of the information flowed. There were many different angles presented with which to view and try and understand the vast array of statistics. The audio book clearly cannot adequately present the charts and graphs contained in print, but the narration still provided a good explanation.
The authors' framework of offering vignettes, then supportive data, helped quite a bit to comprehension, although for me, several of the vignettes were heartbreakingly sad, but so typical of my narrow set of experiences.
Chapter 15, the final wrap up, was worth slogging through some of the other material. I realize it is statistical data and therefore is not a universal or absolute truth, but I found my first-hand experiences of how American Christians feel toward other religious group at odds with the data. I can appreciate the idea of "bridging" having a positive impact, but I believe there is just as much, if not more negative effect with bridging between groups.
The audiobook narration was up to the task, and kept the material from being too flat and dry. Not overemphasized or melodramatic, but clear, practical and helpful. The oddest parts of the narration revolve around a male narrator trying to adopt the vocal characteristics of different ages, different genders and different regional dialects and accents. Amusing for some, a little weird for others.
This whole packet though, is merely data presented without recommendations on what to do or how to change the trends, if desired. As was oft-repeated, "correlation is not causation," so what you or I or the churches or anyone do with the data is up to us. While difficult and distracting at times, I'm very glad that I spent the time and effort to get through this.
The information is absolutely fascinating! At times, during the drive, I have no doubt I missed some data, but the overall sense of the information flowed. There were many different angles presented with which to view and try and understand the vast array of statistics. The audio book clearly cannot adequately present the charts and graphs contained in print, but the narration still provided a good explanation.
The authors' framework of offering vignettes, then supportive data, helped quite a bit to comprehension, although for me, several of the vignettes were heartbreakingly sad, but so typical of my narrow set of experiences.
Chapter 15, the final wrap up, was worth slogging through some of the other material. I realize it is statistical data and therefore is not a universal or absolute truth, but I found my first-hand experiences of how American Christians feel toward other religious group at odds with the data. I can appreciate the idea of "bridging" having a positive impact, but I believe there is just as much, if not more negative effect with bridging between groups.
The audiobook narration was up to the task, and kept the material from being too flat and dry. Not overemphasized or melodramatic, but clear, practical and helpful. The oddest parts of the narration revolve around a male narrator trying to adopt the vocal characteristics of different ages, different genders and different regional dialects and accents. Amusing for some, a little weird for others.
This whole packet though, is merely data presented without recommendations on what to do or how to change the trends, if desired. As was oft-repeated, "correlation is not causation," so what you or I or the churches or anyone do with the data is up to us. While difficult and distracting at times, I'm very glad that I spent the time and effort to get through this.
Lots of i formation to digest - some expected themes and a few surprises for sure.
Religiosity and partisanship provide some interesting parallels.
Religiosity and partisanship provide some interesting parallels.
Probably best as a reference tool. I was overwhelmed, so I started at the top of the index and worked my way through, stopping to read topics that interested me. These two men were meticulous, meticulous, meticulous!