faithasawayoflife: alan wolfe

our reflection group, who are the core of the faith as a way of life project, read alan wolfe's new book, the transformation of american religion: how we actually live our faith (free press, 2003).

on the whole, people found its premise one-sided ("in every aspect of the religious life, american faith has met american culture--and american culture has triumphed" and its tone condescending, likely because of his personal experience ("i am not, and never have been, a person of faith") and the underlying assumption of his book which comes to the forefront in the conclusion ("is democracy safe from religion").

well, i just saw in today's mail that books and culture march/april 2004 features an interview with wolfe and a review of the book. very interesting!

the interview with michael cromartie is too kind in my opinion, but gets wolfe to speak about what he cares about, meaning why he wrote the book, and what he thinks about the transformation he documents (or purports to, at least). For instance, cromartie simply raises wolfe's assertion that "conflict over doctrine is fast becoming a phenomenon of church history" without pressing hard at all. while wolfe means that people care less about the differences between, say, catholics and baptists, than they used to, he ought to attend more carefully to the ways that theological claims matter across denominations according to more traditionalist or more progressive leanings, a trend pointed to by robert wuthnow in his 1988 masterpiece the restructuring of american religion (i can't help but see the homage wolfe pays to wuthnow in his choice of title). the recent explosion of the gay marriage debate offers a case in point. here at least in part doctrine is central, and the issue is that doctrine matters differently that it did in wolfe's imaginary control group he names "old-time religion."

the review is more interesting. written by a prominent sociologist of religion, r. stephen warner, the review suggests that while wolfe's book is a helpful primer in the last couple decades of qualitative sociology of religion (wolfe uses many other published studies, always giving proper credit), he offers mainly studies that support his thesis. and, here is the hot sauce in warner's review, does not really give adequate attention to various studies that show counter evidence, e.g. evidence of the faith pressing hard on culture. warner cites the work of christian smith on the sanctuary movement in the 1980s, and andrew billingsley on the role of the black church in civil rights work . one could add the sort of tenacious inner city ministry represented by one of our own, mark gornik, told in his book to live in peace: biblical faith and the changing inner city.

so, to return to wuthnow. transformation? or restructuring? is culture always the winner? or is faith exerting varieties of influence that 'religiously unmusical' scholars have a harder time hearing?

thoughts, anyone?

faithasawayoflife

en:visioning christianity lived // a blog by christian scharen

March 12, 2004

alan wolfe

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