Description: There is a paradox in American Christianity. According to Gallup, nearly eight in ten Americans regard the Bible as either the literal word of God or inspired by God. At the same time, surveys have revealed gaps in these same Americans' biblical literacy. These discrepancies reveal the complex relationship between American Christians and Holy Writ, a subject that is widely acknowledged but rarely investigated.
The Bible in American Life is a sustained, collaborative reflection on the ways Americans use the Bible in their personal lives. It also considers how other influences, including religious communities and the Internet, shape individuals' comprehension of scripture. Employing both quantitative methods (the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study) and qualitative research (historical studies for context), The Bible in American Life provides an unprecedented perspective on the Bible's role outside of worship, in the lived religion of a broad cross-section of Americans both now and in the past. The Bible has been central to Christian practice, and has functioned as a cultural touchstone From the broadest scale imaginable, national survey data about all Americans, down to the smallest details, such as the portrayal of Noah and his ark in children's Bibles, this book offers insight and illumination from scholars across the intellectual spectrum. It will be useful and informative for scholars seeking to understand changes in American Christianity as well as clergy seeking more effective ways to preach and teach about scripture in a changing environment.Review Quotes:
"Goff, Farnsley, and Thuesen have prepared a feast full of fat insights and sweet research. The questions they raise will enable pastors and professors to better prepare sermons and classes with an eye toward ecumenical dialogue."--Christian Century
"[T]his text adds to the growing library of scholarship that seeks to understand how we, as Americans, arrived at our public discourses regarding the bible and Christianity in general, and perhaps, to remind us all that the Bible has been and remains more than a political tool."--Reading Religion
"This collection of essays offers a cornucopia of new data, old data cast in fresh light, clear writing, deep research, and arresting insights about the unparalleled role of the Bible in American culture. The editors' introductory summary of recent quantitative studies of the Bible's presence in contemporary daily life, and Mark Noll's rumination on the meaning of the Bible for understanding the nation's history, form impressive bookends for two-dozen ground-breaking chapters, crafted by experts in American religion. Collections come and go, but this one will stand the test of time."--Grant Wacker, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Christian History, Duke Divinity School