Divided by faith : evangelical religion and the problem of race in America / Michael O. Emerson, Christian Smith.

By:

Emerson, Michael O, 1965-

Contributor(s):

Smith, Christian, 1960-

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: New York : Oxford University Press, 2000.Description: x, 212 p. ; 25 cmISBN:

0195131401 (alk. paper)
9780195131406 (alk. paper)

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

261.8/348/00973 21

LOC classification:

BT 734.2 E53d 2000

Contents:

Introduction: religion and the racialized society -- Confronting the Black-White racial divide -- From separate pews to separate churches: evangelical racial thought and practice, 1700-1964 -- Becoming active: contemporary involvement in the American dilemma -- Color blind: evangelicals speak on the "race problem" -- Controlling one's own destiny: explaining economic inequality between Blacks and Whites -- Let's be friends: exploring solutions to the race problems -- The organization of religion and internally similar congregations -- Structurally speaking: religion and racialization -- Conclusion.

Summary: "In Divided by Faith, Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith probe the grassroots of white evangelical America, through a nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 people, along with 200 face-to-face interviews. The results of their research are surprising. They learned that most white evangelicals see no systematic discrimination against blacks; indeed, they deny the existence of any ongoing racial problem in the United States. Many of their subjects blamed the continuing talk of racial conflict on the media, unscrupulous black leaders, and the inability of African Americans to forget the past. What lies behind this perception? Evangelicals, Emerson and Smith write, are not so much actively racist as committed to a theological view of the world. Therefore, it is difficult for them to see systematic injustice. The evangelical emphasis on individualism, free will, and personal relationships makes invisible the pervasive injustice that perpetuates inequality between the races. Most racial problems, they told the authors, can be solved by the repentance and conversion of the sinful individuals at fault." "Combining a substantial body of evidence with sophisticated analysis and interpretation, Emerson and Smith throw sharp light on the oldest American dilemma. Despite the best intentions of evangelical leaders and some positive trends, the authors conclude that real racial reconciliation remains far over the horizon."--Jacket.

Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Home library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Libro	Biblioteca Juan Bosch	Biblioteca Juan Bosch	Humanidades	Humanidades (4to. Piso)	BT 734.2 E53d 2000 (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		00000068820

Includes bibliographical references (p. [197]-207) and index.

Introduction: religion and the racialized society --
Confronting the Black-White racial divide --
From separate pews to separate churches: evangelical racial thought and practice, 1700-1964 --
Becoming active: contemporary involvement in the American dilemma --
Color blind: evangelicals speak on the "race problem" --
Controlling one's own destiny: explaining economic inequality between Blacks and Whites --
Let's be friends: exploring solutions to the race problems --
The organization of religion and internally similar congregations --
Structurally speaking: religion and racialization --
Conclusion.

"In Divided by Faith, Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith probe the grassroots of white evangelical America, through a nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 people, along with 200 face-to-face interviews. The results of their research are surprising. They learned that most white evangelicals see no systematic discrimination against blacks; indeed, they deny the existence of any ongoing racial problem in the United States. Many of their subjects blamed the continuing talk of racial conflict on the media, unscrupulous black leaders, and the inability of African Americans to forget the past. What lies behind this perception? Evangelicals, Emerson and Smith write, are not so much actively racist as committed to a theological view of the world. Therefore, it is difficult for them to see systematic injustice. The evangelical emphasis on individualism, free will, and personal relationships makes invisible the pervasive injustice that perpetuates inequality between the races. Most racial problems, they told the authors, can be solved by the repentance and conversion of the sinful individuals at fault." "Combining a substantial body of evidence with sophisticated analysis and interpretation, Emerson and Smith throw sharp light on the oldest American dilemma. Despite the best intentions of evangelical leaders and some positive trends, the authors conclude that real racial reconciliation remains far over the horizon."--Jacket.

There are no comments on this title.

to post a comment.