Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in AmericaThrough a nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 people and an additional 200 face-to-face interviews, Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith probed the grassroots of white evangelical America. They found that despite recent efforts by the movement's leaders to address the problem of racial discrimination, evangelicals themselves seem to be preserving America's racial chasm. In fact, most white evangelicals see no systematic discrimination against blacks. But the authors contend that it is not active racism that prevents evangelicals from recognizing ongoing problems in American society. Instead, it is the evangelical movement's emphasis on individualism, free will, and personal relationships that makes invisible the pervasive injustice that perpetuates racial inequality. Most racial problems, the subjects 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, the authors throw sharp light on the oldest American dilemma. In the end, they conclude that despite the best intentions of evangelical leaders and some positive trends, real racial reconciliation remains far over the horizon. |
Contents
Religion and the Racialized Society | 1 |
Confronting the BlackWhite Racial Divide | 5 |
From Separate Pews to Separate Churches Evangelical Racial Thought and Practice 17001964 | 21 |
Becoming Active Contemporary Involvement in the American Dilemma | 51 |
Color Blind Evangelicals Speak on the Race Problem | 69 |
Controlling Ones Own Destiny Explaining Economic Inequality Between Blacks and Whites | 93 |
Lets Be Friends Exploring Solutions to the Race Problem | 115 |
The Organization of Religion and Internally Similar Congregations | 135 |
Other editions - View all
Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America Michael O. Emerson,Christian Smith No preview available - 2000 |
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