Moral Ambition: Mobilization and Social Outreach in Evangelical MegachurchesIn this evocative ethnography, Omri Elisha examines the hopes, frustrations, and activist strategies of American evangelical Christians as they engage socially with local communities. Focusing on two Tennessee megachurches, Moral Ambition reaches beyond political controversies over issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and public prayer to highlight the ways that evangelicals at the grassroots of the Christian Right promote faith-based causes intended to improve the state of social welfare. The book shows how these ministries both help churchgoers embody religious virtues and create provocative new opportunities for evangelism on a public scale. Elisha challenges conventional views of U.S. evangelicalism as narrowly individualistic, elucidating instead the inherent contradictions that activists face in their efforts to reconcile religious conservatism with a renewed interest in compassion, poverty, racial justice, and urban revivalism. |
Contents
| 1 | |
Awaking Sleeping Giants | 36 |
A Region in Spite of Itself | 61 |
The Names of Action | 85 |
The Spiritual Injuries of Class | 121 |
Compassion Accounts | 153 |
Taking the Inner City for God | 183 |
Epilogue | 214 |
Notes | 223 |
| 241 | |
| 253 | |
Other editions - View all
Moral Ambition: Mobilization and Social Outreach in Evangelical Megachurches Omri Elisha Limited preview - 2011 |
Moral Ambition: Mobilization and Social Outreach in Evangelical Megachurches Omri Elisha No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
active activists African Americans agencies Appalachia Bible Bible Belt biblical charity Christ Christian Christian Right civic commitment compassion and accountability compassionate conservatism congregations conservative evangelicals critique cultural discourse efforts Eternal Vine Eternal Vine Church ethnography evangeli evangelical churches evangelical megachurches evangelical social engagement evangelicals in Knoxville faith families gelical God’s Harold Ockenga homeschool ideals ideological individuals initiatives inner city inner-city institutions involved issues Jesus kingdom Knoxville’s lives Marble Valley Presbyterian Margie megachurches middle-class mission missionary moral ambitions neo-evangelical neoliberal one’s outreach mobilization pastors and churchgoers Paul Genero political poor poverty prayer programs prosperity theology racial refugee region reinforced relationships religion religious responsibility role Samaritans of Knoxville secular sense soccer mom social outreach ministries socially engaged evangelicals spiritual Stacy suburban evangelicals Tennessee theological Tina Wesson tion Urapmin urban Vine and Marble volunteers welfare white evangelicals