Sanctifying Suburbia: How the Suburbs Became the Promised Land for American Evangelicals

by Brian J. Miller

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2025

Reviews

[David Swartz]

Just finished Brian Miller's *Sanctifying Suburbia: How the Suburbs Became the Promised Land for American Evangelicals*. Why did evangelicals leave cities at midcentury to relocate to suburban havens in Wheaton, Grand Rapids, and Colorado Springs? How were evangelicals spiritually formed as they commute from their parachurch ministry jobs to their suburban-tract homes in between stops at Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A?

Money quote: “When evangelicals use the theological term sanctification, they refer to being set apart for religious uses or the process of becoming more holy. I argue that a similar process occurred with the American suburb: evangelicals saw it as a place set apart, a place where they could best pursue their religious goals. In a suburban setting marked by racial homogeneity, pursuing a middle-class lifestyle, and the ideal of a nuclear family living in single-family homes, the cultural toolkits of evangelicalism emphasizing individualism and anti-structuralism found a home.”

[Justin Lonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my forthcoming review: "Miller’s book raises and attempts to answer some vital questions of who is shaping whom. Did evangelicals create the suburban American dream, or has suburbia twisted the gospel into its image with grave consequences for the church and the country as a whole? Maybe it is both. Miller offers a powerful examination of the intersection between beliefs and places, reminding us that social location matters more to our biblical interpretation than most evangelicals are comfortable with examining, and that we leave these stones unturned at our peril."

[Paul]

I have to write a review of this book for a journal, so I’m not going to say too much here. I think the general argument is important and interesting, but it’s definitely written for an academic rather than general audience.