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Believers: A Journey into Evangelical America
A groundbreaking insider’s look at the lives and culture of American evangelicals
In Believers, award-winning religion journalist Jeffery L. Sheler offers a unique and intimate look at the evangelical Christian subculture—a faith tradition that some sixty million Americans call their own. With panoramic sweep and compelling narrative detail, Sheler, who grew up as an evangelical, breaks through the stereotypes to examine not just the big-time ministers but also the ordinary people who make up this dynamic movement. Traveling across the nation, Sheler visits today’s evangelicals at work, at home, and at worship to discover how their faith shapes their lives and how they are influencing the public debate in this country. Stops along the way include:
• the trend-setting Saddleback Church, a fifteen-thousand-member congregation in Lake Forest, California, that is a template for the evangelical megachurch movement
• the picturesque campus of Wheaton College in Illinois, the flagship of a burgeoning network of evangelical colleges
• Washington, D.C., where some of evangelicalism’s chief political operatives roam the corridors of power
Throughout, Sheler reports that the evangelical movement is much more diverse and complex than often portrayed. At a time when the religious right is more influential than ever, Believers is a timely and eye-opening exploration of the motives, aspirations, and agendas of American evangelicals.
In Believers, award-winning religion journalist Jeffery L. Sheler offers a unique and intimate look at the evangelical Christian subculture—a faith tradition that some sixty million Americans call their own. With panoramic sweep and compelling narrative detail, Sheler, who grew up as an evangelical, breaks through the stereotypes to examine not just the big-time ministers but also the ordinary people who make up this dynamic movement. Traveling across the nation, Sheler visits today’s evangelicals at work, at home, and at worship to discover how their faith shapes their lives and how they are influencing the public debate in this country. Stops along the way include:
• the trend-setting Saddleback Church, a fifteen-thousand-member congregation in Lake Forest, California, that is a template for the evangelical megachurch movement
• the picturesque campus of Wheaton College in Illinois, the flagship of a burgeoning network of evangelical colleges
• Washington, D.C., where some of evangelicalism’s chief political operatives roam the corridors of power
Throughout, Sheler reports that the evangelical movement is much more diverse and complex than often portrayed. At a time when the religious right is more influential than ever, Believers is a timely and eye-opening exploration of the motives, aspirations, and agendas of American evangelicals.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2006
38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 8, 2020
Evangelical Stereotypes and Sensitivities
This review is from: Believers: A Journey into Evangelical America (Hardcover)
Sheler presents a good sociological analysis of the "Evangelical" movement in the US, outlining its history and characteristics. Written in a popular but reflective and analytical style, this is a cultural perspective on an important though diverse segment of the American populaiton.
The insights and social portrait that arise from Sheler's investigations shed light on some recent trends in American politics and culture that often puzzle European observers and Americans themselves. The author starts with his personal experience and moves into a journalistic engagement, reporting on field interviews and personal observations over a period of years.
Sheler narrates, for instance, his experience of accompanying a volunteer mission group to Guatemala, and reports on his experiences, insights and conversations with visiting and local leaders and the Mayan people they built homes for. He tells of attending a Christian "Woodstock" event, held annually since 1979, and details conversations and encounters with various participants.
This is a sophisticated and yet personal presentation presenting a credible picture that attempts to overcome the common stereotypes. The author's analysis enables the reader to see "evangelicals" from the inside. He also is clear and coherent about the unique characteristics and the diversity within the movement and shows us why some notable irritating examples of the "evangelicals" have led to the popular stereotypes.
He enables us to see deeper into the diverse movement to find caring, sensitive and cooperative human beings concerned about the environment, their neighbours and the hurting poor and social injustice around the world.
Besides just being an interesting and readable story, entertaining and engaging, this book will enable the reader to better understand to 40-60 million Americans who claim to be "evangelical" Christians.
This review is from: Believers: A Journey into Evangelical America (Hardcover)
Sheler presents a good sociological analysis of the "Evangelical" movement in the US, outlining its history and characteristics. Written in a popular but reflective and analytical style, this is a cultural perspective on an important though diverse segment of the American populaiton.
The insights and social portrait that arise from Sheler's investigations shed light on some recent trends in American politics and culture that often puzzle European observers and Americans themselves. The author starts with his personal experience and moves into a journalistic engagement, reporting on field interviews and personal observations over a period of years.
Sheler narrates, for instance, his experience of accompanying a volunteer mission group to Guatemala, and reports on his experiences, insights and conversations with visiting and local leaders and the Mayan people they built homes for. He tells of attending a Christian "Woodstock" event, held annually since 1979, and details conversations and encounters with various participants.
This is a sophisticated and yet personal presentation presenting a credible picture that attempts to overcome the common stereotypes. The author's analysis enables the reader to see "evangelicals" from the inside. He also is clear and coherent about the unique characteristics and the diversity within the movement and shows us why some notable irritating examples of the "evangelicals" have led to the popular stereotypes.
He enables us to see deeper into the diverse movement to find caring, sensitive and cooperative human beings concerned about the environment, their neighbours and the hurting poor and social injustice around the world.
Besides just being an interesting and readable story, entertaining and engaging, this book will enable the reader to better understand to 40-60 million Americans who claim to be "evangelical" Christians.
December 31, 2008
Sheler gives an interesting and even-handed account of interviews with various players in American evangelicalism. Anyone with an evangelical background would find much in this book that is familiar and some things that are painfully embarrassing. Sheler handles all of it with journalistic integrity and a gracious spirit.
March 20, 2023
Interesting book written at an interesting time. Bush-era politics, the psychosocial and sociopolitical fallout from the ongoing invasion of the Middle East, and the blurring of the lines between “fundamentalism” and “far-rightism.” You can plant parallels all over the place thinking about Trumpism and Evangelicalism in America now, but this is a much subtler book than I think anything written by a mainstream journalist covering contemporary figures in the church would be like today. That may owe some to that fact that Sherer grew up Baptist, then attended Nazarene churches for many years, then landed in mainline Presbyterianism. Which is like gradually backing out of the repentant prom, to be crude. Though, you could go to many a straightjacketed conservative Presbyterian ball, I’m sure. Sherer is a sensitive and smart writer, but also not shy about his shock at certain kinds of preacherly sensibilities. I was particularly interested in the chapter about Wheaton College and the conversation around the stereotype about a lack of “intellectual tradition” in the American Evangelical churches. It’s definitely true in my memories of how non-Christian people perceived Christians in general at this time (2006), that scriptural “inerrancy” and charismatic Bible thumping were the calling cards of all of mainstream Protestantism instead of, well, anything else. Wheaton’s first president wrote: “An enlightened intellect with a corrupt heart is but a cold gas-light over a sepulcher—revealing, but not warming, the dead.” We don’t have to be hanging out around sepulchers to enjoy this book, I think.
April 10, 2012
The author, contributing editor for religion at U.S. News & World Report, reviews various evangelical leaders, missionaries, and beliefs. He covers a broad ground, from John Giminez and James Dobsen, preachers who equate godliness with Republicanism, to a rather humble group building houses in Guatemala; from the rather narrow-focused Cowboys for Christ, to megachurch pastor Rick Warren, whose message is to welcome everyone. He investigates Wheaton College, a school that’s dedicated to putting believers into positions of power, and visits Creation 2005, a Christian-rock rally for the young.
It’s an informative and respectful book, with good information on the history of the movement and how it evolved into a more political one. Because Sheler was brought up (but repudiated) the tradition, and he serves as religion editor, it may indeed be too respectful --- he assumes good faith in everyone he profiles, only very briefly hinting at the hypocrisy in embracing both Christ and the politics of the wealthy and warmongering. But Sheler does convince that many evangelicals are ecumenical, good-intentioned, caring, inclusive, or apolitical. Too bad that the other kind have the loudest voices and the most listeners.
It’s an informative and respectful book, with good information on the history of the movement and how it evolved into a more political one. Because Sheler was brought up (but repudiated) the tradition, and he serves as religion editor, it may indeed be too respectful --- he assumes good faith in everyone he profiles, only very briefly hinting at the hypocrisy in embracing both Christ and the politics of the wealthy and warmongering. But Sheler does convince that many evangelicals are ecumenical, good-intentioned, caring, inclusive, or apolitical. Too bad that the other kind have the loudest voices and the most listeners.
August 11, 2012
A very revealing look at Evangelicals in America and I could certainly relate to his descriptions.
Sheler was not negative but quite realistic. Made me ponder how folks outside the evangelical sphere see us.
Also, I believe he's right that Evangelicals cannot be lumped together into one "camp" so to speak.
There are Evangelicals on "both sides of the aisle" politically speaking; Believers in Jesus Christ as the way the truth and the life in every Protestant and Catholic church (Going to church,by the way, does not make one a Christian). Evangelicals are individuals who happen to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
I highly recommend this book.
Sheler was not negative but quite realistic. Made me ponder how folks outside the evangelical sphere see us.
Also, I believe he's right that Evangelicals cannot be lumped together into one "camp" so to speak.
There are Evangelicals on "both sides of the aisle" politically speaking; Believers in Jesus Christ as the way the truth and the life in every Protestant and Catholic church (Going to church,by the way, does not make one a Christian). Evangelicals are individuals who happen to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
I highly recommend this book.
September 5, 2008
Articulate and well-written, but this guy is definitely pitching softballs - he omits a lot of the worst things about fundamentalist churches and organizations in America. He should have covered the mind-boggling frequency of scandals related to swindling and sexually exploiting vulnerable followers; the anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry that are so prevalent; the anti-intellectualism and anti-science attitudes; and the Machiavellian political agendas and practices, to start with.
Overall an informative read, but grossly partial and incomplete, as noted above.
Overall an informative read, but grossly partial and incomplete, as noted above.
October 15, 2009
An interesting book, Jeffrey Sheler deserves credit for being so fair.
It is a little frustrating that Sheler did in this book so much of what I want to do on our trip around the country. Even our original subtitle for the blog - "a pilgrimage through evangelical America" - is weirdly similar to Sheler's.
Still, Sheler spends most of the book talking to evangelical leaders. I want to focus my own attention on the rank and file, and that seems like it could be a significant difference when I write my own book.
It is a little frustrating that Sheler did in this book so much of what I want to do on our trip around the country. Even our original subtitle for the blog - "a pilgrimage through evangelical America" - is weirdly similar to Sheler's.
Still, Sheler spends most of the book talking to evangelical leaders. I want to focus my own attention on the rank and file, and that seems like it could be a significant difference when I write my own book.
April 27, 2010
I didn't find this all that enlightening. I was hoping for a look into the lives of regular evangelicals. I already know enough about their politics, what I don't know is how it's like to go to your job and raise your family if you follow that faith (or those faiths). He also makes a point of saying that some of us believe that "those people" are stupid and they're NOT, but he never makes a convincing case for that (not that they come across as stupid, it's just never addressed either way, why DO they believe things that seem so absurd to many of us? I still don't know)
January 20, 2012
This book, written by a journalist, provides a short history of evangelicalism in America, as well as a number of contemporary vignettes about the movement. Most of it is available elsewhere, but he presents a good introduction. In addition, the history provides some insight into how evangelicalism's relationship with American culture has changed over time.
February 16, 2015
A book about American christians. Somewhat interesting...if you're an American Christian - or if you really hate American christians. But for the rest of us non-American Christians: not so much.
to sum it up: Christians are people too.
to sum it up: Christians are people too.
September 24, 2008
couldn't get into the book at all, i tried a few times and just couldn't do it...
December 13, 2008
A fair-minded survey of evangelical leaders, mostly by means of journalistic interviews.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews