The Bible in American Life

by Philip Goff (Editor), Arthur Emery Farnsley II (Editor), Peter Thuesen (Editor)

There is a paradox in American Christianity. According to Gallup, nearly eight in ten Americans regard the Bible as either the literal word of God or inspired by God. At the same time, surveys have revealed gaps in these same Americans' biblical literacy. These discrepancies reveal the complex relationship between American Christians and Holy Writ, a subject that is widely acknowledged but rarely investigated.The Bible in American Life is a sustained, collaborative reflection on the ways Americans use the Bible in their personal lives. It also considers how other influences, including religious communities and the Internet, shape individuals' comprehension of scripture. Employing both quantitative methods (the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study) and qualitative research (historical studies for context), The Bible in American Life provides an unprecedented perspective on the Bible's role outside of worship, in the lived religion of a broad cross-section of Americans both now and in the past.The Bible has been central to Christian practice, and has functioned as a cultural touchstoneFrom the broadest scale imaginable, national survey data about all Americans, down to the smallest details, such as the portrayal of Noah and his ark in children's Bibles, this book offers insight and illumination from scholars across the intellectual spectrum. It will be useful and informative for scholars seeking to understand changes in American Christianity as well as clergy seeking more effective ways to preach and teach about scripture in a changing environment.

454 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2017

About the author

University of Liverpool, UK

Reviews

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though not entirely up to date, even in just the few years since its publication, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding the varied role that the physical artifact of the Bible and its words have had on American life and culture. The survey data that opens the book is fascinating, as are the various chapters that specifically try to reckon with it by contextualizing its importance in contrast to the past, and in teasing out its implications for the future of the Bible in American culture. I found chapters on the evolution of children's bibles, on the consonance between how the Bible and the Constitution are treated, and on the marketing practices of Bible publishers to be especially engaging and useful for thinking about specific factors that impact the Bible's popularity and reception in contemporary society. There were definitely a few chapters in this collection that I skimmed through, especially those with extra and heavy survey data, complete with charts, but it's undeniable that the stories told in these pages are interesting, especially given the collection's proximity to modern events that throw into doubt even some of these prescient-seeming conclusions about the status and uses of the Bible in American culture.