Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion.

by Wade Clark Roof

In large chain bookstores the "religion" section is gone and in its place is an expanding number of topics including angels, Sufism, journey, recovery, meditation, magic, inspiration, Judaica, astrology, gurus, Bible, prophesy, evangelicalism, Mary, Buddhism, Catholicism, and esoterica. As Wade Clark Roof notes, such changes over the last two decades reflect a shift away from religion as traditionally understood to more diverse and creative approaches. But what does this splintering of the religious perspective say about Americans? Have we become more interested in spiritual concerns or have we become lost among trends? Do we value personal spirituality over traditional religion and no longer see ourselves united in a larger community of faith? Roof first credited this religious diversity to the baby boomers in his bestselling A Generation of Seekers (1993). He returns to interview many of these people, now in mid-life, to reveal a generation with a unique set of spiritual values--a generation that has altered our historic interpretations of religious beliefs, practices, and symbols, and perhaps even our understanding of the sacred itself.


The quest culture created by the baby boomers has generated a "marketplace" of new spiritual beliefs and practices and of revisited traditions. As Roof shows, some Americans are exploring faiths and spiritual disciplines for the first time; others are rediscovering their lost traditions; others are drawn to small groups and alternative communities; and still others create their own mix of values and metaphysical beliefs. Spiritual Marketplace charts the emergence of five dogmatists, born-again Christians, mainstream believers, metaphysical believers and seekers, and secularists. Drawing on surveys and in-depth interviews for over a decade, Roof reports on the religious and spiritual styles, family patterns, and moral vision and values for each of these subcultures. The result is an innovative, engaging approach to understanding how religious life is being reshaped as we move into the next century.

Genres: Religion, Sociology, Academic, History

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Corbin Routier · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The thesis of the book: the boundaries of popular religious communities are now being redrawn, encouraged by the quests of the large post World War II generations, and facilitated by the rise of an expanded spiritual marketplace."
-Wade Clark Roof

Wade Clark Roof uses the term "Spiritual Marketplace" to describe how the globalization of religion gives people a much larger opportunity to "shop" for what fits them. Communities have access to information in ways currently unavailable. This information can often contradict or compete with religious identities of a person. Having the freedom to choose your faith is more available to people than it ever has been. An example would be mixed faith families. This is a relatively new trend where a century ago it would have been highly taboo. This book sometimes creates causation from correlation where I believe the logic is weak, but I find it overall a stimulating book concerning each person's eventual faith crisis that seems to arise within their early (or late) life.

[Susie Meister]

This book, commonly referenced in many of the other texts, describes the ways in which the new mindset spearheaded by the Baby Boomers contributed to a shift in the way people practice their religions and how churches market them. The elimination of a stigma on non-churchgoers, coupled with their disillusion with and rebellion against authority. He discusses how the influx of Eastern traditions in the U.S. has blurred previously clear religious boundaries.

[Joshua Glucksman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally so fire, so helpful for the thesis. BEST QUOTE: "
To speak of the body is to engage questions about power: who defines
it, who regiments its rhythms? With regard to economically deprived and
oppressed populations, the links between power and bodies are fairly
obvious. Less obvious are the more general cultural constructions that
shape the meanings and uses of the body, or the so-called socially informed
body.45 Behaviors ranging from dieting to working out, gender
and work roles, sex appeal, health, and body appearance all bear the
coercive imprint of existing social arrangements and often the legitimations
of religious symbols and teachings. In an age when these constraints
and legitimations are being challenged, the body becomes a
major symbol both of dissent and affirmation. Women and homosexuals,
both male and female, contest existing definitions and stereotypes
and affirm who they are. People are insisting on taking charge of their
bodies, and Boomers, especially as their bodies begin to fail them, are
looking for, and finding, new ways of taking control—for example, in the
use of Viagra, the virility pill, and other “lifestyle drugs” that enhance
choices. Because feelings and passions are situated in the body, these are
all engaged by means of the body in religious ritual: in healing rituals
bodies are transformed; in pilgrimage rituals bodies experience movement
through time and space; in trances body posture is the means by
which consciousness is altered; and in dieting support groups, bodies are
at the center of focus as people find ways to substitute God for food. In
all such cases, bodily involved rituals structure spiritual awareness and
transform individual identity." 107

[Melos Han-Tani · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn't finish it but this is a great overview of 80s/90s religion stuff in the USA. gave me a lot of insight into the culture my parents grew up in, as well as the extremely christian world of the USA... which I guess is obvious in hindsight, but it still felt surprising, as my immediate American social network definitely isn't super christian.

kind of wordy/repetitive at times but a lot of great stuff otherwise.