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Christian Voices Journeys through Faith and Politics in Contemporary American Protestantism
Charlene Floyd
Book Code: C9002
ISBN: 0-275-99002-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99002-2
184 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 5/30/2007
List Price: $44.95 (UK Sterling Price: £25.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • Floyd raises up the voices of seasoned Protestant believers rather than academics, politicians, or activists about what the relationship is and should be between religion and politics in the US.
    —Reference & Research Book News     August 2007
  • Endorsement From Lester Edwin J. Ruiz, Ph.D.
    Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean
    New York Theological Seminary:     This book decisively points to and demonstrates in a compelling manner the (re)turn to the everyday life, for so long ignored by the makers of faith and politics, through which profound, embodied, and transforming voices are re-discovered offering not only possibilities for justice, compassion, and hospitality, but also the redemption of American Protestantism--through the telling and retelling of these wonderfully human stories.
  • Endorsement From Ronald Lawson, Ph.D.
    Professor, Department of Urban Studies, Queens College, CUNY
    Coordinator of the joint Master of Arts/Master of Divinity program, Queens College and New York Theological Seminary:     Charlene Floyd's Christian Voices is fascinating, inspiring, and troubling. Its approach--interviews with pastors and key laity from four Protestant congregations, with extensive use of quotations--broadened my understanding of the deep connection between faith and politics. The stories of faith, prayer, action, and miracles are gripping and inspiring, presenting templates of diverse congregations that work. This book will be useful in classrooms, to Christians and congregations seeking inspiration and understanding of the dynamics of Christian communities, and to the less religious who wish to understand the deep connections between faith and actions.
  • Endorsement From Kenneth J. Guest
    Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
    Baruch College, City University of New York:     Christian Voices is a tour de force of story telling. At a time when Christian politics is stereotyped on both the right and left, Charlene Floyd captures the thought-provoking and moving voices of grassroots people of faith. Floyd's skills as a political scientist and a scholar of religion allow the reader to see beyond political and religious institutions, to hear the stories of individual people of faith, and to see how politics and religion are deeply embedded in the every-day lived experiences of the American people.
Description: Today, religion plays a significant role in the political positions people take on a number of important issues: stem cell research, abortion, right to life, gay marriage, etc. But how do people of the same faith come to radically different conclusions and positions on these issues? How has the right convinced a majority of evangelical Christians that there is a Biblical mandate to oppose abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage? Or, why do progressive Christians believe they are called to be "the voice of the voiceless," to advocate for the poor and to challenge aggressive foreign policy? This book gives voice to politically active Protestant Christians with an eye toward understanding how people who share the same scriptures, hymns, prayers, and creeds arrive at and embrace radically different political perspectives. Floyd explores the notion of agenda-setting within Christian communities (left and right) and provides an in-depth look at the lives of a small but diverse number of politically active, committed Christians. In their own words, Protestants across the country explain how they arrive at their political opinions. The thoughts, the ideas, the reasons for celebrating and the causes of despair, will be familiar--at times painfully so--to many. Reading these profiles one may begin to answer those basic questions: "how can they call themselves Christian?" and "how could they possibly have voted for him?". Beginning with a brief overview of religion and politics in the United States and a discussion of recent developments (2001-2005), serious consideration of the key themes raised by the profile chapters follow. These include theology, practice, and connect/disconnect with society (particularly the group/individual's perception of its/their relationship to the world at large). Each chapter describes a different group of people whose political lives have been shaped by their faith and who are willing to think about and talk about their ideas. They take into consideration personal histories, education, work, family and friends, and explore how religious beliefs have shaped people's lives, especially with regard to political decision-making. Extensive interviews allow the voices of those profiled to be clearly heard.
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