Twentieth-Century Shapers of American Popular Religion

Subjects:

• Religious Studies » Religious Studies (General)

Awards:

• Choice Outstanding Academic Book, 1989

Reviews:

• This collection of 62 portraits provides an overview of the leading personalities of a North American phenomenon: popular religion that exists outside the denominational mainstream, is usually media-based, and depends upon the individual charisma of its leaders. Each entry includes a biography, appraisal, survey of criticism, and bibliography. Personalities range from Pat Robertson to Malcolm X, from Aimee Semple McPherson to the Berrigan brothers. The work even makes a strong case for ist inclusion of John Foster Dulles and Sinclair Lewis.
  —Library Journal
• The media coverage of the scandals linked to Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert in 1987 and 1988 accentuated a development already well underway: a growing interest in American popular religion. As the publication of Peter W. Williams's groundbreaking Popular Religion in America (CH, Jul '80) made clear, this interest is evident among scholars in the fields of American history and religion as well as among the general public. The volume under review supplements Williams's book by providing biographical and bibliographical information on more than 60 individuals who have influenced popular religion in North America during the 20th century. This alphabetically arranged book comprises an ecumenical array of leaders and prophets, from William Aberhart to Wovoka. It achieves a balance between early 20th-century figures (e.g., Bruce Barton, Mordecai Kaplan, and Marcus Garvey) and later luminaries (e.g., Kathryn Kuhlman, Harvey Cox, and Morris West). Those familiar with the uneven quality of existing biographies and autobiographies of modern American religious celebrities will be especially grateful for the critical comments and reliable information in this engaging volume. Appropriate for graduate students, undergraduates, and general readers.
  —Choice
• The title Twentieth-Century Shapers of American Popular Religion indicates this text's distinctive temporal and topical scope. The 69 people profiled by 25 contributors, most of them academics, were selected for their influence on audiences that `cut across denominations and faith traditions to include ordinary men and women of every religious affiliation and no affiliation at all.' In nearly all cases, successful use of mass media was a key ingredient in their ability to reach these broad audiences. Many of the subjects thrive today; a few, however, find themselves in discgrace following reveleation of their sexual peccadilloes (i.e., Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart). . . . The range of persons included is a testament to the pluralism of American religious expression. . . . Each of the profiles follows a four-part format consisting of biographical summary, appraisal of the subjects's contribution to popular religion, a survey of secondary literature, and a selected bibliography of primary and secondary works. The entries run from five to eight pages. The result is a collection of insightful essays, each highlighting the most significant formative experiences in its subject's life and analyzing his or her influence on religious institutions and sentiments.
  —Reference Books Bulletin
• To this reader, the most useful essays are those dealing with lesser-known individuals whose biographies did indeed shape their contributions to American religious life (e.g., Armstrong, the Gaithers, Hagin, Kuhlman, and the La Hayes). A reference tool, primarily for libraries.
  —Religious Studies Review

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Twentieth-Century Shapers of American Popular Religion
• Bibliography
• Index