- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; First Thus edition (19 July 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340909269
- ISBN-13: 978-0340909263
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 862,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Product Description
Review
On THE CHURCH IN CRISIS - ‘A brilliant overview of the current crisis [the question of homosexuality] engulfing the church’
(The Observer )'This tour of the wilder shores of US evangelism engages seriously with its ideas.' (FT )
Product Description
Right-wing evangelical Christianity has come to dominate American political and social life in recent years, dividing the country and sparking cultural and moral battles whose outcome will determine how the world’s only superpower is shaped in the 21st Century. High politics and low tactics frame a fierce debate which goes much further back in the country’s history than the accession of George W. Bush in 2001. It’s a battle that sears America’s soul and affects the world.
In this book Stephen Bates explains why what happens in the Bible Belt matters to us – and how there are those who hope to export the battle to Britain. American fundamentalist religion has the potential to impact on crucial and acutely dangerous areas of the world. Its priorities are often arcane and sometimes weird. But it is already affecting American government policy at home and abroad: not least in Israel and the Middle East, where some are predicting the world’s last and greatest battle will be fought. Where will America’s battle for its soul take the world – and will it be a better place?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
"God's Own Country" is an engaging and insightful book written by an Englishman tracing the history of American Christianity from the founding of the country until today. Stephen Bates writes with real clarity and occasional touches of humour, making a subject that might feel hard going always interesting. Subjects include tracing the idea of the separation of religion and state through America's history, the creation vs evolution debate, the links between politics and religion, the Moral Majority, issues of abortion and homosexuality and George W Bush's own personal faith. With his British viewpoint the author explains some of the weirder aspects of modern day American religiosity in an amusing and clear style and yet his affection for America also comes through.
This book is not a dry and objective text book but more of a warm and fascinating journey through America's history and its life today. It shows some of the excesses of American Christians in their attempts to link religion and state but also some of the other people in US history and the present time who work to be voices of reason across the pond.
This book is not a dry and objective text book but more of a warm and fascinating journey through America's history and its life today. It shows some of the excesses of American Christians in their attempts to link religion and state but also some of the other people in US history and the present time who work to be voices of reason across the pond.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Stephen Bates's analysis of the reasons for the current prominence of the evangelical right wing in the USA is clear, incisive and insightful. His writing is well crafted and the book, despite its subject matter, has a light touch, resulting from the 'travelogue' style. His explains the historical background and describes the current situation through interviews with the current protagonists, material from the media and his own experiences as he travels through 'God's own country'. This is an important book and should be read by anyone with an interest in today's USA and, more particularly, with an interest in why British society differs from the American in the prominence accorded to its religious lobby.
In this fascinating and clearly written book, Stephen Bates traces the history of religion in American life, starting from the arrival of the Puritans up to the present day, with its bewildering spectrum of faiths. It is a complex subject that includes the conflict between religion and evolution, and modern controversies about abortion and homosexuality. The book is based on media reports, and his own experiences while traveling extensively through `God's own country', interviewing many of the leading players on the religious stage. The focus is on the `Religious Right', but left-wing (or at least as seen in the American context) religious movements are not entirely neglected. Despite the formal separation of region and state enshrined in the constitution, religion has become intimately entwined with politics and no modern president (any many other officials) could hope to get elected without at least paying lip services to their religious beliefs. George Bush was a recent example of this. Bates explores how it has come about that fundamentalist pastors such as Jerry Falwell, whose views most people in Britain would regard as ludicrous, have come to wield such influence. It would be easy for Bates to ridicule many of the beliefs of the religious right as absurd, but instead he examines them seriously, although in a way that makes it clear where their views conflict with common sense and hard facts. A good example is in the debate about the origin of life, where he exposes the twisted logic in the creationist views. The subject could have been `text-book dull', but the author has successfully avoided this, not least because of the wry humour of his writing. Bates has written an important book that aids our understanding of why the religious lobby is so important in American society.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
