The Transformation of American Religion: The Story of a Late-Twentieth-Century Awakening

Porterfield, professor of religious studies at the University of Wyoming and president-elect of the American Society of Church History, capably argues that a transformation has occurred in American religion in the late 20th century, and that this transformation is analogous to other periodic awakenings of religious enthusiasm. Porterfield uses intellectual history to illustrate a chain of thought through the American past, tracing developments from Puritan theology in the 17th and 18th centuries to the birth and growth of Transcendentalism in the 19th century. From there, she identifies a constellation of ideas and movements that changed evangelical Protestant dominance in American culture into a more pluralistic and nuanced understanding of religion. Specifically, Porterfield points to 20th-century developments such as the liberalization and redefinition of the Protestant missionary endeavor; the growth of American Catholicism and its increased acceptance by the Protestant mainstream; the Vietnam War and an attendant questioning of traditional religion; the blossoming of Buddhism in America; the raising of gender consciousness through feminism; and--most significantly--the explosion of religious studies programs at secular universities. If this transformation constitutes another awakening, Porterfield argues that it moves far beyond the horizons of earlier awakenings by bringing religious ideas and values from outside traditional Christianity into the lives of modern Americans. The book offers solid, though not earth-shattering, scholarship; Porterfield may be overstating the case for religious pluralism as a spiritual awakening. While a thorough knowledge of American history and religion would be helpful to readers, Porterfield's argument is clear enough to follow without it. (Feb.)