No single narrative or theory can describe the varieties of religious experience in North America today. The
tidy dichotomies of liberal/ conservative, public/private, local/global, and renewal/secularization make little
sense once specific congregations are examined closely. To understand the shifting boundaries of contemporary religious
expressions, new tools are needed.
"Contemporary American Religion" collects qualitative, on-the-ground studies of local congregations
by up-and-coming religious scholars. Ethnography combined with more traditional sociological methods, help make
sense of complex religious communities- from Messianic Jews to evangelical feminists, from Gospel Hour at a gay
bar to exurban megachurches. This collection covers a wide span of the religious landscape, always trying to uncover
new theoretical insights. Essential reading for classes in sociology of religion, contemporary American religion,
and anthropology of religion.
