American Evangelicalism: Embattled and Thriving

Published on: Apr 25, 2007

Smith, C. 1998. American Evangelicalism: Embattled and Thriving. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

            This book provides a broad overview of the history, organization, and culture of the flourishing evangelical movement. Smith argues that evangelicals thrived in late twentieth century America by crafting a series of distinctive boundaries that allows them to engage with non-evangelicals while maintaining their belief system. Smith concludes by observing that evangelicals see the world in exceedingly individualistic terms, and that this hinders them from making effective pushes for social change.