Reviews of Faith in the Halls of Power
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This definitive work by Lindsay (sociologist, Rice Univ.), who has coauthored two books with George Gallup Jr., addresses the whos, whys, whats, and implications of the evangelical movement's increasing impact on the realm of politics and the marketplace. Lindsay conducted more than 350 in-depth interviews with politicians, academics, artists, media and film people, corporate leaders, White House staff, and U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. He also interviewed pastors of large churches, seminary presidents, and heads of evangelical organizations. Some participants with whom he spoke are public about their faith, while others express only their beliefs in private; some emphasize a vibrant religious experience, while others primarily promote issues like the environment and welfare. Lindsay explores evangelical social networks and organization: one "nonpartisan" gathering, called Renaissance Weekends, has included key Democrats (e.g., Hillary and Bill Clinton) among its early participants. Another group, Faith and Law, composed mostly of senior staffers on Capitol Hill, was formed to think through the implications of faith-informed public policy. Lindsay predicts we may soon see whether evangelicals become a counterculture for the common good, or, as some critics fear, amount to a religious crusade.
-Highly recommended for all libraries.
Library Journal review.
Lindsay, a sociologist at Rice University who has previously worked with pollster George Gallup Jr., looks at the rise of evangelical Christian influence in the spheres of power of American public life: political, intellectual, cultural and economic. Based on interviews with 360 leaders from these spheres, including two former presidents, as well as a command of what everybody else has heretofore written, Lindsay demonstrates how over the past two decades evangelicals have moved into positions of great influence. From a sociological point of view, their path to power is easy to discern through networks of relationships or institutions that have seeded larger political and economic institutions. This growing network has produced new leaders whose ideas and actions are motivated by their Christianity. The interviews allow Lindsay to cite numerous examples that make his point persuasively. He is a sympathetic observer who understands that evangelicalism is as reformist as any other movement that has ascended to power in America.Yet he also understands that evangelicalism has made accommodation to the larger public life it seeks to reform, a tension he calls "elastic orthodoxy." This important work should be required reading for anyone who wants to opine publicly on what American evangelicals are really up to.
-Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
July 9, 2007
For this book Lindsay (sociology, Rice Univ.) interviewed 360 evangelical
leaders, attended meetings in which they participated, and did archival
research on 100 evangelical organizations. Specifications and descriptions
of his research appear in the appendix and in his notes. Evangelicalism is
seen as a social movement, more than as a religious tradition: it has a
distinct set of beliefs, but not a religious hierarchy. Evangelicals studied
here are those who have positions of leadership in American society. Lindsay
particularly reports on evangelicals in positions of power and influence in
American politics and public policy, in academia and intellectual pursuits,
in culture as expressed in the arts and entertainment media, and in business
(at managerial and executive levels). These evangelicals operating in the
halls of power are called "cosmopolitan" evangelicals. They worship with
each other in networks and forums at the levels of their public leadership;
Lindsay refers to these as "parachurches." The "populist" evangelicals meet
in smaller local churches. Some tensions exist between cosmopolitan and
populist evangelicals, but the differences are rooted in the status and
class hierarchies of US society, not in the content or fervor of their
faith.
Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals/practitioners.
-CHOICE, R. L. Herrick, emeritus,
Westmar University
March 2008
Department of Sociology
Rice University
MS-28; 552 Sewall Hall
6100 South Main Street
Houston, Texas 77005
Phone: 713-348-5511
Email: mlindsay (at) rice (dot) edu
