cover image Evangelicalism: The Coming Generation

Evangelicalism: The Coming Generation

James Davison Hunter. University of Chicago Press, $19.95 (302pp) ISBN 978-0-226-36082-9

In a sociological interpretation that is admittedly speculative at points, Hunter, professor of sociology at the Univ. of Virginia, examines the cultural milieu of contemporary American Evangelicalism. He broadly defines the term ""evangelicalism'' as the theologically conservative Protestantism found in North America, which includes fundamentalism, as well as other denominational traditions. Using the results of national surveys of students at 16 institutions of higher learning as a springboard, Hunter inspects various radically changing aspects of the modern worldfamily, work, moralityprojecting how they may affect the evangelical heritage. In so doing, Hunter provides opportunities for reflection on the general question of the future of religion in modern culture. Thoughtful, clearly expressed and abundantly researched, this is a satisfying, forward-looking study. (March)