Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Protestant Baby Boomers [Paperback]

Dean R. Hoge (Author), Benton Johnson (Author), Donald A. Luidens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1994

This in-depth survey provides a vivid overview of the religious world of the Baby Boomers. The authors worked with a national sample of persons confirmed in the Presbyterian Church, examining the religious faith of Baby Boomers and exploring the reasons they gave for leaving or staying in the church. The authors identify eight types of young adults--half of them churched and the other half unchurched. Their findings provide some unexpected results.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Based on a survey of some 500 respondents and 40 in-depth interviews, this work examines the religious motivation of baby boomers. The authors, who are sociology professors belonging to different denominations, are most interested in the causes for the decline in mainline Protestant church membership since the Sixties. The survey is based on a nationwide selection of persons confirmed in Presbyterian churches who were between 33 and 42 years old in 1989. Four "churched" and four "unchurched" types are identified, and both representative interviews and statistical analysis provided. The authors present some new theories about membership decline and spotlight what people of this generation want in a church. A fascinating and potentially useful study; recommended for public and academic libraries.
- C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Smylie sets out to "provide a brief, accessible, celebrative but not uncritical presentation of Presbyterian faith and life." The result will certainly be of interest to Presbyterians, who, in their 1977 "Declaration of Faith," affirm that they are "charged to remember" their past, "to be warned and encouraged by it, but not to live it again." Smylie devotes the beginning of the book to Presbyterian roots in the early Christian church and in Europe before turning to a narrative that is particularly concerned with Presbyterianism in the U.S. The result is a brief and accessible orientation for Presbyterians, more celebrative than critical, but certainly useful for those who wish both to know their roots and to enlarge the circle of "we" by examining the family tree of which Presbyterianism is a single branch. Steve Schroeder

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1st edition (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664254926
• ISBN-13: 978-0664254926
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,884,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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