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The Churching Of America 1776-1990 (Paperback)

~ (Editor), (Editor) "We did not intend to make major revisions in the history of American religion..." (more)
Key Phrases: colonial mainline denominations, emotional sects, free market religious economy, New York, Southern Baptists, New England (more...)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this provocative book, Finke and Stark challenge popular perceptions about American religion. They view the religious environment as a free market economy, where churches compete for souls. The story they tell is one of gains for upstart sects and losses for mainline denominations. "A brilliant and revolutionary analysis of the social history of American religion. . . ."--Andrew M. Greeley. 47 illustrations and maps. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 344 pages
  • Publisher: Rutgers University Press (August 1, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0813518385
  • ISBN-13: 978-0813518381
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,221,825 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Authors

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Roger Finke
Roger Finke
Rodney Stark
Rodney Stark

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
We did not intend to make major revisions in the history of American religion. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
colonial mainline denominations, emotional sects, free market religious economy, total adherents, mainline bodies, upstart sects, religious firms, colonial clergy, religious statistics, adherence rate, sect movements, protestant bodies, religious economies, cult formation, religious market, religious broadcasts, rural churches, parish missions, religious adherence
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Southern Baptists, New England, United States, Methodist Episcopal Church, Bureau of the Census, American Catholics, New Age, American Catholicism, George Whitefield, Rhode Island, Federal Council, Holiness Movement, New School, Peter Cartwright, Cane Ridge, Church of England, New Hampshire, Great Awakening, Lyman Beecher, National Council of Churches, New Jersey, North Carolina, Roman Catholics, South Carolina
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Winning in the Midst of a Free Market Religious Economy!, September 4, 2000
This review is from: Churching Of America (Hardcover)
Even though this book was published eight years ago, it still ought to be on the book shelf of any serious student of American Christianity, and be a part of the strategic knowledge base of any denominational executive who pretends to know what it will take for his or her denominational organization to be a viable force for societal and spiritual transformation in the twenty-first century.

The 214 years of American religious history covered by this book represents the transformation from a time when as a nation most people took no part in organized religion, to a time when nearly two-thirds do. The continual founding of new religious movements during this two-century period has allowed for a freshness that could not be controlled by institutionalized religion.

The control exercised by established churchlike religious organizations in the past actually led to their decline. They could not survive in a free market religious economy. Methods of establishing control included identifying a state-endorsed church, controlling who could be ordained and serve as pastors, and having a non-congregational polity or form of governance.

While it may seem to be a contradiction, it the high expectations that religious organizations--particularly congregations--place on individual believers that results in a tenacious and growing church movement. What was true in 1776 is still true in 2000 and beyond. To discover the secrets of past and future success and vitality, purchase and read this book.

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating look at the history of American churches, February 19, 2003
By Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
In this fascinating book, the authors (both sociology professors) look at the evolution of the American religious landscape since the Revolutionary War. In their study, they discovered three trends. First of all, in frontier areas (which in 1776 still included whole swaths of the thirteen colonies) there was a larger proportion of men to women, and consequently a lower rate of church attendance. As areas became settled, the proportion of men to women decreased, and the rate of church attendance increased.

Secondly, they found that sects (religious organizations with a high level of tension with their surrounding sociocultural environment) tended to have a higher rate of growth, and a higher level of commitment than churches (religious organizations with a low level of tension with their environment). The third trend is that over time, sects transform themselves into churches, lowering their demands on members and as such lessoning their tension with their environment.

As they follow American history, they show how these trends affected the growth and/or decline of the fortunes of various churches, both Protestant and Catholic. I must admit to have been absolutely captivated by this book. Not only do the author make an excellent case for their theory, but also the book itself is compelling reading. I was especially interested in what the authors had to say about how denominations change, and what it means.

I greatly enjoyed this book, and recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Christian church in the United States.

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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for any church leader., December 29, 1998
By A Customer
In this book Finke and Stark take a very analytical and careful approach to why some denominations grow and others shrink. Rather than rehashing the same ideas and theories, the perform numerical analysis of the actual percentage of Americans in each denomination, state by state, from 1776 to 1990. The results are amazing.

United Methodists: note that our church has been shrinking since _1850_ as a percentage of the American public. Basically since the circuit riders dismounted and we established seminaries.

The conclusions are frightening and will make you reevaluate "what's wrong with our church". If this book is correct, most of the solutions suggested by other books will not address the core issues.

You must read this book!!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Sociological study on the Inevitability of Temptation
This easy to read work intrigues. It does this by carefully challenging the previous conclusions of the churching of America, i.e. Ahlstrom et al. Read more
Published on July 5, 2001 by rodboomboom

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