1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910785925703321

Autore

Wilford Justin

Titolo

Sacred Subdivisions : The Postsuburban Transformation of American Evangelicalism / / Justin Wilford

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, NY : , : New York University Press, , [2012]

©2012

ISBN

0-8147-0830-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (235 p.)

Disciplina

277.3083

Soggetti

Evangelicalism - United States - History - 21st century

Church growth - United States - History - 21st century

United States Church history 21st century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p.         ) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Sacred Archipelagos -- 3. Sacred Scenes -- 4. Purpose Driven Pluralities -- 5. Purpose Driven Places -- 6. Purpose Driven Planet -- 7. Purpose Driven Politics -- 8. Conclusion -- Appendix A -- Notes -- Bibliography -- index -- About the Author

Sommario/riassunto

In an era where church attendance has reached an all-time low, recent polling has shown that Americans are becoming less formally religious and more promiscuous in their religious commitments. Within both mainline and evangelical Christianity in America, it is common to hear of secularizing pressures and increasing competition from non-religious sources. Yet there is a kind of religious institution that has enjoyed great popularity over the past thirty years: the evangelical megachurch. Evangelical megachurches not only continue to grow in number, but also in cultural, political, and economic influence. To appreciate their appeal is to understand not only how they are innovating, but more crucially, where their innovation is taking place. In this groundbreaking and interdisciplinary study, Justin G. Wilford argues that the success of the megachurch is hinged upon its use of space: its location on the post-suburban fringe of large cities, its



fragmented, dispersed structure, and its focus on individualized spaces of intimacy such as small group meetings in homes, which help to interpret suburban life as religiously meaningful and create a sense of belonging. Based on original fieldwork at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, one of the largest and most influential mega churches in America, Sacred Subdivisions explains how evangelical mega churches thrive by transforming mundane secular spaces into arenas of religious significance.