03688nam 2200613Ia 450 991082334100332120200520144314.00-8147-0830-710.18574/9780814708309(CKB)2670000000273712(EBL)1051352(OCoLC)818868984(SSID)ssj0000830881(PQKBManifestationID)11966387(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000830881(PQKBWorkID)10820616(PQKB)10301165(StDuBDS)EDZ0001325927(MiAaPQ)EBC1051352(OCoLC)815281424(MdBmJHUP)muse24442(DE-B1597)547289(DE-B1597)9780814708309(PPN)181642719(EXLCZ)99267000000027371220121119d2012 uy 0engurnn#---|un|utxtccrSacred subdivisions the postsuburban transformation of American evangelicalism /Justin G. WilfordNew York New York University Pressc20121 online resource (235 p.)Description based upon print version of record.0-8147-7093-2 0-8147-2535-X Includes bibliographical references and index.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 AuthorIn 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.Church growthUnited StatesHistory21st centuryEvangelicalismUnited StatesHistory21st centuryUnited StatesChurch history21st centuryChurch growthHistoryEvangelicalismHistory277.3/083Wilford Justin G1753205MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910823341003321Sacred subdivisions4188904UNINA