American Grace by David Campbell and Robert Putnam - Book Report/Review Example

American Grace by David Campbell and Robert Putnam The American religious landscape found itself greatly affected by the events following the attacks on the World Trade Center Twin Towers on September 11 2000. A religious rift began to show between various religious factions and affected friendships and families alike. However, the American landscape has slowly began to recover from those events and the book “American Grace” by David Campbell and Robert Putnam takes their readers into the inner workings of American religion and how it has come to have a strong influence over American society. Using a combination of surveys based upon religion and the American way of life, the book takes a look at the history of American religion and how these have evolved over the years, resulting in the current influential status of religion within the American society. America is now an interfaith tolerant nation. A far cry from the staunch Protestantism that used to exist in the American society. It is this particular social evolution of religion that becomes the central topic for the book. The book is written by some of the most notable names when it comes to the research and study of religion in relation to American sociology. Robert D. Putnam is a noted author of fantastic academic repute. He is better known as the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University. But he also hold the honor of being known as the founder of the Saguaro Seminar: A Civic Engagement in America. Putnam was joined in this particular writing foray of his by David E.Campbell. Campbell is on the academic staff of the University of Notre Dame where he is the Hohn Cardinal O'Hara C.S.C. Associate Professor of Political Science. On the side he participated as a director of the Rooner Center for the Study of American Democracy. Campbell also worked as a research fellow for the Institute for Educational Initiatives. His other literary works have seen publication in the Journal of Politics, Public Opinion, Quarterly, and the Journal for the Scientific study of religion. The books takes a deeper look into the changes that have come over American Protestantism since the 19th century. Since the early American religion had a general dislike and distrust of those who were not part of the church, the Catholics in particular, the American religious have since found a way to overcome their fear of Catholics and instead, found a way to stress the commonality between the religions. However, very little is known about how the mutual fear, hostility, and suspicion turned into what some might term as amity, but others would call a religious tolerance. What exactly did it take to remove the religious boundaries that seemed to exist between the various American religions of its time. The answers that Putnam and Campbell discovered through their use of survey questions showed us the path that America's future cohesion as a society seems to be undergoing. Putnam and Campbell decided to try and shed light on these questions through the use of numerous graphs and narratives that helped to create the theme of the book. They tried to go for the comprehensive route by discussing topics ranging from the dynamics of conversion all the way to how religion, gender, and ethnicity seem to be the basis for the civic activities that the religious engage in. Concentrating mostly on their quest to discover why religion has become so well known as a promoter of divisiveness and a uniting force at the same time. The book tries to explain how allowing people of different faiths to intermarry used to find themselves frowned upon and excommunicated by their respective churches. While these days, the Catholics and Protestants seem to be on the same wavelength because society needs to help those who are most in need. In fact, it would seem to Campbell and Putnam that religion and politics, 2 areas of social governance that used to be strictly divided are now finding themselves as important parts of the political dialogue between various religious parties. The answer that the authors found through their intensive research shows a side of American society that one would not have known existed before unless it was pointed out to them. Religious diversity in America does not actually give much weight to religious tolerance, instead, the religious in America attend the non-interfaith churches where every church member finds himself asking about the way that religious doctrines seem to be subject to interpretation. Turning to the study of sociology in order to explain what makes a religion successful or not, tolerated or accepted, Putnam and Campbell felt a need to employ various survey's pertaining to the intimacy of Americans with their faith. What they found was that unlike the years before, Americans no longer give so much weight to the existence of religion in their lives. Most of them have friends who belong to religions other than Protestantism. Although they still have some questions that need answers, they have found that religion needs to function on a “to each his own belief” type of atmosphere. This allowing humans to learn of and become more tolerant of other religions. A survey they conducted sowed that social networks have helped others become tolerant of other religions. Conducting a survey that covered a number of years and tracked down their changes in life and lifestyle, this led them to believe that since social attitudes have changed over the decades, it has had a direct influence over two parties that are composed of non religious people. Their 2007 survey proved that America was no longer religiously divided as a nation as it was not uncommon for people to have a mix of friends who were members of different churches. An observation that led the authors to conclude that religion is more than a belief in a higher authority. It is instead, a way of life and a gathering of people with the same needs and beliefs in life. The religious peace comes mostly from people who develop an affinity with people who are undergoing the same problems in life which becomes their common ground for a social gathering and friendship. “American Grace” is the venue through which Putnam and Campbell show their readers that religious doctrine and practice are not geared to respond to the social and political context of our society. That religion is not the only thing that divides us as a nation. In fact, religion is no longer a social factor in most cases. Putnam and Campbell discovered that by the 1990's. religious beliefs and politics are no longer considered by people. In fact, there is a large segment of society that has abandoned organized religion in its entirety. Religion in the opinion of the two authors has become a casualty of the “culture wars”. Thus we have a generation of young people who disregard religion totally in their everyday lives and dealings with other people, and religious conservatives and secular liberals who try to hold on to their outdated religious beliefs. With the growing interfaith marriages, it has become quite obvious that personal interfaith ties have found a method through which it can strengthen itself as a part of an ever evolving society. Their claims are actually based upon sound investigation and surveying of the religious followers of various cults, sects, and religions. The book supports its claims using over a dozen profiles of various congregations that helped explain the trends that Putnam and Campbell feel has begun to take over the lives of Americans. Works Cited Campbell. David and Putnam, Robert. American Grace: How Religion Unites and Divides Us. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010. Print. Read More