Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite - Hardcover

Lindsay, D. Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195326660 ISBN 13: 9780195326666

Publisher: OUP USA, 2008

Synopsis

Evangelicals, once at the periphery of American life, now wield power in the White House and on Wall Street, at Harvard and in Hollywood. How have they reached the pinnacles of power in such a short time? And what does this mean for evangelicals - and for America? Drawing on personal interviews with an astonishing array of prominent Americans - including two former Presidents, dozens of political and government leaders, more than 100 top business executives, plus Hollywood moguls, intellectuals, athletes, and other powerful figures - D. Michael Lindsay shows first-hand how they are bringing their vision of moral leadership into the public square. This riveting volume tells us who the real evangelical power brokers are, how they rose to prominence, and what they're doing with their clout. Lindsay reveals that evangelicals are now at home in the executive suite and on the studio lot, and from those lofty perches they have used their influence, money, and ideas to build up the evangelical movement and introduce it to the wider American society. They are leaders of powerful institutions and their goals are ambitious--to bring Christian principles to bear on virtually every aspect of American life. Along the way, the book is packed with fascinating stories and striking insights. Lindsay shows how evangelicals became a force in American foreign policy, how Fortune 500 companies are becoming faith-friendly, and how the new generation of the faithful is led by cosmopolitan evangelicals. These are well-educated men and women who read both The New York Times and Christianity Today, and who are wary of the evangelical masses' penchant for polarizing rhetoric, apocalyptic pot-boilers, and bad Christian rock. Perhaps most startling is the importance of personal relationships between leaders--a quiet conversation after Bible study can have more impact than thousands of people marching in the streets. Faith in the Halls of Power takes us inside the rarified world of the evangelical elite - beyond the hysterical panic and chest-thumping pride - to give us the real story behind the evangelical ascendancy in America.

About this title

Review:

Faith in the Halls of Power fills an important hole in the literature on leaders in evangelical Christianity...For interested social scientists and the educated public who want a better understanding of America's evangelical leaders, Faith in the Halls of Power is essential reading and extraordinarily accessible. (Lynn D. Robinson SOC)

The book's multifaceted understanding of power is one of its great strengths...Lindsay has sections on the academy, arts and entertainment, and business. (Joseph Kip Kosek Journal of American Academy of Religion)

An impressive and admirably fair-minded book; anybody who wants to understand the nexus between God and power in modern America should start here. (The Economist)

About the Author:

D. Michael Lindsay is President of Gordon College. He is the author of two books, both with George Gallup, Jr., and has written many scholarly and popular essays. He has received several awards for his writing, teaching, and speaking and writes a regular column for Rev! magazine.

About this edition

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0195326660
• ISBN 13: 9780195326666
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352