The Invisible Bestseller: Searching for the Bible in America - Hardcover

Kenneth A. Briggs

2.75

16 ratings by Goodreads

9780802869135: The Invisible Bestseller: Searching for the Bible in America

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802869130 ISBN 13: 9780802869135

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016

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The Bible has long held an honoured place in American culture, having shaped the contours of American society and politics but not anymore. Though the Bible may remain the bestselling book of all time, today fewer Americans than ever know or care what it says. In Searching for the Bible in America veteran religion writer Kenneth Briggs takes readers on a personal quest through a broad cross-section of American life from television preachers to Family Christian Stores, from the Society of Biblical Literature to the kitchen tables of everyday families as he seeks to understand how the Bible is actually read and used today. He investigates the factors behind its relative disappearance from public life and looks at how its remaining advocates are striving to restore its influence. Although the Bible's long decline may seem obvious to even casual observers, Briggs's engaging account sheds new light on why and how this shift has taken place and where we may be headed next.|The Bible has long held an honoured place in American culture, having shaped the contours of American society and politics but not anymore. Though the Bible may remain the bestselling book of all time, today fewer Americans than ever know or care what it says. In Searching for the Bible in America veteran religion writer Kenneth Briggs takes readers on a personal quest through a broad cross-section of American life from television preachers to Family Christian Stores, from the Society of Biblical Literature to the kitchen tables of everyday families as he seeks to understand how the Bible is actually read and used today. He investigates the factors behind its relative disappearance from public life and looks at how its remaining advocates are striving to restore its influence. Although the Bible's long decline may seem obvious to even casual observers, Briggs's engaging account sheds new light on why and how this shift has taken place and where we may be headed next.

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Review:

E. J. Dionne Jr. author of"Souled Out "and" Why the Right Went Wrong" "We buy a lot of Bibles, but don't read them. We occasionally quote the Bible, but mostly for our own immediate purposes. Ken Briggs, one of our most thoughtful religious writers, calls us to a new engagement with Scripture by offering a richly persuasive case for why the Bible still matters."Diane Winston publisher of"Religion Dispatches" "Briggs's penetrating study is a welcome addition to our understanding of how religion functions in everyday life. Deeply humane and beautifully written, "The Invisible Bestseller"introduces readers to the ways in which Americans do and don't understand the Bible and demonstrates why it remains foundational even when its teachings are hidden in plain sight.""

E. J. Dionne Jr.
author ofSouled Out and Why the Right Went Wrong
"We buy a lot of Bibles, but don't read them. We occasionally quote the Bible, but mostly for our own immediate purposes. Ken Briggs, one of our most thoughtful religious writers, calls us to a new engagement with Scripture by offering a richly persuasive case for why the Bible still matters."

Diane Winston
publisher ofReligion Dispatches
"Briggs's penetrating study is a welcome addition to our understanding of how religion functions in everyday life. Deeply humane and beautifully written, The Invisible Bestsellerintroduces readers to the ways in which Americans do and don't understand the Bible and demonstrates why it remains foundational even when its teachings are hidden in plain sight.""

Kirkus Reviews
"[A] knowledgeable account of how the Bible lumbers on in America, not as widely read but still precious to a core of believers."

E. J. Dionne Jr.
author ofSouled OutandWhy the Right Went Wrong
"We buy a lot of Bibles but don't read them. We occasionally quote the Bible but mostly for our own immediate purposes. Ken Briggs, one of our most thoughtful religious writers, calls us to a new engagement with Scripture by offering a richly persuasive case for why the Bible still matters."

Diane Winston
publisher ofReligion Dispatches
"Briggs's penetrating study is a welcome addition to our understanding of how religion functions in everyday life. Deeply humane and beautifully written, The Invisible Bestsellerintroduces readers to the ways in which Americans do and don't understand the Bible and demonstrates why it remains foundational even when its teachings are hidden in plain sight.""

Kirkus Reviews
-[A] knowledgeable account of how the Bible lumbers on in America, not as widely read but still precious to a core of believers.-

E. J. Dionne Jr.
-- author of Souled Out and Why the Right Went Wrong
-We buy a lot of Bibles but don't read them. We occasionally quote the Bible but mostly for our own immediate purposes. Ken Briggs, one of our most thoughtful religious writers, calls us to a new engagement with Scripture by offering a richly persuasive case for why the Bible still matters.-

Diane Winston
-- publisher of Religion Dispatches
-Briggs's penetrating study is a welcome addition to our understanding of how religion functions in everyday life. Deeply humane and beautifully written, The Invisible Bestseller introduces readers to the ways in which Americans do and don't understand the Bible and demonstrates why it remains foundational even when its teachings are hidden in plain sight.-

About the Author:

Kenneth A. Briggs is a journalist and commentator who worked for many years as religion writer for Newsday and as religion editor for The New York Times. His previous books include The Power of Forgiveness and Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Churchs Betrayal of American Nuns.

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