James Hudnut-Beumler

In the church circles I've been in, the consensus seems to be that the 1950s were the glory days of the church. There were a lot of members filling the pews. There were many activities going on. And the congregations had the resources to get things done. Of course, being at the tail end of the baby boom, I also grew up with the message from outside the church that the culture of the 1950s was something to rebel against. This book looks at both the American church of the fifties and those who criticized it. Professor Hudnut-Beumler takes us through the rise of suburban culture in America after World War II, and how religion seemed to be an essential part of it. He then talks of the criticisms leveled against both the general culture and the churches of the time. It was an interesting book, though I thought it dragged a bit in the middle. I guess I find sociology a bit more interesting than neo-orthodox musings.
--J.… (meer)