Monthly Archives: September 2010

Another strong review for American Grace

September 30, 2010
By tomsander

Flickr photo by CC Chapman

Publisher’s Week recommends American Grace:

This massive book eschews the narrow, monographic approach to sociological study in favor of an older, more useful model: the sweeping chronicle of national change over time. Harvard professor Putnam…

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Religious bridging more important than religious literacy

September 29, 2010
By tomsander

David Campbell, co-author of American Grace, was cited in a Christian Science Monitor article for the belief that having inter-religious social ties (religious bridging) is more important to tolerance than knowledge of other faiths’ beliefs (religious literacy).

This in reaction…

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Putnam quoted in USA Today: Aunt Susan Trumps Theology

September 28, 2010
By tomsander

Flickr photo by Nick Garrod

The Sunday USA Today Faith & Reason column by Cathy Lynn Grossman highlighted three of the American Grace findings that they found most interesting (from Robert Putnam and David Campbell’s talk to the Religious…

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Opinion piece about American Grace talk at Colby College

September 24, 2010
By tomsander

Flickr photo by Jeff Bauche

Joseph R. Reisert (Chairman, Gov. Dept., Colby College) writes about Robert Putnam’s talk about American Grace at Colby and why Putnam is optimistic about future prospects of American religion, despite current frictions between some…

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Newsweek: The Extent of American Grace

September 22, 2010
By tomsander

Meditating Buddha – Flickr photo by TanyKely

Lisa Miller of Newsweek cites American Grace for her perspective that Americans’ grace doesn’t yet extend to Buddhists (or Muslims).

While researching their forthcoming book about American religion, the Harvard political scientist Robert…

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Religiosity matters little for views on environment or immigration

September 20, 2010
By tomsander

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life releases recent findings that the American public’s views on immigration or the environment do not seem sharply shaped by religion. Their findings corroborate findings in American Grace that…

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Strong positive reviews of American Grace from Booklist and Kirkus Reviews

September 15, 2010
By tomsander

Flickr photo by lobi

Booklist said of American Grace: “An essential resource for anyone trying to understand twenty-first-century America.” (September 15, 2010 review).  They believe that the section most likely to cause debate in America, explains how religion has…

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Obama, religion and politics

September 15, 2010
By tomsander

Obama's Cairo speech – photo by Belgian Sun Flower

I was recently reading “God and Politics, Together Again” (NYT, 9/4/10). 

“To an early supporter like the writer Andrew Sullivan, Mr. Obama’s religious…

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Happiness and Religion

September 9, 2010
By tomsander

Flickr photo by ronsho

The RNS blog has a post about the latest Gallup study that looks at the happiest countries world-wide.  Alfredo Garcia notes that 3 of the top 5 countries in happiness are also…

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