American Religions and the Family: How Faith Traditions Cope with Modernization and Democracy

by Don Browning (Editor), David Clairmont (Editor)

Overview

Religions respond to capitalism, democracy, industrialization, feminism, individualism, and the phenomenon of globalization in a variety of ways. Some religions conform to these challenges, if not capitulate to them; some critique or resist them, and some work to transform the modern societies they inhabit.

In this unique collection of critical essays, scholars of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Native American thought explore the tension between modernization and the family, sexuality, and marriage traditions of major religions in America. Contributors examine how various belief systems have confronted changing attitudes regarding the meaning and purpose of sex, the definition of marriage, the responsibility of fathers, and the status of children. They also discuss how family law in America is beginning to acknowledge certain religious traditions and how comparative religious ethics can explain and evaluate diverse family customs.

Studies concerning the impact of religious thought and behavior on American society have never been more timely or important. Recent global events cannot be fully understood without comprehending how belief systems function and the many ways they can be employed to the benefit and detriment of societies. Responding to this critical need, American Religions and the Family presents a comprehensive portrait of religious cultures in America and offers secular society a pathway for appreciating religious tradition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231510820
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	12/19/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Don S. Browning is Alexander Professor Emeritus of Religious Ethics and the Social Sciences and former director of the Religion, Culture, and Family Project at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is the author of eleven books, most recently Marriage and Modernization: How Globalization Threatens Marriage and What to Do About It and Christian Ethics and the Moral Psychologies.David A. Clairmont is assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and former project coordinator for the Religion, Culture, and Family Project. His research and teaching interests include Catholic moral theology, Franciscan spirituality, comparative religious ethics, and the moral thought of Theravada Buddhism.

Table of Contents

Preface
Part 1: American Religions: The Question of Modernization and Family Life
1. Introduction
David A. Clairmont and Don S. Browning
2. Immigrant American Religions and the Family: New Diversity and Conservatism
Paul D. Numrich
Part 2: Family Traditions in the American Religions
3. The Cultural Contradictions of Mainline Family Ideology and Practice
W. Bradford Wilcox and Elizabeth Williamson
4. Evangelicals, Family, and Modernity
Margaret Bendroth
5. Native American Families and Religion
Raymond A. Bucko
6. Marriage, Family, and the Modern Catholic Mind
Julie Hanlon Rubio
7. Generative Approaches to Modernity, Discrimination, and Black Families
Robert M. Franklin
8. Latter-day Saint Marriage and Family Life in Modern America
David C. Dollahite
9. What Is a Jewish Family? The Radicalization of Rabbinic Discourse
Jack Wertheimer
10. Confucian "Familism" in America
Jeffrey F. Meyer
11. Family Life and Spiritual Kinship in American Buddhist Communities
Charles S. Prebish
12. Hindu Family in America
Raymond Brady Williams
13. Islam and the Family in North America
Jane I. Smith
Part 3: Public Frontiers for American Religions and the Family
14. Religion and Modernity in American Family Law
Lee E. Teitelbaum
15. Comparative Religion, Ethics, and American Family Life:
Concluding Questions and Future Directions
David A. Clairmont
The Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

Martin E. Marty

American Religions and the Family brings together specialists focusing on families in particular religious traditions who fasten on the most urgent questions. It offers a significant contribution to the field—nowhere else can you get all this in one book.

R. Stephen Warner

American religion is more diverse than ever. Its bearing on social and cultural issues, especially on issues of 'the family' is a matter of lively speculation and debate, and there is very little available and accessible literature addressing the topic with respect to the full range of American religion. This book is unique.

Steven L. Nock

A timely, important, and engaging book, American Religions and the Family explores the two core and complex social institutions that most influence identity and society. Contributors consider the responses of these cultural systems to each other and to the challenging forces of modernization. The book breaks new ground by showing how modernization and responses to it influence the most fundamental human social organizations and personal identity. This terrific book will be valuable to anyone who wants to consider how Americans understand change, faith, and family.

Editorial Reviews

The volume is stumulating, readable, and relevant.

BYU Studies - Loren Marks

A timely... well-researched, solidly structured book.

H-Ideas - Michael LeFlem

A timely... well-researched, solidly structured book.

— Michael LeFlem

H-Ideas

The volume is stumulating, readable, and relevant.

— Loren Marks

BYU Studies