Why America needs religion : secular modernity and its discontents / Guenter Lewy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lewy, Guenter, 1923-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christianity--United States.

Christianity.

United States.

Secularism--United States.

Secularism.

United States--Moral conditions.

Moral conditions.

Religion and ethics.

Christianity and culture.

Physical Description:

xii, 160 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Grand Rapids, Mich. : W.B. Eerdmans, [1996]

Summary:

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. What is wrong with America? It has often called itself a Christian nation, yet its social and moral problems are legion. The increasing rates of crime, juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy, sexual promiscuity, and divorce are frequently linked to the declining importance of religious belief. But is there more than a presumed link between the strength of personal religiousness and moral behavior? Yes, says Guenter Lewy, and the large quantity of empirical data in existence which establishes that link ought to move people -- Christians and non-Christians alike -- to sit up and take note. In this trenchant analysis of the moral decline of modern America, Lewy describes the moral crisis caused by secular modernity and points to the role of religiousness -- especially Christian religiousness -- as a necessary bulwark against today's social ills. This work is all the more intriguing in that Lewy is an agnostic who has nonetheless concluded that a society that cuts itself off from the religious roots of its moral heritage is doomed to decline. Lewy traces the rise of secularism in Western society, focusing particularly on the cult of individualism, and describes the social consequences of the weakened role of religion. He demonstrates that the crisis of the family and the rise of the underclass in our inner cities are linked to the decline of traditional values and shows, on the basis of surveys and other empirical data, that genuine religiousness can ward off some of the corrosive effects of modernity. Lewy concludes by calling on Christians, adherents of other faiths, and true humanists to join forces in the struggle to reverse the current ethos of radical individualism that threatens the moral integrity of our society.

Contents:

1. Christianity and Western Civilization: A Historical Prologue 1

The Case against Christianity 2

The Case for Christianity 8

Ambivalence and Moral Ambiguity 12

The Unattainable Moral Balance Sheet 19

2. The Rise of Secularism 23

The Heritage of the Enlightenment 25

Secular Humanism 29

3. The Culture of Modernity and Its Social Consequences 43

The Decline of the Family 43

The Problem of the Underclass 54

4. Is America Becoming a More Secular Society? 65

Church Membership and Attendance 67

Values and Beliefs 74

The Role of Age and Education 77

5. Religiousness and Moral Conduct: Are Believing Christians Different? 87

Juvenile Delinquency 91

Adult Crime 95

Prejudice and Intolerance 99

Single Parenthood among Teenagers 103

Divorce 107

6. The Need for Religiousness 117

The Importance of Moral Education 120

The Role of the Churches and Personal Discipline 124

Religion and Morality: A Personal Assessment 131.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 147-154) and index.

ISBN:

0802841627

OCLC:

34943170