Spiritual marketplace : baby boomers and the remaking of American religion / Wade Clark Roof.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roof, Wade Clark.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Baby boom generation.

Baby boom generation--Religious life.

United States--Religion--1960-.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (378 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In large chain bookstores the "religion" section is gone and in its place is an expanding number of topics including angels, Sufism, journey, recovery, meditation, magic, inspiration, Judaica, astrology, gurus, Bible, prophesy, evangelicalism, Mary, Buddhism, Catholicism, and esoterica. As Wade Clark Roof notes, such changes over the last two decades reflect a shift away from religion as traditionally understood to more diverse and creative approaches. But what does this splintering of the religious perspective say about Americans? Have we become more interested in spiritual concerns or have we become lost among trends? Do we value personal spirituality over traditional religion and no longer see ourselves united in a larger community of faith? Roof first credited this religious diversity to the baby boomers in his bestselling A Generation of Seekers (1993). He returns to interview many of these people, now in mid-life, to reveal a generation with a unique set of spiritual values--a generation that has altered our historic interpretations of religious beliefs, practices, and symbols, and perhaps even our understanding of the sacred itself. The quest culture created by the baby boomers has generated a "marketplace" of new spiritual beliefs and practices and of revisited traditions. As Roof shows, some Americans are exploring faiths and spiritual disciplines for the first time; others are rediscovering their lost traditions; others are drawn to small groups and alternative communities; and still others create their own mix of values and metaphysical beliefs. Spiritual Marketplace charts the emergence of five subcultures: dogmatists, born-again Christians, mainstream believers, metaphysical believers and seekers, and secularists. Drawing on surveys and in-depth interviews for over a decade, Roof reports on the religious and spiritual styles, family patterns, and moral vision and values for each of these subcultures. The result is an innovative, engaging approach to understanding how religious life is being reshaped as we move into the next century.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION. On Maps and Terrains

CHAPTER 1. Varieties of Spiritual Quest

CHAPTER 2. The Making of a Quest Culture

CHAPTER 3. Spiritual Marketplace

CHAPTER 4. On Being Fluid and Grounded

CHAPTER 5. A Quest for What?

CHAPTER 6. Redrawing the Boundaries

CHAPTER 7. Realigning Family and Religion

CHAPTER 8.2 Moral Vision and Values

CONCLUSION "Whirl Is King, Having Driven Out Zeus"

APPENDIX. 3Methodology

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-360) and index.

ISBN:

9786612457876

9781400806720

1400806720

9781400817764

1400817765

9781400823086

1400823080

9781282457874

128245787X

9781400813179

1400813174

OCLC:

700687003