Saving America?

Based on original research, field work and major studies of the last 20 years, this book will undoubtedly become required reading in the ongoing debate about public funding of religious charities. Publishers Weekly [A] fine book. Wuthnow carefully and clearly analyzes and evaluates the positive roles American religious elites play in maintaining the diversity and cohesiveness of our society and the acceptance of responsibility for helping those in need. Library Journal Wuthnow--as readers of his many previous books would expect--enters this debate armed with good empirical data, which he deftly uses to map out the many interrelated dimensions of faith-based service activity... Wuthnow uses these data ... to address several questions about faith-based services in contemporary America. There is much to learn from his extensive, careful, and clearly presented analyses... In Saving America?, Wuthnow provides much needed, thoughtful empirical analysis of the intertwined relations between churches and social service activities, and in doing so paints a powerful picture of the mutual interdependence of church and state in American society. -- Michele Dillon Commonweal [An] elegantly written and ambitiously comprehensive book... Wuthnow moves beyond congregations to talk about religion's broader effect on volunteering, service recipients and social and human capital... Few academic books provide [this] perspective because few scholars have such wide expertise. -- E. Arthur Farnsley, II The Christian Century The overarching message of Saving America? is that ... our civil society is bound together by the glue of love and compassion... Wuthnow takes us through the intricacies of the body politic and sketches, as well, the outlines of the human heart. To this reader the latter is the far more interesting portrait offered in these pages. Who among us give of themselves, how much, to what, and to what end? -- Paul Wilkes America Wuthnow's book looks not only at how much faith communities are doing to serve the poor but also at how well they are doing it. Saving America? makes a great contribution to the field's literature... Though the book provides an enormous volume of information regarding the formal social service programs of congregations and faith-based nonprofits, Wuthnow concludes that the most important work that religious believers can do to serve the poor is to build caring communities that enfold people in lasting, supportive relationships. -- Amy L. Sherman First Things Saving America? is an important text that places the rhetoric and politics of 'compassionate conservatism' in its broader context. -- Edward Ashbee Journal of American Studies Robert Wuthnow ... is one of the top sociologists of religion in the world. Saving America is a must read for anyone concerned about religion, politics, and America's future. -- Jack T. Hanford Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies