Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America

Through a nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 people and an additional 200 face-to-face interviews, Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith probed the grassroots of white evangelical America. They found that despite recent efforts by the movement's leaders to address the problem of racial discrimination, evangelicals themselves seem to be preserving America's racial chasm. In fact, most white evangelicals see no systematic discrimination against blacks. But the authors contend that it is not active racism that prevents evangelicals from recognizing ongoing problems in American society. Instead, it is the evangelical movement's emphasis on individualism, free will, and personal relationships that makes invisible the pervasive injustice that perpetuates racial inequality. Most racial problems, the subjects told the authors, can be solved by the repentance and conversion of the sinful individuals at fault. Combining a substantial body of evidence with sophisticated analysis and interpretation, the authors throw sharp light on the oldest American dilemma. In the end, they conclude that despite the best intentions of evangelical leaders and some positive trends, real racial reconciliation remains far over the horizon.

About the Author :
Michael O. Emerson is the author of over fifteen books and 100 other publications. Considered one of the nation's leading scholars of religion and race, he has won multiple research and teaching awards. His work has been funded by several million dollars in grants, and he has appeared on national and international media outlets for the past quarter of a century. As the Chavanne Fellow in Religion and Public Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, a leading nonpartisan thinktank, he works to communicate the implications of American religious life for national policies, and to help policymakers understand the impact of policy on US religions. Christian Smith is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society, and director of the Center for Social Research at the University of Notre Dame. Stephen Bel Davies has recorded over a hundred titles in association with Audible Studios, Deyan Audio, Brilliance, and Tantor. He has narrated books by several New York Times bestselling authors, including Jeffrey Toobin, Jennifer Roberson, Piers Anthony, Walter Kern, J. A. Redmerski, and A. G. Riddle. He was trained at The Juilliard School Drama Division.