Choice Review
For anyone who harbors the illusion that American Evangelicalism is still a monolithic entity, this cacophony of voices will be a good corrective. Serious students will need to consult some of the sources from which these short selections have been taken. Piety and Politics is divided into three parts: (1) explorations of the cultural roots of evangelicalism (George Marsden's ``The Evangelical Denomination'' will be most helpful); (2) debates among evangelicals themselves concerning diagnoses of, and prescriptions for, the ills of modern America; and, finally, (3) ``outsider'' analyses of the significance of evangelical political activism. There are several important omissions. There is no good discussion of secularism, only assumptions of its nefarious nature. Moreover, there is no mention of Evangelical-Jewish conversation-a significant and peculiar omission, given the importance of the Evangelical Right's call for a Christian America and the importance of the symbol of Israel in the millenialist fantasies of conservative Evangelicals. This will be a useful anthology for public and undergraduate libraries.-E.T. Linenthal, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh