Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America - Softcover

Randall Balmer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019507985X ISBN 13: 9780195079852

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1993

Synopsis

In this evenhanded, reflective series of New Yorker-style profiles, Randall Balmer takes the reader on a cross-country exploration of the evangelical subculture in America. Throughout, Balmer fills in the theological and historical background, creating in effect a capsule history of evangelicalism. Through the eyes of the people Balmer meets, we are able to see into the heart of American evangelicalism and arrive at a more accurate, balanced portrait of this tradition.
For this edition, Balmer has added two new chapters--one offering a fascinating profile of disgraced TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, and the other a behind-the-scenes portrait of a Christian rock band on tour.

About this title

About the Author:

About the Author:
Randall Balmer, a historian of American religion, teaches at Barnard College, Coumbia University. His first book, A Perfect Babel of Confusion: Dutch Religion and English Culture in the Middle Colonies (Oxford, 1989), has received several awards, and his weekly commentaries on American religion are distributed by the New York Times News Service.

Review:

"A sensitive, informed, often moving account of lifestles and belief systems that coexist with--but are usually set apart from--secular mainstream America....Provides a carefully crafted portrait of religious diversity that is both generous and critical but never patronizing....We can all read
this book with profit."--Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

"Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is a book about the sawdust trail that glitters like angel dust. It is witty, lively, and richly informative--written with real style and sophistication, and a delight to read."--Frederick Buechner

"This compelling account makes Randall Balmer the William Least Heat Moon of American evangelicalism. Just as Blue Highways opened up an ordinary America beyond the bright city lights, so Balmer goes beyond media stars like Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham, and Jimmy Swaggart to illuminate the
local realities of evangelical life. The worlds of Protestant conservatives are complex--filled overfull with the eccentric and the authentic, locked tightly in the grip of kitsch as well as the grip of grace. In describig that world from Oregon to New Hampshire, Des Moines to Phoenix, Mississippi
to North Dakota--Balmer doesn't miss a nuance or a beat."--Mark A. Noll, Wheaton College

"Easily the best participant-observer study of the evangelical landscape in contemporary America. He combines the insight of the trained historian with the deft instincts of the birthright insider. The product is at once a critical, painfully funny, warmly sympathetic exploration of the
multiple subcultures of a sprawling religious tradition that is all too easily stereotyped--and dismissed--as monolithic fundamentalism."--Grant Wacker, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

"American evangelicalism is as diverse as the nation's landscape. Balmer's book is an extraordinary religious travelogue through that complicated subculture....After reading [his] book, popular stereotypes of 'evangelicals' and 'fundamentalists' will never again be quite so clearly
focused."--David Edwin Harrell, Jr., University of Alabama, Birmingham

"Presents a cross section of modern evangelical Christianity in America....[Balmer's] presentation is very even-handed."--Library Journal

"A fascinating, loving book."--The Des Moines Register

"Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is the best introduction I have found to the varieties of religious life among American evangelists. It is at once a lively and entertaining travelogue and deeper exploration of the many cultures of evangelicism. Balmer has his opinions and he does not hide
them, but he is always a sympathetic listener."--Frances Fitzgerald, author of Cities on a Hill

"Fascinating....This is a wonderful book....Fair, insightful and respectful....Balmer understands what he sees, but has enough distance from his subject to be analytical. Outsiders will learn much from his carefully nuanced insights; nad insiders will frequently have to nod their heads in
agreement: this man knows what he is talking about."--Church History

"A very readable, insightful look at the diversity of "evangelicals" who are misunderstood by the press, by outsiders, and often don't fully understand themselves--therefore, Balmer makes a valuable contribution in this area."--Carolyn D. Blevins, Carson-Newman College

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 019507985X
• ISBN 13: 9780195079852
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320