Believers Hardcover - 2006

by Sheler, Jeffery L

A groundbreaking insider's look at the lives and culture of American evangelicals

In Believers, award-winning religion journalist Jeffery L. Sheler offers a unique and intimate look at the evangelical Christian subculture a faith tradition that some sixty millionAmericans call their own. With panoramic sweep and compelling narrative detail, Sheler, who grew up as an evangelical, breaks through the stereotypes to examine not just the big-time ministers but also the ordinary people who make up this dynamic movement. Traveling across the nation, Sheler visits today's evangelicals at work, at home, and at worship to discover how their faith shapes their lives and how they are influencing the public debate in this country. Stops along the way include:

á the trend-setting Saddleback Church, a fifteen-thousand-member congregation in Lake Forest, California, that is a template for the evangelical megachurch movement
á the picturesque campus of Wheaton College in Illinois, the flagship of a burgeoning network of evangelical colleges
á Washington, D.C., where some of evangelicalism's chief political operatives roam the corridors of power

Throughout, Sheler reports that the evangelical movement is much more diverse and complex than often portrayed. At a time when the religious right is more influential than ever, Believers is a timely and eye-opening exploration of the motives, aspirations, and agendas of American evangelicals.