Don't let the page count on this volume fool you. Ellingsen, a professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, packs in a remarkable amount of history, mostly of Christianity in America. He not only addresses Christianity's roots, but its U.S. evolution, its ebb and flow, all in an effort to illustrate what he calls the dominance of the Puritan Paradigm on our social psyche. Complete with explicit (and sometimes excessive) poll numbers on denominational voters, their trends, and their motivations, the argument is well-grounded. With so much attention paid to how we got here, however, Ellingsen neglects where we should go next; the book is more descriptive and diagnostic than prescriptive. This is by no means a light read, but neither is it only for professional politicos and theologians. Readers of Jim Wallis, Michael Lerner, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and others who've addressed the dichotomy between the New Testament Jesus, champion of the poor and forgotten, and the Jesus of the political right will want to add this title to their library, if only for a more in-depth perspective of how American Christianity and politics have changed". (Oct.)" Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
