One Faith No Longer

Product Description
Irreconcilable differences drive the division between progressive and conservative Christians―is there a divorce coming?Much attention has been paid to political polarization in America, but far less to the growing schism between progressive and conservative Christians. In this groundbreaking new book, George Yancey and Ashlee Quosigk offer the provocative contention that progressive and conservative Christianities have diverged so much in their core values that they ought to be thought of as two separate religions. The authors draw on both quantitative data and interviews to uncover how progressive and conservative Christians determine with whom they align themselves religiously, and how they distinguish themselves from each other. They find that progressive Christians emphasize political agreement relating to social justice issues as they determine who is part of their in-group, and focus less on theological agreement. Among conservative Christians, on the other hand, the major concern is whether one agrees with them on core theological points. Progressive and conservative Christians thus use entirely different factors in determining their social identity and moral values.In a time when religion and politics have never seemed so intertwined, One Faith No Longer offers a timely and compelling reframing of an age-old conflict.
Review
"Traces the fault lines of an entrenched division in Christian identities between progressives and conservatives, explored in the light of divergent attitudes to Islam and Muslims. The bifurcation runs deep, cutting across long-established identities such as ‘Protestant,’ ‘Catholic,’ and ‘Evangelical,’ to the extent of calling into question the continued relevance of the term
Christian as a shared label. The authors’ prophetic thesis anticipates a permanent parting of the ways―one religion becoming two―which will dramatically reshape the role of faith in America’s public life." -- Mark Durie, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Theology
"In this provocative new book, George Yancey and Ashlee Quosigk boldly argue that progressive and conservative Christians have diverged so much in their politics, theologies, and sources of meaning that we should now think of them as different religions. Bolstered with forensic quantitative analysis and refreshing, original qualitative work, their argument is as compelling as it will be controversial. . . . A must-read for those wishing to learn more about the United States’ ‘culture war’ and the role of religion in it." -- Gladys Ganiel, co-author of The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity
"Yancey and Quosigk address what makes a distinct, separate religion, as opposed to a variation within a larger faith tradition ... They find that progressive Evangelicals were less comfortable with the descriptor “Evangelical,” and were more apt to make common cause with fellow progressives than conservative Evangelicals and to avoid collaboration even where interests converge. Yancey and Quosigk find that religious motivation also diverges: conservatives ground their actions in their desire to pattern their lives on a biblically derived imperative, while progressives look instead to humanitarian ideals." ―
Library Journal
About the Author
George Yancey is Professor of Sociology at Baylor University and author of
What Motivates Cultural Progressives and
So Many Christians, So Few Lions.
Ashlee Quosigk is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Religion at the University of Georgia and author of
American Evangelicals: Conflicted on Islam.