Includes bibliographical references (p. [351]-370) and index.
Contents:
Introduction. Confronting diversity -- 1. A special people in a diverse world -- First encounters -- Toward a new nation -- From missions to comparative religion -- The Tripartite settlement -- Beyond Christian America? -- 2. The new diversity -- American Hindus -- American Buddhists -- American Muslims -- Living among Christians -- Pluralism or coexistence? -- 3. The significance of religious diversity -- A threat to democracy? -- Fairness and decency -- Challenges to American values -- Religion as moral order -- 4. Embracing diversity : shopping in the spiritual marketplace -- Trev Granger's story -- Becoming a spiritual shopper -- The shopping mentality -- Toward a new consciousness? -- 5. "Many mansions" : accepting diversity -- Sandra Michaelson : beauty in every religion -- Coming to terms with diversity -- How to be an inclusive Christian -- Envisioning an inclusive society -- 6. "One way" : resisting diversity -- Trisha Mobley : "it is written" -- The road to resistance -- Maintaining an exclusivist worldview -- The social implications of Christian exclusivism -- 7. The public's beliefs and practices -- Beliefs about religious truth -- Views of America -- The impact of non-Western religions -- Social and cultural factors -- Interreligious contact and attitudes -- Interreligious programs -- Conclusions -- 8. How congregations manage diversity -- What churches are doing -- The role of theology -- Strategies of avoidance -- Strategies of engagement -- The imprint of pluralism -- Beyond insularity? -- 9. Negotiating religiously mixed marriages -- Falling in love -- Negotiating with religious authorities -- The parsing of practices -- Disaggregating religious identities -- The normalization of diversity -- From religion to culture -- 10. How pluralistic should we be? -- Reflective pluralism -- The case for cooperation -- An effort to promote understanding -- Multiple models -- Why interreligious efforts fail -- How interreligious efforts succeed -- What else needs to be done -- Extrapolating to other kinds of diversity -- The challenges ahead.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.