All in sync: how music and art are revitalizing American religion

302 Pages·1.265 MB·English

by  Wuthnow, Robert

All in Sync
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the
generous contribution to this book provided
by the General Endowment Fund of the
University of California Press Associates.
All in Sync
How Music and Art Are Revitalizing
American Religion
Robert Wuthnow
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley / Los Angeles / London
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2003 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wuthnow, Robert.
All in sync : how music and art are revitalizing American religion /
Robert Wuthnow.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN0-520-23769-2 (alk. paper)
1. United States—Religion. 2. Art and religion. I. Title.
bl2525 .w853 2003
291.3(cid:1)7(cid:1)0973—dc21 2002067878
Manufactured in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication is both acid-free and totally chlorine-
free (TCF). It meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992
(R1997)(Permanence of Paper). (cid:1)(cid:2)
Sometimes when we’re singing and the spirit is moving,
it’s almost like the roof goes away and you can see the
heavens. When we’re all in sync, you can feel the spirit
moving.
Church member
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
List of Tables xi
Preface xiii
1. A Puzzle: The Question of Religious Vitality 1
Explaining Religious Vitality 8
Rethinking the Conventional Wisdom 12
Are the Arts a Factor? 16
2. Contemporary Spirituality:
Seeking the Sacred in an Era of Uncertainty 21
The Search for Spirituality 23
Practices with Roots 27
Involvement in a Religious Community 32
Devotion to a Tradition 39
Effort Devoted to Spiritual Growth 43
Practices with Results 47
Evangelicals, Mainliners, and Catholics 49
Summing Up 52
3. A Blending of Cultures: The Arts and Spirituality 56
Childhood Exposure to the Arts 59
Adult Participation in the Arts 60
Expressing Creativity 64
Self-Definition and Valuing the Arts 65
A Summary Measure 66
The Arts and Spirituality 68
Social Factors 72
Making the Connections 75
4. Personal Spirituality:
Art and the Practice of Spiritual Discipline 79
Rediscovering Prayer 83
Spiritual Direction 93
Art and Discipline 103
Times of Trial 109
The Role of Groups 113
From Self to Service 122
The Arts and Devotional Life 130
5. The Joy of Worship:
Expression and Tradition in Congregational Life 134
The Artistic Involvement of Church Members 137
What Churches Are Doing 142
Contemporary Worship 151
Liturgical Renewal 168
The Difference It Makes 179
6. Redeeming the Imagination:
The Arts and Spiritual Virtue 183
What Americans Try to Imagine 185
Changing Meanings of the Imagination 189
The Imagination and Faith 192
The Imagination and Hope 198
The Imagination and Community 203
Encouraging the Imagination 209
7. The Morality Problem:
Why Churches and Artists Disagree 213
Public Perceptions of the Arts 214
What Arts Leaders Think 224
Church Leaders’ Views 228
Evangelicals Talk about the Arts 230
Working Together? 234
8. The Artist in Everyone:
Faithful Living in a Spiritual Democracy 236
The Arts as a Resource 236
A Spiritual Democracy? 238
Spiritual Formation 240
The Role of Leadership 244
Appendix: Methodology 249
Notes 261
Index 279