A well-worn, often-told tale of woe. American higher education has been secularized.Religion on campus has declined, died, ordisappeared. Deemed irrelevant, there is no room for the sacred in American colleges and universities.While the idea thatreligionis unwelcome in higher education is often discussed, and uncritically affirmed, John Schmalzbauer andKathleenMahoney directly challenge thisdominantnarrative. The Resilience of Religion in American Higher Education documents a surprising openness to religion in collegiate communities. Schmalzbauer andMahoneydevelop this claim in three areas: academic scholarship, church-related higher education, and student life. They highlight growing interest in the study of religion across the disciplines, as well as a willingness to acknowledge the intellectual relevance of religious commitments. The Resilience of Religion in American Higher Education also reveals how church-related colleges are taking their founding traditions more seriously, even as they embrace religious pluralism. Finally, the volume chronicles the diversification of student religious life, revealing the longevity of campus spirituality. Far from irrelevant, religion matters in higher education. As Schmalzbauer and Mahoney show, religious initiatives lead institutions to engage with cultural diversity and connect spirituality with academic and student life,heightening attention to the sacredon both secular and church-related campuses.
John Schmalzbauer teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at Missouri State University where he holds the Blanche Gorman Strong Chair in Protestant Studies. He is the author of People of Faith: Religious Conviction in American Journalism and Higher Education.
"This is a most impressive book that I am happy to recommend. It demonstrates that during the past thirty years, religion has made a notable comeback on many fronts in American higher education. It is impressively researched, remarkably comprehensive, and admirably balanced." -George Marsden, author of The Soul of the American University and The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship "For decades, conventional wisdom saw Americas universities as bastions of secularity and agents of secularization. But the authors of this book show that interest in religion has grown robustly on campus, among both faculty members and students. Religion thrives now, both as a subject of study and as a personal quest. College graduates now are more religiously observant than non-attenders, and there has been a major outpouring of religiously focused scholarship and art. This book is a tour de force, a major synthesis of decades of research. It will change the conversation about religion and higher education." -Joel Carpenter, Professor and Director of Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, Calvin College The Resilience of Religion in American Higher Education is an essential read for individuals working with religion on today's campus, whether they are administrators, ministers, faculty, or the average person in a faith community who wants to support religious and spiritual exploration by college students. -- Amy J. Rio -- Convergence Magazine This study is carefully argued and exhaustively researched. Schmalzbauer and Mahoney make their claims clear, provide ample theoretical grounding (particularly in sociological terms), and assemble an impressive array of evidence. -- Benjamin P. Leavitt -- Reading Religion
