fifties spiritual marketplace, The

Book Description

Beneath the polished veneer of 1950s America lay a complex spiritual landscape far removed from the era's reputation for religious conformity and social harmony. Robert S. Ellwood peels back the nostalgic mythology surrounding this pivotal decade to reveal a vibrant and often turbulent religious marketplace where competing faiths, emerging spiritual movements, and underground mystical currents shaped the nation's soul.

This illuminating exploration exposes the deep Catholic-Protestant divisions that fractured communities, the growing tension between scholarly theology and grassroots belief, and the surprising diversity of spiritual seeking that flourished beneath mainstream society's surface. From Beat Zen practitioners to UFO contactees, from Thomas Merton's contemplative monasticism to the resurging interest in mythology through figures like Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, the fifties emerge as a time of remarkable religious experimentation and conflict.

Ellwood presents this decade as a "supply-side" spiritual economy where religious groups competed intensely for followers, driving church attendance to unprecedented heights while fostering innovation and controversy. The narrative weaves together how American believers responded to defining moments like the Korean War, McCarthyism, and the early civil rights movement, demonstrating how spiritual communities both shaped and were shaped by the era's social upheavals.

For readers seeking to understand how spiritual movements develop within broader cultural contexts, this work offers valuable insights into the complex relationship between faith, society, and historical change.