Redeeming culture
Book Description
In the landscape of American spiritual and intellectual life, few tensions have proven as enduring or transformative as the ongoing dialogue between scientific inquiry and religious faith. James Burkhart Gilbert's compelling exploration takes readers on a fascinating journey through nearly four decades of cultural evolution, beginning with the pivotal Scopes trial of 1925.
This thoughtful examination reveals how ordinary Americans navigated the complex terrain where empirical knowledge meets spiritual understanding. Gilbert illuminates the diverse voices that shaped this conversation, from academic circles to popular entertainment, from religious communities across denominational lines to the broader public sphere. Rather than presenting a simple conflict narrative, he uncovers the nuanced ways different faith traditions found their voice in an increasingly science-oriented society.
What emerges is a remarkable story of cultural adaptation and democratic resilience. Religious communities discovered how to engage scientific authority while maintaining their spiritual integrity, often by appealing to fundamental American values of pluralism and intellectual freedom. They positioned themselves not as opponents of knowledge, but as advocates for multiple ways of understanding human experience.
For contemporary readers seeking to understand how faith and reason can coexist in modern life, Gilbert's work offers valuable insights into the ongoing process of cultural negotiation. His analysis demonstrates how apparent contradictions between different worldviews can actually enrich rather than diminish our collective wisdom, creating space for both scientific discovery and spiritual growth to flourish within the same cultural framework.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Long (> 400 pages) (~11 hours)
🕉️ Tradition: Comparative Religion
📄 Length: 407 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Vie intellectuelle
- ✓ Explore Religion et culture
- ✓ Explore United states, intellectual life
- ✓ Explore 11.05 sociology of religion
- ✓ Explore Religion and culture
- ✓ Explore Religion
- ✓ Explore SCIENCE
- ✓ Explore Intellectual life
