Why America Needs Religion: Secular Modernity and Its Discontents

by Guenter Lewy

Book Overview

In this trenchant analysis of the moral decline of modern America, Lewy describes the moral crisis caused by secular modernity and points to the role of religiousness as a necessary bulwark against today's social ills.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802841627
• ISBN13: 9780802841629
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

An impressive read

I was surprised to learn that the author is agnostic, as he admits in the preface. He does a balanced job of explaining the good and bad of religious belief in the modern world as well as what secular humanism has to offer. Then, he uses sociological studies to show that religion offers more benefits than a purely humanistic worldview. What I found interesting is the comparision between the decline of members in mainline Protestant churches and the corresponding increase in members in evangelical churches, which stress a personal commitment to Christ. Or, as the Bible, puts it: "Faith without works is dead."

This book can change a society.

I review hundreds of books a year for my radio talk show, and have written three (the latest is Think a Second Time, HarperCollins). This short readable book by an agnostic is one of the few that I consider essential. It demonstrates beyond rational doubt why America needs religion. The data and the fairness are awe-inspiring. Dennis Prage