Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone draws attention to the dwindling sense of communal responsibility in America. Convincingly drawing on data over the past century, Putnam outlines how membership in organizations and even recreational interaction has plummeted starting in the 1960s. Departing from traditional explanations, Putnam links this decline not to the changing family structure or work schedule, but more decidedly to the exchange of physical capital for social capital in the younger generation. Putnam outlines the severe penalties this lack of involvement has on the American population, including decreased security, a slackening economy and even deterioration of physiological health. He concludes by urging his readers to begin a new era of innovation and involvement modeled on American activism at the start of the Twentieth Century. ~ Teresa Moore
57
Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000. 544pp.
in brief
After September 11, it became clear that religious conviction can intensify to the point of extreme violence. There are certain factors within all religious traditions that inevitably lead to evil and violence: blind obedience, claims about absolute truth, the conviction that the ends justify the means, the establishment of an ideal time, and the declaration of a “Holy War.” At the same time, Charles Kimball, an ordained minister and professor at Wake Forest University, explains that religion can be life affirming and has brought meaning to the lives of thousands of people. While his argument focuses on Christianity and Islam, the world’s two largest religions, other religious traditions are discussed. The book is made all the more vivid and accessible through Kimball’s use of detail from his experience as a director of interfaith programs and a facilitator in the Iranian crisis. ~ Amanda Knapp
aegis 2004
Kimball, Charles. When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs. San Francisco: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003. 256pp.
