In the last fifty years, religion in America has changed dramatically, and Mainline Protestantism is following suit. This book reveals a fundamental transformation taking place in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA is looking to postdenominational Christianity for inspiration on how to attract people to the pews, but is at the same time intent on preserving its confessional, liturgical tradition as much as possible in late modernity. As American religion grows increasingly experiential and individualistic, the ELCA is caught between its church heritage and a highly innovative culture that demands participative structures and a personal relationship with the divine. In the midst of this tension, the ELCA is deflating its church hierarchy and encouraging people to become involved in congregations on their own terms, while it continues to celebrate its confessional, liturgical identity. But can this balance between individual and institution be upheld in the long run? Or will the democratization and pluralization of the faith ultimately undermine the church? This book explores how the ELCA attempts to resist the forces of Americanization in late modernity even as it slowly but surely comes to resemble mainstream American religion more and more.

About the Author
Maren Freudenberg is research associate at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum in Germany.

Reviews
Maren Freudenberg's The Mainline in Late Modernity is exactly the book that scholars of Mainline Protestantism have been waiting for: a case study of a denomination that has weathered the decline sparked by the Long 1960s and made it to the twenty-first century. In Freudenberg's able hands, the story of how some Evangelical Lutheran congregations are attempting to not just survive but thrive in the new millennium is told for the first time. In doing so, Freudenberg challenges readers to contemplate anew Mainline decline and the future of denominationalism in the United States. -- Jason S. Lantzer, Butler University
The Mainline in Late Modernity presents intriguing findings suggesting that Mainline Protestantism is undergoing a significant shift in values and practices as it seeks to minister to a society shaped by pluralization, subjectivity, and individualization. Freudenberg fleshes out her provocative thesis with an engaging study of mainline Lutherans and how they are trying to strike a truce between their confessional heritage and a new 'pietism' that stresses experiential worship and lay participation. This book should be required reading for all those seeking to understand the changing terrain of American Christianity. -- Richard Cimino, coauthor of Atheist Awakening: Secular Activism and Community in America
Maren Freudenberg offers an incisive investigation of the greatly altered terrain of American religious life in the early twenty-first century. A decrease in cultural support for organized religion, the rise of individualized forms of piety and religious practice, and a marked decreased in the value placed on tradition have all taken their toll on 'Mainline' congregations while giving birth to other movements like the Emerging Church. Yet, as Freudenberg convincingly argues, there are profound assets within established religious traditions if leaders-both clergy and lay-are willing to adapt them to changing times. Her argument and evidence give hope not simply to established churches, but to all Christian leaders interested in nurturing a revival of authentic Christian faith in the coming decades. -- David J. Lose, senior pastor of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church (Minneapolis, MN) and past president of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia



Book Information
ISBN 9781498555845
Author Maren Freudenberg
Format Hardback
Page Count 242
Imprint Lexington Books
Publisher Lexington Books
Weight(grams) 535g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 160mm * 23mm