Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 214
•
Trim: 6½ x 9½
978-1-4422-2406-3 • Hardback • November 2014 • $53.00 • (£41.00)
978-1-4422-2407-0 • eBook • November 2014 • $50.00 • (£38.00)
George Yancey is professor of sociology at the University of North Texas. He is the author of numerous books, including Compromising Scholarship: Religious and Political Bias in American Higher Education and Dehumanizing Christians: Cultural Competition in a Multicultural World. His teaching and research focus on race and religion.
David A. Williamson is associate professor of sociology at the University of North Texas and author with George Yancey of What Motivates Cultural Progressives? And There is No God: Atheists in America. He has taught extensively and conducted research for more than 20 years in the U.S., Israel, and Africa.
1 – Introduction
2 – A History of Anti-Christian Hostility in the United States
3 – Who are those with Christian Animosity?
4 – How Anti-Christian Hostility Shapes Perceptions of Christians
5 – Dehumanizing and Hating Christians
6 – What do Those with Anti-Christian Animosity Want?
7 – Christianophobia in the United States
8 – Conclusion
References
Appendix A
Appendix B
Yancey and Williamson explore anti-Christian attitudes in US society. Though they nod to historical precedent in the intellectual history of the 18th and 19th centuries, the authors focus primarily on current trends. They find that those who hold anti-Christian sentiments tend to have higher social status and to be better educated, more politically progressive, and less religious than other Americans. Moreover, the negative sentiment is directed not so much at Christianity in general as toward Christianity in its conservative/fundamentalist expressions. The authors conclude that progressives’ hostility derives from fear that conservatives seek to achieve political control to impose anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-pluralist views on society and thereby restrict individual liberties and choices. Progressives currently exercise a great deal of influence in American life. They cherish rationality, individual liberty, and toleration of others and resent intolerant Christians who seek to undermine their values and impose one exclusive view on all citizens. This aspect of the culture wars has long been recognized. The authors acknowledge limitations of their sources and admit a level of speculation. The value of this study is that it begins to document and analyze the presence of current anti-fundamentalist sentiments in the US. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. All readers.
— Choice Reviews
[T]he analytical manner in which the authors reported this hostility gave me the emotional freedom to pause and think more objectively about the animosity I’ve experienced. It let me put that animosity at arm’s length for a while. It gave me a chance to consider how I should respond. . . .This book helped me slow down, reflect, remember, and possibly be more prepared for the next time I’m tested. I want to be treated as human. Therefore I’m committed to treating even antagonists and dehumanizers as human.
— Breakpoint Commentary
Provocative, engaging, and never a dull moment. No matter your views, this well-researched book will challenge and increase your understanding with its in-depth look at America’s deep culture war. The best book on the topic to date.
— Michael O. Emerson, professor of sociology and co-director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University; author of Divided by Faith
A fine piece of research on a very neglected topic. Anti-Christian hostility is widespread among the academic and chattering classes.
— Rodney Stark, co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University; author of Religious Hostility
Likely to become a standard reference work for anyone examining hostility to Christians in America.
— Marvin Olasky, editor–in–chief, World News Group
This book is yet another significant contribution by George Yancey. George Yancey and David A. Williamson grapple with a topic that few in academia are willing to engage—anti-Christian phobia. It is a look at how even those who should know better—those with the educational background and social status to combat bias and bigotry—can be susceptible to becoming a purveyor of intolerance, bigotry, and hatred.
— Marie A. Eisenstein, Indiana University Northwest
What explains the recent rise in animosity toward conservative Christians? Who among us is more likely to openly express such intolerance? Yancey and Williams answer these, as well as many other important questions, in their new book, So Many Christians, So Few Lions. They use established research methods and innovative techniques in explaining the emergence of ‘Christianophobia’—a phenomenon present in national survey data and explained in-depth by everyday Americans. This interesting and engaging text reveals new insights on how the changing dynamics of religious affiliation in the contemporary US can foster antagonisms toward evangelical Christians.
— Jason Shelton, University of Texas at Arlington
Tackles the taboo topic of anti-Christian bias
Argues that Christianophobia, or a strong fear or hatred towards Christians, is an important dimension of religious intolerance to understand
Explores both the history and the present of anti-Christian bias in America
Documents that anti-Christian bias exists, particularly against conservative Christians
Includes interview excerpts that show how people with anti-Christian bias express their viewpoints
Offers suggestions for combatting religious intolerance