Evangelicals and the Continental Divide
Author | : Samuel Harold Reimer |
Publisher | : McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP |
Total Pages | : 249 |
Release | : 2003 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780773525924 |
ISBN-13 | : 0773525920 |
Rating | : 4/5 (24 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: In Evangelicals and the Continental Divide Sam Reimer finds surprising levels of uniformity among evangelicals on both sides of the border. He shows that both American and Canadian evangelicals share highly similar religious identities, central beliefs, moral and subcultural boundaries, and social attitudes. Reimer found that American evangelicals did not distinguish themselves through greater conservatism or greater commitment but did connect politics and faith to a much greater extent than their Canadian counterparts, while evangelicals in Canada evinced greater tolerance. He argues that these differences point to an enduring importance of national historical and cultural differences, whereas regional differences are not as significant.Using data obtained from 118 in-depth interviews with evangelicals in both countries as well as a representative poll of 3,000 Canadians and 3,000 Americans, Reimer details the inner workings of the evangelical subculture and gives us an understanding of evangelical similarities and differences across the two nations.