Church History in Plain Language (Plain Language Series)

by Bruce L. Shelley

In the 1970s, Jimmy Carter, the former Georgia governor, was a symbol of a revitalized evangelical Christianity in the United States. The old-time religion was showing remarkable signs of new life. Many Americans found this surprising. They had been brought up to think that revivalism was the province of faith healers, holy rollers, and counterfeit preachers—a thing of high emotions, bad taste, and simplemindedness. Yet in the 1970s prominent figures by the scores—in politics, sports, and entertainment—spoke freely about their faith in Christ. Religion that was supposedly confined to the Bible Belt suddenly appeared all over the country. America, it seemed, had discovered born-again Christianity. After a generation of steady growth, Evangelicals numbered 45 million in the United States, and had completely changed the face of American Protestantism.