Gr 10 Up-Balanced, broad-minded, and inclusive of people of color and women, these historical accounts present a great deal of information on the influence of specific religious groups on American life. The first book covers beliefs and spiritual practices in considerable depth, since these elements distinguish Methodists and Baptists from the rest of Protestantism. Ingersoll clarifies the highly personal, emotional nature of evangelical religion and shows how various forms developed from the First Great Awakening 200 years ago to the current "new paradigm" churches that attract Generation Xers with contemporary music. Melton's approach is a bit more scholarly, presenting Protestant religious beliefs mostly in an introduction and covering institutional history, primarily of the larger "mainline" denominations like the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Dutch Reformed churches. Much of the discussion is of variations in church governance practices rather than beliefs, though social issues, including peace and labor issues and ordination of women and sexual minorities, are thoroughly treated. Both books document how the faiths adapted to conditions in the U.S. after their genesis in Europe. Black-and-white photographs and text boxes appear throughout. The writing style in both titles is clear but not very exciting, so use is likely to be limited to reports. Mark Noll's Protestants in America (Oxford, 2000) also combines coverage of mainstream and evangelical Protestantism, but offers less material on women and gays/lesbians/bisexuals/transgendered people.-Jonathan Betz-Zall, City University Library, Everett, WA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
