It is a blessing to receive this book just now. Michael Zöller knows America well, and looks at American Catholicism with fresh eyes. He is especially good on the dramatic changes in the structures of the American church during the 30 years following 1963. His unique angle of vision brings out many helpful distinctions that no insider would have noticed.” —Michael Novak, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
“Zöeller opens a comprehensive new chapter in American Catholic studies. The ‘cultural improbability: American Catholicism’ intrigues the European social scientist. This outside observer makes productive use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to examine the impact of individualism on American religious culture and the perserverance of Catholicism, whether it is a theological system, a cultural principle, or a vital community of faith.” —Religious Studies Review
“[Zöeller] brings the analytical strengths of social science to his ambituous but readable one-volume social history of American Roman Catholicism that stretches from Columbus to the mid-1990s.” —Theological Studies
“...the work is recommended for advanced college students, advanced seminarians, and scholars. It was not an easy read, but it offers a distinct and different viewpoint.” —Catholic Library World
“...Zoller brings a keen eye to social forces and dynamics that condition the changing identity of American Catholicism throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Readers will find particularly insightful and enlightening the social analysis he brings... to the book.” —Catholic Southwest
“Writing in the spirit of Alexis de Tocqueville, Michael Zoller provides a distinctive outsider’s perspective on the American Catholic and religious experience. Readers will find Professor Zoller’s social history, covering the years from 1492 through 1993, extremely valuable for three reasons. First, he provides a vast amount of useful information and data derived from a judicious mix of qualitative and quantitative sources. Second, he generates many intriguing insights about the myriad events, processes, and individuals studied. Finally, Professor Zoller provides an important and comprehensive theoretical interpretation of the American Catholic experience that deserves a respectful hearing and much reflection and discussion.” —The Catholic Social Science Review
It is a blessing to receive this book just now. Michael Zöller knows America well, and looks at American Catholicism with fresh eyes. He is especially good on the dramatic changes in the structures of the American church during the 30 years following 1963. His unique angle of vision brings out many helpful distinctions that no insider would have noticed.
“[Zöeller] brings the analytical strengths of social science to his ambitious but readable one-volume social history of American Roman Catholicism that stretches from Columbus to the mid-1990s.
“Zöeller opens a comprehensive new chapter in American Catholic studies. The ‘cultural improbability: American Catholicism’ intrigues the European social scientist. This outside observer makes productive use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to examine the impact of individualism on American religious culture and the perserverance of Catholicism, whether it is a theological system, a cultural principle, or a vital community of faith.