by John S. Knox (Author), Terrance Steele (Foreword by), Bill Pubols (Afterword by)
Sacro-Egoism: The Rise of Religious Individualism in the West discusses the relationship between secularization, participation in religious practices and belief, and the emergence of radical individualized expressions of faith in the West. Using McMinnville, Oregon, as a case study, it presents the data collected and analyzed from several churches, denominations, and spiritual settings in that unassuming town, and compares it to the results of Heelas and Woodhead's "Spiritual Revolution" project, arriving at a provocative conclusion. Rather than abandoning Christianity for alternative spirituality practices, McMinnville citizens still feel strongly about their Christian faith, taking their spiritual walk to a more personal level than ever before in church history. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research, along with personal stories of faith and exploration from McMinnville residents themselves, Sacro-Egoism: The Rise of Religious Individualism in the West tells a story of radical individualists who have become the highest religious authority in their lives--even over the church, the Bible, and traditional Christian society.
Author Biography
John S. Knox has taught Bible, history, and religion for nearly two decades at several Christian universities in the Pacific Northwest, utilizing his PhD in Theology & Religion, a MATS in Christian History & Thought, and a BA in History and English to help his students more fully understand what it meant to be a Christian in the past--and why it is still relevant in the present. He currently lives in Idaho with his wife and two sons.