Corwin Smidt

After the reelection of George W. Bush in 2004, the "God Gap" became a hotly debated political issue. Religious voters were seen as the key to Bush's victory, and Democrats began scrambling to reach out to them. Four years later, however, with the economy in a tailspin on election day, religion barely seemed to register on people's radar screens. In this book, a team of well-regarded scholars digs deeper to examine the role religion played in the 2008 campaign. They take a long view, placing the election in historical context and looking at the campaign as a whole, from the primaries through all the way through election day. At the heart of their analysis is data gleaned from a national survey conducted by the authors, in which voters were interviewed in the spring of 2008 and then re-interviewed after the election.

After the reelection of George W. Bush in 2004, the "God Gap" became a hotly debated political issue. Religious voters were seen as the key to Bush's victory, and Democrats began scrambling to reach out to them. Four years later, however, with the economy in a tailspin on election day, religion barely seemed to register on people's radar screens. In this book, a team of well-regarded scholars digs deeper to examine the role religion played in the 2008 campaign. They take a long view, placing the election in historical context and looking at the campaign as a whole, from the primaries through all the way through election day. At the heart of their analysis is data gleaned from a national survey conducted by the authors, in which voters were interviewed in the spring of 2008 and then re-interviewed after the election.

Copublished with the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship, Reformed Vitality addresses the issue of what constitutes religious vitality and where it can be found within Reformed circles throughout the world. The authors examine evidence of religious vitality among Reformed believers, within Reformed institutions and communities to discover how they have maintained and/or created that vitality in the face of cultural and social fragmentation. This investigation revealed complex and multifaceted patterns that are explored and assessed to create a proper evaluation of the status of religious vitality by interpreting the signs around it. The information gathered shows that many Reformed communities have entered a critical stage, where issues of identity and relevance are central problems that confront their corporate life. Difficult questions arise as the very purpose and essence of Reformed communities are explored along with the place of religious vitality in them.

Copublished with the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship, Reformed Vitality addresses the issue of what constitutes religious vitality and where it can be found within Reformed circles throughout the world. The authors examine evidence of religious vitality among Reformed believers, within Reformed institutions and communities to discover how they have maintained and/or created that vitality in the face of cultural and social fragmentation. This investigation revealed complex and multifaceted patterns that are explored and assessed to create a proper evaluation of the status of religious vitality by interpreting the signs around it. The information gathered shows that many Reformed communities have entered a critical stage, where issues of identity and relevance are central problems that confront their corporate life. Difficult questions arise as the very purpose and essence of Reformed communities are explored along with the place of religious vitality in them.