Reviews
"American evangelicalism is as diverse as the nation's landscape. Balmer's book is an extraordinary religious travelogue through that complicated subculture....After reading [his] book, popular stereotypes of 'evangelicals' and 'fundamentalists' will never again be quite so clearlyfocused."--David Edwin Harrell, Jr., University of Alabama, Birmingham, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is a book about the sawdust trail that glitters like angel dust. It is witty, lively, and richly informative--written with real style and sophistication, and a delight to read."--Frederick Buechner, "A sensitive, informed, often moving account of lifestles and belief systems that coexist with--but are usually set apart from--secular mainstream America....Provides a carefully crafted portrait of religious diversity that is both generous and critical but never patronizing....We can all readthis book with profit."--Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, "Fascinating....This is a wonderful book....Fair, insightful andrespectful....Balmer understands what he sees, but has enough distance from hissubject to be analytical. Outsiders will learn much from his carefully nuancedinsights; nad insiders will frequently have to nod their heads in agreement:this man knows what he is talking about."--Church History, "This compelling account makes Randall Balmer the William Least Heat Moonof American evangelicalism. Just as Blue Highways opened up an ordinary Americabeyond the bright city lights, so Balmer goes beyond media stars like JerryFalwell, Billy Graham, and Jimmy Swaggart to illuminate the local realities ofevangelical life. The worlds of Protestant conservatives are complex--filledoverfull with the eccentric and the authentic, locked tightly in the grip ofkitsch as well as the grip of grace. In describig that world from Oregon to NewHampshire, Des Moines to Phoenix, Mississippi to North Dakota--Balmer doesn'tmiss a nuance or a beat."--Mark A. Noll, Wheaton College, "A very readable, insightful look at the diversity of "evangelicals" whoare misunderstood by the press, by outsiders, and often don't fully understandthemselves--therefore, Balmer makes a valuable contribution in thisarea."--Carolyn D. Blevins, Carson-Newman College, "Presents a cross section of modern evangelical Christianity inAmerica....[Balmer's] presentation is very even-handed."--Library Journal, "This compelling account makes Randall Balmer the William Least Heat Moon of American evangelicalism. Just as Blue Highways opened up an ordinary America beyond the bright city lights, so Balmer goes beyond media stars like Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham, and Jimmy Swaggart to illuminate thelocal realities of evangelical life. The worlds of Protestant conservatives are complex--filled overfull with the eccentric and the authentic, locked tightly in the grip of kitsch as well as the grip of grace. In describig that world from Oregon to New Hampshire, Des Moines to Phoenix, Mississippito North Dakota--Balmer doesn't miss a nuance or a beat."--Mark A. Noll, Wheaton College, "Easily the best participant-observer study of the evangelical landscape in contemporary America. He combines the insight of the trained historian with the deft instincts of the birthright insider. The product is at once a critical, painfully funny, warmly sympathetic exploration of themultiple subcultures of a sprawling religious tradition that is all too easily stereotyped--and dismissed--as monolithic fundamentalism."--Grant Wacker, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, "A very readable, insightful look at the diversity of "evangelicals" who are misunderstood by the press, by outsiders, and often don't fully understand themselves--therefore, Balmer makes a valuable contribution in this area."--Carolyn D. Blevins, Carson-Newman College, "American evangelicalism is as diverse as the nation's landscape.Balmer's book is an extraordinary religious travelogue through that complicatedsubculture....After reading [his] book, popular stereotypes of 'evangelicals'and 'fundamentalists' will never again be quite so clearly focused."--DavidEdwin Harrell, Jr., University of Alabama, Birmingham, "Fascinating....This is a wonderful book....Fair, insightful and respectful....Balmer understands what he sees, but has enough distance from his subject to be analytical. Outsiders will learn much from his carefully nuanced insights; nad insiders will frequently have to nod their heads inagreement: this man knows what he is talking about."--Church History, "A sensitive, informed, often moving account of lifestles and beliefsystems that coexist with--but are usually set apart from--secular mainstreamAmerica....Provides a carefully crafted portrait of religious diversity that isboth generous and critical but never patronizing....We can all read this bookwith profit."--Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is the best introduction I have found tothe varieties of religious life among American evangelists. It is at once alively and entertaining travelogue and deeper exploration of the many culturesof evangelicism. Balmer has his opinions and he does not hide them, but he isalways a sympathetic listener."--Frances Fitzgerald, author of Cities on aHill, "Easily the best participant-observer study of the evangelical landscapein contemporary America. He combines the insight of the trained historian withthe deft instincts of the birthright insider. The product is at once acritical, painfully funny, warmly sympathetic exploration of the multiplesubcultures of a sprawling religious tradition that is all too easilystereotyped--and dismissed--as monolithic fundamentalism."--Grant Wacker,University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, "Presents a cross section of modern evangelical Christianity in America....[Balmer's] presentation is very even-handed."--Library Journal, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is a book about the sawdust trail thatglitters like angel dust. It is witty, lively, and richly informative--writtenwith real style and sophistication, and a delight to read."--FrederickBuechner, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is the best introduction I have found to the varieties of religious life among American evangelists. It is at once a lively and entertaining travelogue and deeper exploration of the many cultures of evangelicism. Balmer has his opinions and he does not hidethem, but he is always a sympathetic listener."--Frances Fitzgerald, author of Cities on a Hill, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is a book about the sawdust trail that glitters like angel dust. It is witty, lively and richly informative--written with real style and sophistication, and a delight to read."--Frederick Buechner
Synopsis
The televangelists may be the most conspicuous element of the evangelical subculture in America, and the bizarre antics of some of the most prominent figures--Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, or Jimmy Swaggart--make for amusing film clips on the evening news. But as Randall Balmer reveals in this vivid and colorful narrative, these men make up only a small part of a strikingly diverse religious movement; in fact, the Falwells and the Bakkers are marginal figures, of only moderate importance to the many fundamentalist, charismatic, and pentecostal believers in the United States. When it was first published in 1989, it was universally hailed as a sensitive, moving, and enlightening account of a religious phenomena little understood and often ridiculed. Now the companion volume to a forthcoming PBS television series hosted by Balmer, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory criss-crosses the country--from Oregon to Florida, from Texas to North Dakota--to take readers on a journey into the heart of evangelical America. In an evenhanded, reflective series of New Yorker-style profiles, Balmer gives one the sense of what it is like to sit in on classes in the Dallas Theological Seminary or to accompany evangelical activists as they mobilize support for Pat Robertson and Jack Kemp at the 1988 Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. We visit an old-fashioned holiness camp meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, an Indian reservation in the Dakotas, a huge trade show for Christian booksellers, and a fundamentalist Bible camp in the Adirondacks. In addition, the expanded edition includes a profile of the Multnomah School of the Bible, a fundamentalist Bible institute in Portland, Oregon; tells the story of the pentecostal congregation in Valdosta, Georgia that decided to join ranks with the Episcopal Church; and offers an account of Billy Graham's recent crusade that brought tens of thousands into New York's Central Park. Throughout, Balmer fills in the theological and historical background--on the Jesus Movement in California, for instance, or Protestant missionary work among Native-Americans--creating in effect a capsule history of evangelicism. And while Balmer acknowledges a certain sympathy with evangelicism, he doesn't gloss over its failings--the combativeness and exclusivity that permeate much of its teachings, or the pervasive theology of prosperity which Balmer deplores as "the sanctification of American consumerism." But perhaps what stands out most in this book is the people Balmer meets on his journey, ranging from the evangelical filmmaker Donald Thompson to pentecostal faith healers to fervent young evangelists working the beaches of southern California. It is through their eyes that we see into the heart of American evangelicism, that we understand the genuine appeal of the movement and thereby arrive at a more accurate and balanced portrait of an abiding tradition that, as the author argues, is both rich in theological insights and mired in contradictions., In this evenhanded, reflective series of New Yorker-style profiles, Randall Balmer takes the reader on a cross-country exploration of the evangelical subculture in America. Throughout, Balmer fills in the theological and historical background, creating in effect a capsule history of evangelicalism. Through the eyes of the people Balmer meets, we are able to see into the heart of American evangelicalism and arrive at a more accurate, balanced portrait of this tradition. For this edition, Balmer has added two new chapters--one offering a fascinating profile of disgraced TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, and the other a behind-the-scenes portrait of a Christian rock band on tour., In this evenhanded, reflective series of New Yorker -style profiles, Randall Balmer takes the reader on a cross-country exploration of the evangelical subculture in America. Throughout, Balmer fills in the theological and historical background, creating in effect a capsule history of evangelicalism. Through the eyes of the people Balmer meets, we are able to see into the heart of American evangelicalism and arrive at a more accurate, balanced portrait of this tradition. For this edition, Balmer has added two new chapters--one offering a fascinating profile of disgraced TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, and the other a behind-the-scenes portrait of a Christian rock band on tour.
