In recent years evangelical Christians have been increasingly turning their attention toward issues such as the environment, international human rights, economic development, racial reconciliation, and urban renewal. Such engagement marks both a return to historic evangelical social action and a pronounced expansion of the social agenda advanced by the Religious Right in the past few decades. For outsiders to evangelical culture, this trend complicates simplistic stereotypes. For insiders, it brings contention over what "true" evangelicalism means today. Beginning with an introduction that broadly outlines this 'new evangelicalism', the editors identify its key elements, trace its historical lineage, account for the recent changes taking place within evangelicalism, and highlight the implications of these changes for politics, civic engagement, and American religion. The essays that follow bring together an impressive interdisciplinary team of scholars to map this new religious terrain and spell out its significance in what is sure to become an essential text for understanding trends in contemporary evangelicalism.

The strengths of this book are many. It offers an important corrective to the widely held view of evangelical activism that is predominately political and right-wing....All the substantive chapters are strong contributions. They cover a broad range of topics, are informative, and show excellent depth of analysis. The book is well written and coherent....I recommend this book highly. It is necessary reading for those interested in American religion. I thank the authors for this important contribution. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *
Well written and compellingly argued...the book's composite portrayal of the new evangelical social engagement is full-bodied and complex...The New Evangelical Social Engagement provides an excellent introduction to its subject...Not only does the book enrich the study of American evangelicalism, it also enriches the broader study of American religion in civil society. * Review of Religious Research *
A collection of outstanding essays on Christian evangelicalism's turn to social action...The essays address issues of globalization, diversity, and gender and their concomitant complexity, and succeed admirably as a needed corrective to public misperceptions. Summing up: Recommended. * CHOICE *
The standard academic view of American evangelicalism is growing more dated by the year. Many new movements and subcultural shifts are underway in evangelicalism that open up possibilities for major changes in the future. Steensland and Goff offer one of the best windows into these important changes among evangelicals. This is a must-read for any student of American religion, culture, politics, and civil society. * Christian Smith, author of Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults *

Philip Goff is director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture and professor of Religious Studies and American Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Author or editor of over thirty books and journal volumes, he writes about the role of religion in American history, particularly its relationship to other aspects of American culture. Brian Steensland is Associate Professor of Sociology at Indiana University. His book, The Failed Welfare Revolution, received the Mary Douglas Prize and the Political Sociology Book Award. His academic articles have appeared in leading sociology journals, such as the American Journal of Sociology and Social Forces.