Any time George Marsden, the senior historian of evangelicalism and American culture, publishes a book, it is worth noting. (See, for example, his work on Fundamentalism and American Culture, or his work on the history of Fuller Seminary in relationship to fundamentalism and neo-evangelicalism, or his magisterial biography of Jonathan Edwards.)
His latest is entitled The Twilight of the American Enlightenment: The 1950s and the Crisis of Liberal Belief (Basic Books, 2014).
Duke University historian Grant Wacker summarizes and commends the book:
Another masterpiece. In prize-winning works on fundamentalism, university culture, and Jonathan Edwards, Marsden distinguished himself with the erudition and perceptiveness of his analyses. In this study, he displays the same virtuosity. Marsden anchors the center/left consensus of the 1950s in Enlightenment rationalism, minus natural law. So it was that intellectuals of the 1950s laid dynamite in the foundation. They inadvertently precipitated the disarray of the 1960s and the bitterness of the 1970s. Americans are still seeking their bearings. Marsden finds hope in a genuine pluralism that welcomes all thoughtful voices back to the table. Elegantly yet simply written, this brilliant, searching, learned work will stand for years as a tract for the times.
To hear a conversation with Dr. Marsden about this book and the ideas behind it, you can listen to (or read the transcript from) Al Mohler’s “Thinking in Public” podcast episode devoted to the book.
John Wilson and Stan Guthrie also recently discussed the book on their Books & Culture podcast.
