Marc Chaves. American Religion: Contemporary Trends.

Marc Chaves, professor of sociology, religion and divinity at Duke University wrote this winsome short text to inform students of American religion the most recent developments. His main sources are the General Social Surveys, held since 1972, and the comprehensive National Congregations Study conducted in 1998. The title of the book does not give a hint what the main trend is. It is not a story of strong decline, but of continuity with a slight drop after the mid 1990s. 35-40 per cent of the...