DOC An Anxious Age: The Post-Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of America by Joseph Bottum in History

Review

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful. Anxious to Find a Room at the InnBy Wayne LusvardiJoseph Bottum has a memorable joke in his book "An Anxious Age: The Post Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of America" that reflects the book's unique genre. Bottum writes: "...in any phrase the word social should be read as meaning basically not. Social scientist; for example; more or less equals not a scientist. "Bottum's book is not mere social science; even though it might be the best book on the sociology of religion in America since Max Weber and Peter Berger. What Bottum's book is; is a sort of throwback to an age; circa pre-1900; when social science and religion was written about from a value-full perspective. In actual life the two are inseparable; except in modern social science. Bottum pulls off one of the most accurate sociological portraits of the decline of Protestantism in America while commenting as a Christian believer and without sacrificing sociological accuracy.Bottum's methodology uses qualitative sociology to paint four biographical portraits of members of what Bottum calls members of The New Class that has supplanted the Protestant Business Class in America. The portraits are fictional but apparently a composite of actual people - something the famous German sociologist Max Weber would call an "ideal type."Bottum's quote of T.S. Eliot is one of the most accurate about the definition of The New Class: "The elites" consist "solely of individuals whose only common bond will be their professional interest; with no social cohesion; with no social continuity."Although Bottum doesn't put it in these words; The New Class is those who have married their professions in the knowledge industries: academia; media; entertainment; and government. What Bottum's book chronicles in the life of four fictional persons is the decline of the Protestant Work Ethic and the Old Business Class that made up Protestant Christianity. Today; it is the member of the New Professional Knowledge Class that has taken over Protestantism to its demise.Where nominal Protestantism still exists it mainly does so in service to New Class Elites who have infiltrated and taken over the leadership positions in mainline churches. This takeover has resulted in schisms as conservative Protestants have fled for Evangelical and Catholic churches or declining remnants of older churches.The surnames Bottum gives his four characters are: Paisley (Scottish); Jones (British); Winslow (Old English); and Doorn (Dutch). By profession they are a psychologist; American history professor; a hippie guitar repairman; and a retired woman activist. By former church affiliation they respectively were Presbyterian; Methodist; Unitarian-Quaker; Dutch Reformed.Today they all fall into the category of the "Nones." They have no religious affiliation and no connection with the business class; which they despise. If they have a religion it is the social gospel without the Gospel says Bottum. Bottum calls them "The Poster Children": adult children afflicted with a social disease whose portraits are used to advance a cause. "All that is necessary for self-esteem; for the certainty of individual salvation; is possession of the class markers of social suspicion that indicate one belongs to the fellowship of the redeemed" writes Bottum. The traits of those in the New Class is that they "rent seek" and form fiefdoms; hoard privilege; self-righteously congratulate themselves; need to feel superior; assert relativism in an absolutist way; and they arrogantly despise other classes and strict religion (particularly the Business Class and fundamentalist religion). They are post-modernists who have a romantic view of primitive life. They are assured that science is on their side and confident that morality can be socially engineered by the New Knowledge Class.The test that he puts to his half fictional-half real characters is a field test: he simply asks them to name something they thought was beautiful. The typical response to this question Bottum writes is relativistic: "different cultures think different things are beautiful;" as if they parroted something they learned by rote from a textbook. Very few answer that they found beauty in a classic piece of art; music; or even in nature because nature is despoiled by modern industrialism.To the New Class there is nothing that is solidly true; good; or beautiful (and by extension nothing evil except other classes).Bottom also calls them "tourists without homes;" reminiscent of sociologist Peter Berger's term "Homeless Minds." Borrowing from pragmatic philosopher William James; Bottum says the members of the New Class live in the metaphorical corridors of their homes and have never entered any of the rooms to make a home. Because they have no spiritual home they have high spiritual and social anxiety that becomes instantly defensive and outraged; intuitively feeling that is only their self-assertion; collective political power; and feeling of being right that makes them right. Again; although Bottum does not use this term they are infused with "cognitive dissonance" where the moment they are exposed or confronted to contrary evidence or views; their own views get stronger in defense. Because of this there is no way to dialogue with those in the New Class; a conclusion that Bottum does not make however.The second half of the book is about how Catholicism is the only vestige of Christianity left and what it's role might be in a Post Protestant culture where what is left of mainline Protestant Churches has been appropriated as modern temples for the New Class. This is a great book but I doubt it will be read by many in the un-self critical and self righteous New Class which he describes. The victors of culture wars will write their interpretation of history but this book is a self-critical examination of the history of the decline of Protestantism and rise of the New Class written by one of their own members. Bottum is a poet; memoirist; philosopher; American and classical historian with a sociologist's understanding who nonetheless is a religious believer.However; Bottum is not a social scientist by training. If he were a social scientist he may have written a somewhat different book than a sequel to Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Instead; he might have relied on another of Weber's classic books to help understand why the New Class has ascended to supplant and appropriate Protestant Christianity for itself: Weber's book on Bureaucracy.31 of 34 people found the following review helpful. Insightful and Well Written Look at Religion and Spirituality in Modern AmericaBy Kevin M. DerbyJoseph Bottum had his work cut out for him in “An Anxious Age.” Trying to offer a revised take on Max Weber’s look at how religion shaped American life from 50 years ago; Bottum argues that religion and spirituality continue to shape culture; politics and daily life. Bottum offers a fascinating look at how Mainline Protestantism became sidelined in the last half of the twentieth century and how Catholics; mostly influenced by John Paul II; tried to take their place in the public square with some; but certainly not complete; successes. In one of the more unique arguments I’ve come across in some time; Bottum shows how the heirs of Mainline Protestants continue to embrace the tracings of that tradition while abandoning the core of it; namely traditional Christianity.Despite his old perch at “First Things” and his long association with “The Weekly Standard;” Bottum is not; by any means; primarilly concerned with politics. While Bottum leans right; he’s certainly not a knee-jerk partisan and some conservatives still haven’t forgiven him for calling for an end to their efforts against government recognition same-sex marriage. Bottum is not looking to reinforce his side or bash the other. There is a great deal in “An Anxious Age” that will offer insights to liberals; conservatives and moderates while parts of the book will make all of them frown. Bottum is more concerned with presenting his case than trying to fire his side up--a rare and wonderful thing in an age where too many pundits and public figures are more concerned with being cheerleaders for their base. While I am familiar with Bottum’s work; the amount of learning he presents from various fields continues to impress.Best of all; Bottum is a supremely gifted writer and there were passages that show why he is a fairly accomplished poet as well as the author of warm tributes to his childhood holidays in the Dakotas. “An Anxious Age” is important; insightful and well-written. Highly recommended.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Spiritual But Not ReligiousBy Kurt GrossJoseph Bottum does an expert job chronicling mainline Protestantism's transition from the dominant moral force in America to a virtual philosophical afterthought. He argues that the Social Gospel movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries caused mainline Protestantism to shift its adherents' focus from their personal moral failings to the sins of society at large (war; bigotry; inequality etc.) Over time; many people came to the conclusion that they could crusade against these evils without the supernatural elements of Christianity. Bottum contends that during the latter part of the 20th century; it appeared as though Catholicism might be poised to fill the void left by the mainline churches. Ultimately however; he argues that the cultural erosion resulting from the excesses of Vatican II and the loss of moral authority coming out of the sexual abuse scandal dashed the Catholic Church's chances of becoming the new dominant moral force. Regardless of what you think about the virtues of organized religion; Bottum's book will cause you to think deeply about what it means to live in a society which has lost the paradigm that provided it with social cohesion for centuries.