Gods of the City

Explorations of the religious imagination in American urban communities.

"Fascinating insights into modern urban religious practice make Orsi's collection a must-read." —Publishers Weekly

"The essays provide insight into the cultural creativity, reinterpretation of worship and religious ingenuity of city people over the last 50 years." —Library Journal

"At last, a major dissection of the great mystery in modern American
life—how religion and spirituality prospered amidst industrialization,
urbanization, and rampant technological change after 1880!" —Jon Butler, Yale University

"Urban religion" strikes many as an oxymoron. How can religion thrive in the alienated, secular, fast-paced, and materialistic world of the modern, Western city? The authors in this collection believe that cities not only can provide the settings for religious expression, but also are material to the experiences which give rise to those religious expressions. In this book, they explore the distinctly urban forms of religious experience and practice that have developed in relation to the spaces, social conditions, and history of American cities.