Crabgrass Catholicism by Stephen M Koeth Csc
How suburbanization was a crucial catalyst for reforms in the Catholic Church. The 1960s in America were a time of revolt against the stifling conformism embodied in the sprawling, uniform suburbs of the 1950s. Typically, the reforms of the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council, which aimed to make the Church more modern and accessible, are seen as one result of that broader cultural liberalization. Yet in Crabgrass Catholicism, Stephen M. Koeth demonstrates that the liberalization of the Church was instead the product of the mass suburbanization that began some fifteen years earlier. Koeth argues that postwar suburbanization revolutionized the Catholic parish, the relationship between clergy and laity, conceptions of parochial education, and Catholic participation in US politics, and thereby was a significant factor in the religious disaffiliation that only accelerated in subsequent decades. A novel exploration of the role of Catholics in postwar suburbanization, Crabgrass Catholicism will be of particular interest to urban historians, scholars of American Catholicism and religious studies, and Catholic clergy and laity.
"As a product of 'Crabgrass Catholicism' myself -- since my family moved to the suburbs of StLouis in 1954 -- I found Father Koeth's history perceptive and enlightening. Yes, politics is local; yes, so is formation in faith. You'll find this work as fascinating as did I." -- Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York
"Stephen Koeth's Crabgrass Catholicism vividly dissects post-World War Two Long Island Catholicism to explore fissures that have roiled American Catholicism ever since—divides between clergy and laity, eroding parish life, growing Catholic divisions over education, birth control, and abortion, and the emergence of conservative Catholic Republican politics—all superbly researched and deftly written. A fascinating, compelling book." -- Jon Butler, author of 'God in Gotham: The Miracle of Religion in Modern Manhattan'
"Thoroughly researched and well analyzed, this is a smart look at a volatile period in American religious history." * Publishers Weekly *
"Stephen Koeth's Crabgrass Catholicism vividly dissects post-World War Two Long Island Catholicism to explore fissures that have roiled American Catholicism ever since—divides between clergy and laity, eroding parish life, growing Catholic divisions over education, birth control, and abortion, and the emergence of conservative Catholic Republican politics—all superbly researched and deftly written. A fascinating, compelling book." -- Jon Butler, author of 'God in Gotham: The Miracle of Religion in Modern Manhattan'
"Thoroughly researched and well analyzed, this is a smart look at a volatile period in American religious history." * Publishers Weekly *
Stephen M. Koeth is assistant professor of history at the University of Notre Dame and an ordained Catholic priest.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780226842202 |
| ISBN 10 | 0226842207 |
| Title | Crabgrass Catholicism |
| Author | Stephen M Koeth Csc |
| Series | Historical Studies Of Urban America |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | The University of Chicago Press |
| Year published | 2025-08-19 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |