Awakening to an Uncertain Future: A Case Study of the Promise Keepers (American University Studies. Series VII. Theology and Religion)

The Promise Keepers, members of a Christ-centered ministry dedicated to uniting men through vital relationships to become a godly influence in the world, are patriarchal monsters for some, the saviors of society for others. This book goes beyond simplistic arguments and considers the social significance of the Promise Keepers as both agents and products of social change. George N. Lundskow brings a critical sociological perspective to the Promise Keepers, yet also that of the insider, having participated in the accountability groups, the intimate circles of men that constitute the union of belief and practice in the lives of Promise Keepers. This book also develops a historical view of the Promise Keepers, based on social changes that produce changes in social character. The result is a multidimensional analysis that speaks to what the Promise Keepers think and feel - the basis of their collective identity - yet also places the Promise Keepers within the class-cultural conflict of late modernity. The Promise Keepers create a community that seeks identity and meaning through spontaneous submission and social improvement through personal morality. Ironically, the more fervently they embrace PK practice, the more alienated they become. Thus, the issue is more than the Promise Keepers and religion; it is about cultural life in the early twenty-first century.