The Resilience of Religion in American Higher Education

John Schmalzbauer teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at Missouri State University where he holds the Blanche Gorman Strong Chair in Protestant Studies. He is the author of People of Faith: Religious Conviction in American Journalism and Higher Education.

"This is a most impressive book that I am happy to recommend. It demonstrates that during the past thirty years, religion has made a notable comeback on many fronts in American higher education. It is impressively researched, remarkably comprehensive, and admirably balanced." -George Marsden, author of The Soul of the American University and The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship "For decades, conventional wisdom saw Americas universities as bastions of secularity and agents of secularization. But the authors of this book show that interest in religion has grown robustly on campus, among both faculty members and students. Religion thrives now, both as a subject of study and as a personal quest. College graduates now are more religiously observant than non-attenders, and there has been a major outpouring of religiously focused scholarship and art. This book is a tour de force, a major synthesis of decades of research. It will change the conversation about religion and higher education." -Joel Carpenter, Professor and Director of Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, Calvin College The Resilience of Religion in American Higher Education is an essential read for individuals working with religion on today's campus, whether they are administrators, ministers, faculty, or the average person in a faith community who wants to support religious and spiritual exploration by college students. -- Amy J. Rio -- Convergence Magazine This study is carefully argued and exhaustively researched. Schmalzbauer and Mahoney make their claims clear, provide ample theoretical grounding (particularly in sociological terms), and assemble an impressive array of evidence. -- Benjamin P. Leavitt -- Reading Religion