"Divided by Faith has become an American classic. This 25th-anniversary edition includes new data analysis, updated language, updated references, and a brand-new concluding chapter. The new chapter considers pertinent changes over the past quarter of a century and the validity of the Divided by Faith argument for current times. Combining a substantial body of evidence with a sophisticated analysis, the authors throw a sharp light on the oldest American dilemma. Through a nationwide survey of 2,000 people and 200 face-to-face interviews, the authors probed the grassroots of white evangelical America. They found that despite recent efforts by the movements leaders to address the problem of racial discrimination, evangelicals themselves are preserving Americas racial chasm. In fact, most white evangelicals see no systemic discrimination against African Americans or other groups. However, the authors contend that it is not active racism that prevents evangelicals from recognizing ongoing problems in American society.

Instead, it is the evangelical movements emphasis on individualism, free will, and personal relationships that make invisible the pervasive injustice that perpetuates racial inequality. Most racial problems, the subjects told the authors, can be solved by the repentance and conversion of the sinful individuals at fault. As a result of using the "cultural tools" of their faith, white evangelicals are more divided from Christians of other racial backgrounds than are those in the general public. And this reality has substantial implications for American life. Racial justice and reconciliation remain far over the horizon"--.