Fossilized Faith

Christian Smith, a sociologist at Notre Dame, has a knack for turning academic research ­into books that resonate beyond the ivory tower. The concept of “moralistic therapeutic ­deism” (from Smith’s 2005 book Soul Searching, co-written with Melinda Lundquist Denton) has entered the lexicon. Why Religion Went Obsolete deserves to have a similar impact. Academically rigorous, yet accessible to pastors and educated lay Christians, it combines standard ­data sources and Smith’s own survey work with insightful cultural analysis to provide a powerful exposition of some of the most important cultural changes in post–Cold War America.