What Americans really believe : new findings from the Baylor surveys of religion / Rodney Stark with Christopher Bader ... [et al.].

Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-208).

Introduction : the stability and diversity of American faith -- pt. I: Congregations. Church-going : labels matter -- Church growth : competing for members -- Strict churches : the reasons for their popularity -- The "scattered" church : traditional congregations are not going away -- Megachurches : supersizing the faith -- pt. II: Beliefs and practices. Religious experiences : God told me to go to church -- Gender : women believe more, pray more -- Heaven : we are all going -- God : love, anger, and commitment -- Evil : Did sin cause the hurricane? -- Spirituality : religion and spirituality are not mutually exclusive -- Giving : the rich, the poor, and the widow's mite -- Personality : Are we hardwired for God? -- pt. III: Atheism and irreligion. Atheism : the godless revolution that never happened -- Credulity : Who believes in Bigfoot? -- New Age adherents : well-educated, formerly irreligious elites -- The irreligious : simply unchurched, not atheists -- pt. IV: The public square. Faith and politics : Is there a secret plot of evangelicals to take over the American government? -- Merry Christmas, Jesus : it's okay to put sacred symbols in public space -- Incivility : talking about faith in public -- Religious-media consumption : the Da Vinci code effect -- Civil participation : faith as social capital -- Going to college, getting a job : what happens when mom and dad take their kids to church -- Epilogue : Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) at Baylor.