Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture

Rating:
Summary: Educational? Yes. Dull? No.
Review: I'm shockingly ignorant about Christian sects and religious history, not to mention my own Jewish background. Oppenheimer's book sparked interesting conversations with my fiance, who was raised going to Catholic folk mass, joined an evangelical group in high school, and then was part of a Unitarian congregation in his early 20's. I had known nothing about these movements, and the book gave me a window into a world that I'm usually separated from. Besides being a great topic for cocktail parties (people don't talk about religion enough), the book is scholarly and meticulously researched, with dozens of interviews with people who were influential in or lived through the religious changes that were a product of 60's counterculture.

Rating:
Summary: Educational? Yes. Dull? No.
Review: I'm shockingly ignorant about Christian sects and religious history, not to mention my own Jewish background. Oppenheimer's book sparked interesting conversations with my fiance, who was raised going to Catholic folk mass, joined an evangelical group in high school, and then was part of a Unitarian congregation in his early 20's. I had known nothing about these movements, and the book gave me a window into a world that I'm usually separated from. Besides being a great topic for cocktail parties (people don't talk about religion enough), the book is scholarly and meticulously researched, with dozens of interviews with people who were influential in or lived through the religious changes that were a product of 60's counterculture.

Rating:
Summary: Counterculture challenges conformity
Review: Oppenheimer has examined an almost entirely ignored niche of modern United States' history. While the 1960's - the "Nixon Era" as Oppenheimer labels it, is usually portrayed with anti-war protests, the "drug culture" and alternate lifestyles, the author discerned another aspect. In this compelling analysis, the activities of American religions are brought to light. The author selected the five major faiths to examine whether the :counterculture" of the sixties had an impact. In what sense, he asks, were these religions modified and how meaningful were the changes? What were the changes proposed and how did these faiths respond to them? The answers are surprising.

Churches are a major factor in United States society. Oppenheimer begins with some interesting numbers of church membership. He also describes the differences across the various faiths - his description of the history and development of the Southern Baptists is particularly enlightening. He portrays how elements of the counterculture forced the faiths to reassess their outlook of community relations. Every organised religion contains its conservative and reform elements. Oppenheimer describes the reform challenges to the Unitarians, Roman Catholics, Jews, Episcopalians and Southern Baptists. Each religion faced particular provocations to its established norm. Each resolved these movements in a different way. He demonstrates, for example, how Roman Catholics had an impetus for change from Vatican II, with unexpected results. Gay rights, feminism and new religious communities become significant issues. Only among the Southern Baptists was Viet Nam the topic of dispute, and Oppenheimer's description of the methods employed makes compelling reading. Still, he concludes the foundation of the counterculture's impact on United States' religions lies elsewhere, as he points out in his conclusion.

The author has combined some in-depth research with interviews of the participants, newspaper and magazine stories to fully personalise this account. Amazingly, no mention is made of the song of the title! Photographs of events and some of the leading figures add some nuance, but aren't very informative. Written in an almost rollicking style, the book is well drafted for the general reader. It should inform many on why their particular faith is operating as it is today. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]