Author Description

For Much Of Its History, The Episcopal Church Has Been Regarded As The Religion Of Choice For American Elites. Alongside Other Mainline Denominations, Episcopalianism Formed Part Of An Unofficial Protestant Establishment That Set The Tone For Public Life In The United States Well Into The 1960s. Since The Close Of The Second World War, However, The Episcopal Church Increasingly Began To Experience A Crisis Of Identity, As Its Leaders Sought To Make It More Responsive To The Rapid Changes Underway In American Society. Shaped By Their Exposure To The Great Depression And The War, This Group Of Predominantly Liberal White Men Ensured That Social Action Became A Defining Feature Of The Church's Agenda During This Period. Educated, Energetic, And Well-resourced, These Leaders Pursued A Range Of Experimental Ministries, Learning Programs, And Policy Reforms That Would Gradually Shift The Church's Self-image From That Of Custodian Of Tradition To Catalyst For Change. Certain Ironies Attended This Process, Not Least The Propensity Of These Men To Take For Granted Their Own Privileged Status While Lobbying Assiduously Against The Established Order. Still, Whatever Their Shortcomings And Contradictions, This Generation Of Liberal Leaders Oversaw The Transformation Of The Episcopal Church During The Years 1945--1979. The Church They Inherited Was Widely Regarded As A Bastion Of Wasp Wealth And Respectability; The One They Eventually Handed Over Was Known For Its Commitment To Progressive Causes