An analysis of the book “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America,” by Randall Balmer.
This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the book “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America,” by Randall Balmer. Specifically, it looks at the author’s reason for writing this book, his methodology, and his arguments. The paper shows how Balmer’s book is successful in that it paints a diverse picture of evangelical America.
“This book opens up the “subculture” of evangelism in the United States, and makes readers more aware of who practices it, what it means, where it came from, and where it is headed. He never makes the people of his stories seem less or more than they are, and while he does have some opinions, they are not so strong that they overpower the book. The book’s message is simple read about these people, and make up your own mind. He does say he relates more to Frank in the last chapter of the book, and Frank’s beliefs are similar to his own. “What I admire about Frank, I explain, is his ability to maintain a distance from all the ephemera of American evangelicalism without discarding his faith” (Balmer 227). Ultimately, that is the bottom line of this book faith. The diversity of faith in the book is obvious, but each group has it, and uses it their own way.”