television posed a perceived threat to the authority of the Protestant establishment in education, politics, and the domestic sphere. The reaction Rosenthal details tells us much about the place of Protestantism in the culture in the mid-twentiethcentury and much about how the media age has de-stabilized and re-structured religion and religious institutions. This excellent history provides fascinating and telling insights into the ways that these institutions saw themselves and this new medium. Their perception of threats to institutional authority and to domestic values posed by television continues to echo across debates over the role of media in the U.S. An invaluable resource to scholars and educators in religious studies, religious history, media studies, media history, and media policy." - Stewart M. Hoover, Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Director, Center for Media, Religion, and Culture, University of Colorado
"In this engaging and accessible book, Rosenthal studies American Protestants at mid-century - then the clear leader in the realm of religious influence on American politics - to learn why they were so skittish about television, and how that contributed to the rise of evangelicalism s power in the U.S. This is a provocative look at a previously untold story, and anyone who wonders about how U.S. religion came into its current configuration in public life needs to read this book." - Lynn Schofield Clark, author of From Angels to Aliens
