As religious leaders, ministers are often assumed to embody the faith of the institution they represent. As cultural symbols, they reflect subtle changes in society and belief-specifically people's perception of God and the evolving role of the church. For more than forty years, Douglas Alan Walrath has tracked changing patterns of belief and church participation in American society, and his research has revealed a particularly fascinating trend: portrayals of ministers in American fiction mirror changing perceptions of the Protestant church and a Protestant God.

From the novels of...

From the beginning the bright and articulate English teacher and the tall, strong, and equally bright minister sense they are different, but they assume they can still enjoy a friendship. And they do; Mary Kerrigan and Walter Macdonald play and probe and spar. Then the unanticipated happens: friendship deepens into love, and differences that were intriguing when they were just friends become ominous. She's irreverent; he's traditional. She's unfettered; he's committed. She's a disbeliever; he's a believer. She won't believe; he won't not believe. They are an even match. It's more than a...