This book is about the role of Christian religion in America in the 1960s. That decade is widely thought of as one in which radical thought flourished, and the author writes about theological strands of post-modernism, the death of foundationalism, support for civil rights, the rebirthing of feminism and ‘death of God’ theologies. But the decade also saw a revival of conservative Christianity in the USA, and Lints is concerned to show how in a paradoxical way the repudiation of old verities was actually a recovery of those verities, albeit in a changed form. For, democratic and egalitarian structures and freedom of belief were always deeply rooted in the self-understanding of the USA, so that a call for a more radical understanding of them is rooted in American tradition. He also wants to show how liberalising forces in culture do not always spring from anti-religious forces, and how religion is not always a conserving force in culture. Thus a major feature of the book is its emphasis that cultural and religious themes are complex, interwoven and defeat easy generalisations. The 1960s did bring a seismic cultural change, but religion played a surprising, ironic and ambiguous role which challenges common stereotypes, close study of which may enable us to view the religious controversies of the day more thoughtfully. The author's intention is to help us to see these complexities by means of a detailed analysis of some key issues of that decade. He does so, and though perhaps the very detail and complexity of his analyses makes any broad generalisations impossible, this is a useful source book for those who want a detailed view of some major religious movements in the USA in that ‘tumultuous decade’.