First published in 1988, this work was the product of extensive fieldwork in two evangelical communities. This in-depth ethnographic study focuses on the meaning systems, organizational structures and the daily lives of the people Susan D. Rose encountered.

The study is centred around Christian schooling as a method of socialisation. Tracing the rise of evangelicalism and the development of the Christian School Movement in the latter half of the twentieth century, it examines the kinds of educational alternatives evangelicals have structured for their children. Moving beyond the issue of schooling itself, it analyses the interactions among schooling, ideology, economic structures and the nature of work in contemporary American society, and explores how people relate to one another within the church-family-school network.

It addresses the provocative question of why evangelicalism, a self-proclaimed conservative, reactionary movement, held so much appeal for so many Americans at the time of publication. This work will be of particular interest to those studying education and religion and education in the U. S. A.