ABSTRACT

This comprehensive narrative account of religion in America from the sixteenth century through the present depicts the religious life of the American people within the context of American society. It addresses topics ranging from the European origins of American religious thought and the diversity of religion in America, to the relation of nationhood with religious practice and the importance of race, ethnicity, and gender in American religious history. Split into four parts this textbook covers:

  • Religion in a Colonial Context, 1492-1789
  • The New Nation, 1789-1865
  • Years of Midpassage, 1865-1918
  • Modern America, 1918- Present

This new edition has been thoroughly updated to include further discussion of colonialism, religious minorities, space and empire, religious freedom, emotion, popular religion, sexuality, the ascent of the "nones," Islamophobia, and the development of an American mission to the world.

With a detailed timeline, illustrations and maps throughout, and an accompanying companion website Religion in America is the perfect introduction for students new to the study of this topic who wish to understand the key themes, places, and people who shaped the world as we know it today.

chapter |18 pages

Introduction

Land, People, and Nation

part I|140 pages

Religion in a Colonial Context, 1492–1789

chapter 1|35 pages

Backgrounds and Beginnings

chapter 2|53 pages

The Atlantic World

chapter 3|25 pages

The Great Awakening

A Cluster of Revivals

chapter 4|25 pages

The Birth of the Republic

part II|116 pages

The New Nation, 1789–1865

chapter 5|19 pages

The Republic and the Churches

chapter 6|29 pages

Protestant Expansion and Consolidation

chapter 7|34 pages

The Broadening of Denominational Life

chapter 8|32 pages

Visions of Religious Community

part III|131 pages

Years of Midpassage, 1865–1918

chapter 9|30 pages

Post–Civil War America

chapter 10|26 pages

The New Americans

chapter 11|27 pages

The New Intellectual Climate

chapter 12|46 pages

New Frontiers for the Churches

part IV|168 pages

Modern America, 1918–Present

chapter 13|32 pages

The Shifting Religious Configuration

chapter 14|38 pages

Protestant Transition and New Religions

chapter 15|31 pages

Resurgence, Renewal, and Reform

chapter 16|34 pages

Congregations and Coalitions

chapter 17|31 pages

Moral Divisions

Religion After 9/11