ABSTRACT
Some time ago, we observed that the research on religion and families had several pronounced limitations (Dollahite, Marks, & Goodman, 2004). One of these was a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the families studiedindeed, almost all the families that had been studied were white. A second pronounced limitation was an almost exclusive focus on faiths within traditional Christianity. In our American Families of Faith project, we have worked to produce work that begins to fi ll the voids in these two areas. In terms of racial and ethnic diversity, about half of our sample of 200 families are racial or ethnic minorities. Additionally, about half of our sample falls outside of “traditional Christianity”—substantial portions of our families are from Jewish, Muslim, and “New Religious Traditions” within Christianity (e.g., Latterday Saint/Mormon, Seventh-Day Adventist, Jehovah’s Witness, or Christian Scientist).
