Religion in American Life

Accessible and wide-ranging, Religion in American Life illuminates the rich spiritual heritage central to nearly every event in American history. Jon Butler begins by describing the state of religious affairs in both the Old and New Worlds on the eve of colonization. He traces the progress of religion in the colonies through the time of the American Revolution, covering all the religious groups in the colonies: Protestants, Jews, Catholics, as well as the unique religious experiences of Native Americans and African Americans Grant Wacker continues the story with a fascinating look at the ever-shifting religious landscape of 19th-century America. He focuses on the rapid growth of evangelical Protestants-Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and others-and their competition for dominance over religions such as Catholicism and Judaism, which continued to increase with large immigrant arrivals from Ireland, Eastern Europe, and other countries. The 20th century saw massive cultural changes. Randall Balmer discusses the effects industrialization, modernization, and secularization had on new and established religions. He examines Protestants, Hindus, Jews, New Age believers, Mormons, Buddhists, Roman Catholics, and many more, providing a clear look into the kaleidoscope of religious belief in modern-day America

"The three authors' distinct voices come through in their respective sections. And as one ends his century, and the next takes the baton as if a relay race, they overlap on some events and give them different emphases....This is not a Christian history, though that faith naturally predominates. The homage to minorities strikes a good balance, and is not the forced multiculturalism seen in some textbooks....For a weekend reader who feels beind on a half millennia of American faith adventures, they can be brought up to speed in a fortnight, and certainly before the Apocalypse." -- Larry Witham, Washington Times"This 'short history, ' authored by three of the leading scholars in the field, provides an excellent overview of religion in American history." -- Bryan F. Le Beau, University of Missouri, Kansas City, American Studies

Jon Butler is William Robertson Coe Professor of American Studies and History and professor of religion and chair of the history department at Yale University. His books include Becoming America: the Revolution Before 1776, Religion in Colonial America (OUP, 2000), and Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People. Grant Wacker is Professor of Church History at Duke University Divinity School. He is the author of Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture, Religion in Nineteenth Century America (OUP, 2000), and Pentecostal Currents in American Protestantism. Randall Balmer is Professor and Chair of the Department of Religion at Barnard College. He is the author of Religion in Twentieth Century America (OUP, 2001), Grant Us Courage: Travels Along the Mainline of American Protestantism (OUP, 1996), Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America (OUP, 1993), and A Perfect Babel of Confusion: Dutch Religion and English Culture in the Middle Colonies (OUP, 1989). In addition, Randall Balmer has worked in TV media. His credits include: "In the Beginning" The Creationist Controversy (writer and presenter, two 60-minute programs for PBS), Crusade: The Life of Billy Graham (executive producer, writer, and presenter, 60-minute documentary for PBS), Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory (writer and presenter, three-part documentary for PBS).