The Religious History of America

Book excerpt: “A comprehensive, graceful narrative that truly represents the pluralism, momentum, and vitality of American religious life.” —Amanda Porterfield, Florida State University, author of Conceived in Doubt In this landmark work, award-winning Princeton historian Leigh Schmidt teams up with Edwin Gaustad—a scholar “in the front rank of American religious historians” (The New York Times)—to produce a fully revised, updated, and expanded version of a modern classic. First published in 1966, The Religious History of America made the religious dimensions of our common history readily accessible to a generation of readers. This edition remains true to the literary grace of earlier editions as it expands its scope, increasing the emphasis on pluralism, religious practices, and spiritual seeking, as well as the direct connection of religion to social and political struggle. The authors have updated the structure of the text, replacing the five distinct ages of Gaustad’s previous editions with a more explicit emphasis on specific historical markers, carrying the multifaceted story of religion in the United States into the twenty-first century. Extensively illustrated, and with a new emphasis on African American and Native American religious life, Eastern religions, and the recent boom in spirituality, this new edition of The Religious History of America is the master telling of the heart and soul of the American story. “[An] indispensable twenty-first-century tool for the students of American religion.” —Peter J. Gomes, Harvard Divinity School, author of The Good Book “What was a very solid account of American religious history when first authored by Edwin S. Gaustad has become even more comprehensive, more illuminating, and more up-to-date in this new edition with Leigh Schmidt.” —Mark A. Noll, Wheaton College, author of The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind “A well-balanced enhancement of an excellent work . . . recommended.” —Library Journal