A richly variegated selection of short documents illustrative of the history of religion in America. The best source-book available to contemporary students and general readers.

A richly variegated selection of short documents illustrative of the history of religion in America. The best source-book available to contemporary students and general readers.

For a good two decades teachers and students of American religious history have turned to the two-volume Documentary History of Religion in America for the most significant primary sources from the nation s founding to the present. Both volumes in this landmark work here appear in an updated and expanded third edition. Carefully refurbished by renowned historian of American religion Mark Noll, these rich sourcebooks contain original documents letters, sermons, court records, personal narratives, and more that chronicle the drama of American religious history. This third edition updates all of the bibliographical essays, brings the second volume up to the present, and incorporates other documents that reflect recent scholarly concerns, such as the religious dimensions of the Civil War and religious developments among women and people of color.

This unique documentary history brings together manifestos, Supreme Court decisions, congressional testimonies, speeches, articles, book excerpts, pastoral letters, interviews, song lyrics, memoirs, and poems reflecting the vitality, diversity, and changing nature of religious belief and practice in America since 1945. Covering both the center and the margins of American religious life, these documents reflect the role of religion and theology in the civil rights, feminist, and gay rights movements as well as in the conservative responses to these. Issues regarding religion and contemporary American culture are explored in documents about the rise of the evangelical movement and the religious right; the impact of "new" (post-1965) immigrant communities on the religious landscape; the popularity of alternative, New Age, and non-Western beliefs; and the relationship between religion and popular culture. The editors conclude with selections exploring major themes of American religious life at the millennium as well as excerpts that speculate on the future of religion in the United States.