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Library Journal Review
Aimed at the general, educated public, this comprehensive look at the religious aspects of American history is arranged in nine sections containing over 100 essay-length articles by acknowledged scholars. The average article is 12 pages long and includes an excellent bibliography and cross-references. Subject matter is broad in scope, covering backgrounds, history, and statistics of major denominations and important religious movements; both Christian and non- Christian religions are included. Subjects covered include the influence of religion on literature, art, architecture, and socio-political issues, with an entire section devoted to the dissemination of American religion. An important reference work recommended for most libraries. C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, Ind. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
CHOICE Review
An outstanding achievement, this three-volume work will become the standard reference tool in American religion. Although it is similar in format to the larger Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. by the late Mircea Eliade et al. (1987; forthcoming in Choice), the two works serve quite different purposes. This work lacks short dictionary-type entries, but is made up of 105 commissioned essays organized by broad topic and theme. The essays treat exclusively religion on the North American continent and emphasize topics only briefly covered in the larger work (e.g., ``the impact of Puritanism on American thought''). With a few exceptions, the big names in American religious studies are not represented. The editors obviously made a decision to use a number of younger scholars and instructed them to write for a wide audience. With almost no exceptions, the essayists avoid technical terms, in-group jargon, or scholarly pretentiousness. The result is a happy combination of scholarship and easy readability, accessible by curious nonspecialists, mature scholars, and by students embarking on a research topic. The selective bibliographies that follow the essays are uniformly of high quality-long enough to cite the important works but short enough to be workable. This work immediately invites close comparison with A.C. Piepkorn's Profiles in Belief (CH, Dec '77 and Nov '79), which has become the indispensable resource for users desiring precise doctrinal or liturgical information about the various American denominations. Yet Piepkorn's work makes no attempt to treat such broad topics as ``church and state,'' ``the history of preaching,'' and ``ethnicity and religion.'' The two titles are splendidly complementary and together constitute a splendid resource tool, along with Nelson Rollin Burr's now old but still enormously helpful Religion in American Life (1961). As is inevitable in a multiauthored work, there are some overlaps, and some essays are less satisfactory than others. The treatment of ``Judaism in contemporary America'' is eccentric for what it omits. The little-known but remarkably vital Plymouth Brethren are only discussed in the context of John Darby, their founder. Catholic nuns, until their precipitous decline in recent years, enjoyed a prestige unique among women and played an extraordinary role in building the American Catholic Church, yet there is little discussion of them. Certainly the work would have profited from an in-depth sociological study of religion and social class. One would appreciate a candid examination of the continuing decline of the mainline Protestant denominations at the same time other religions are experiencing something of a renaissance. A few essays reflect the author's own biases. Yet the weaknesses are minor and the overall contents truly outstanding. The type, binding, and general layout are excellent. The index is exhaustive and includes generally good cross-referencing. Indispensable for academic libraries that support even small programs in religion or American studies, and highly recommended for community college, graduate, and public libraries.-L.D. Jordahl, Luther College
