Encyclopedia of American Religious History Book

US scholars of religion in general, Christianity, Islam, and Baha'i describe and interpret the wide diversity of religion in the US, past and present, for general readers and non-specialist scholars. They examine Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many new religions from perspectives of beliefs and practices, people and places in a historical context. They are less concerned with the development of religious institutions, and have sacrificed the detail found in more focused studies in favor of breadth. A few monochrome illustrations are included. Bibliographic references are article-specific. The cross- referencing is extensive. The two volumes are paged and indexed together. The first edition was published in 1996.

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Library Journal

Queen (religion and philosophy, Indiana Univ.), Stephen R. Prothero (philosophy, Georgia State Univ.), and Gardiner H. Shattuck (Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island) have provided a much-needed resource for students of America's religious history from pre-Colonial times to the present. Reflecting the diversity of religion in America, this work includes topics on Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and alternative religions, as well as Christianity. The articles are well researched and authoritative, yet they occasionally seem to reveal the mind of the author. However, the only current reference work comparable in scope and depth is the three-volume Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience (Scribner, 1988. o.p.). However, while that work consists of long topical articles in thematic chapters, this reference is comprised of articles of varying lengths arranged alphabetically. Thus, this work is suited to curious readers who wish to dip in here and there for information about people, denominations, issues, and movements that have played a part in the religious history of the nation. Libraries that have the Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience should also add these volumes to their collections.-Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Birmingham