Reviews for Religious History of American People

The average rating for Religious History of American People based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-12-18 00:00:00 Derek Cheung I picked this up at the excellent Union Theological Seminary bookstore while still studying there during the seventies, inspired by the sequence of Church History courses required for the M.Div., courses which did not include the course on American Church History. Ahlstrom's was the text for that class. Over a decade later I finally get down to reading the thing and regret not having done so earlier. Ahlstrom's review is fascinating, particularly to someone who knows their North American history pretty well, but has never looked at it from the angle of religion. Most interesting discovery: Until very recently, the ruling class of the USA has been predominately Presbyterian.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-07-29 00:00:00 Tas Tinting Anthroposophists? Check. Encyclicals from the Pope? Double check. The church and 1900s-era immigration? Step right up. Unfortunately I read only the 1975 edition of Volume Two, but fortunately I still found it to be engaging and relevant. In this comprehensive study, Ahlstrom (mostly chronologically) covers the development of American religious life from the Transcendentalism of Emerson to the social overhaul of the 1960s. While he occasionally gets bogged down detailing denominational shifts and the lives of minor figures, he manages to present a clear, highly-readable overview of two centuries of church development. I found myself wanting more details about groups Ahlstrom considers less mainstream (Mennonites, Mormons, Buddhists, etc.), although the book briefly covers Eastern religions and the New Age movement. However, I definitely came away with a fuller comprehension of American Protestantism & Judaism. I particularly appreciated Ahlstrom's special emphasis on the history of the black church, and I came away interested in finding the edition that extends the discussion through the beginning of the 21st century. The extensive footnotes and bibliography would make this book a great place to start research on many aspects of the church's role in American life.