A Documentary History of Religion in America, 4th ed.
by Edwin S. Gaustad, Heath W. Carter, and Mark A. Noll
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Pub Date Jul 12 2018 | Archive Date Jul 31 2020
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Description
Up-to-date one-volume edition of a standard text
For decades students and scholars have turned to the two-volume Documentary History of Religion in America for access to the most significant primary sources relating to American religious history from the sixteenth century to the present. This fourth edition—published in a single volume for the first time—has been updated and condensed, allowing instructors to more easily cover the material in a single semester.
With more than a hundred illustrations and a rich array of primary documents ranging from the letters and accounts of early colonists to tweets and transcripts from the 2016 presidential election, this volume remains an essential text for readers who want to encounter firsthand the astonishing scope of religious belief and practice in American history.
Advance Praise
“A classic is now even better. One could hardly imagine a
combination better suited than Mark Noll and Heath Carter to update Edwin
Gaustad’s much admired collection. Noll brings his unsurpassed knowledge of the
field and Carter adds perspectives that are engaging a younger generation of
historians. Many of the new additions are fascinating reading just in
themselves. Teachers of American religious history will find this text ideally
suited to their needs.”
— George M. Marsden
University of Notre Dame
“This updated collection of primary documents has been
expertly pulled into a single volume to give a new generation of students
access to a wide range of prominent religious voices. Beautifully narrated and
carefully curated, these readings are thoughtfully chosen to showcase
fundamental debates about the character of American religion.”
— Kate Bowler
Duke Divinity School
“Edwin Gaustad’s Documentary History of Religion in
America has long been the gold standard for teachers who want to bring
primary sources into their American religious history classrooms. In this new
edition, Noll and Carter have somehow managed to improve upon a classic!”
— John Fea
Messiah College
“Heath Carter has given scholars and students of American
religion a gift. He has consolidated Gaustad and Noll’s classic into an
accessible single-volume resource, while expanding the diversity of
perspectives represented within. Expertly framed and clearly contextualized,
this will be an indispensable volume for years to come.”
— Kathryn Gin Lum
Stanford University
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780802873583 |
| PRICE | $60.00 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Cathy G, Reviewer
A Documentary History of Religion in America
by Edwin S. Gaustad, Heath W. Carter, and Mark A. Noll
This in-depth look at religion in North America uses first person documents to trace religious beliefs and their impact on exploration, interaction with others, politics, war, societal issues and more. It was originally two volumes that have been condensed into one large book that will no doubt be used to teach courses and also be used as a reference source.
Eight chapters that cover nearly 800 pages include photos, documents, letters, impressions, tweets, interviews and other first person documents that assist in giving insight into at least what those spotlighted were thinking and feeling when they recorded what they did. As with any such first person narrative – there will be bias. And, though what is recorded is personal truth it very well may not be the total truth or give insight into what others of the time may have thought and felt. Each chapter has supplemental suggested reading relevant to the information presented. I am not sure what guidelines were adopted by the current editors of this tome but do admire them for undertaking this herculean task.
Thank you to NetGalley and Willam B. Erdman’s Plublishing Company for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
Steve B, Reviewer
The first edition of this mammoth book was published in 1982 and edited by Edwin Gaustad (1923-2011). His aim was in part ‘to enable the “amateur” to reconstruct the religious history of America with the building blocks provided here’. The first three editions of the book comprised two volumes. This fourth edition is a condensed one-volume edition and takes us from the sixteenth century up to the Trump presidency. Inevitably this has meant a reduction in the number of documents form the first editions but also the inclusion of newer documents.
Heath Carter has taken up the reins from Gusted and Mark Noll, who co-edited the third (2003) edition. The format here is similar to the previous incarnations. But Carter has taken the opportunity to update ‘some of the contents and approaches in order to reflect the latest scholarship in the field’ (xvii). He also puts the focus on public rather than private aspects of religion.
What is presented here is an impressive display of primary sources and illustrations. Each of the chapters has an introduction as well as an impressive number of primary sources and end with an annotated list of suggested readings.
Typical of the chapters is the final chapter 8: ‘Into the new millennium’. It begins with a brief 4-page overview and then under the headings of Pluralism and politics, Trauma and transition, Religion and national upheaval has selections from diverse a range of writers and social commentators as Billy Graham, George W. Bush, Albert Mohler, Jr., Jim Wallis, and interviews with Arsalan Iftikhar and Eric Metaxas reading the Trump presidency. The chapter concludes with a two-page essay on suggested reading.
This book will invaluable for anyone interested in the wide range of religion in America. It lives up to the aim of its original editor in that any amateur will find plenty of building blocks here to understand the religious history of America.
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