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America's Religious History: Faith, Politics, and the Shaping of a Nation
In the post-9/11 world, it is not difficult to see how important religion remains in America and around the globe. An older generation of scholars expected that America and the rest of the Western world was headed inexorably toward secularization and the end of religion. America is undoubtedly secular in many ways, and our constitutional order requires a clear distinction between faith communities and government. Yet from the colonial era to the present, American men and women have been, and have remained, a pervasively religious people.
In America's Religious History, leading historian Thomas S. Kidd traces the theological and ethnic diversity and enduring strength of American religion, with special attention to Christianity and evangelical faith. Interweaving religious history and key events from the larger narrative of American history, the book considers how faith commitments and categories have shaped the nation.
Written with the student in mind, America's Religious History offers an up-to-date, narrative introduction useful for undergraduate and graduate-level courses on American religion. General readers wanting to better understand the religious background of American life and politics will also enjoy its engaging and insightful overview.
In America's Religious History, leading historian Thomas S. Kidd traces the theological and ethnic diversity and enduring strength of American religion, with special attention to Christianity and evangelical faith. Interweaving religious history and key events from the larger narrative of American history, the book considers how faith commitments and categories have shaped the nation.
Written with the student in mind, America's Religious History offers an up-to-date, narrative introduction useful for undergraduate and graduate-level courses on American religion. General readers wanting to better understand the religious background of American life and politics will also enjoy its engaging and insightful overview.
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Published November 12, 2019
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About the author
Thomas S. Kidd
39 books118 followersThomas S. Kidd teaches history at Baylor University, and is Senior Fellow at Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. Dr. Kidd has appeared on the Glenn Beck tv program, the Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager radio shows, and written columns for USA Today and the Washington Post. He is a columnist for Patheos.com. His latest book is Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots. Other books include God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution. His next book projects are a biography of George Whitefield, and a history of Baptists in America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 12, 2019
American Christians, generally speaking, are ignorant of the history of their own religion in this country, let alone of other religions here. This is not due to a lack of excellent scholarly resources. If anything, there is a surfeit of excellent studies of American religion. The problem is that most Americans won’t read them because they are either too academic or too specific. (Or too long.)
Thomas S. Kidd is distinguished professor of history at Baylor University. His faith perspective is evangelical Christian generally and Southern Baptist specifically. His scholarly expertise is colonial and early U.S. history. Earlier this year, he published a two-volume survey, American History, for college students. Now, he’s published America’s Religious History, a single-volume introduction to that topic, also intended for college students—it’s published by Zondervan Academic—but readily accessible to a broad readership.
America’s religious history did not start with Christianity, of course, which was only introduced to the Western hemisphere beginning with Christopher Columbus in 1492. Kidd touches briefly on aspects of indigenous religious before colonization, but the main line of his story starts with first Catholic and then Protestant colonization efforts. While Catholicism always played an important role in the history of those lands that eventually became the United States, Kidd’s main focus throughout the book is on “the fate of Protestantism in America,” which is the nation’s “most powerful religious strain.” He does mention developments in other religions too, as well as in nonreligious, skeptical points of view.
As a Pentecostal Christian and ordained minister in the Assemblies of God, I was delighted by Kidd’s treatment of Pentecostalism in the last few chapters of the book. While I acknowledge that our tribe has problems—televangelist scandals, prosperity gospel preachers, etc.—our history also demonstrates a spiritual vitality and ethnic diversity that bode well for our future.
Kidd begins the book with three sentences that identify a thread running throughout America’s Religious History: “The story of American religion is a study in contrasts. Secular clashes with the sacred; demagoguery with devotion. Perhaps most conspicuously, religious vitality has existed alongside religious violence.” Readers looking for a chirpily cheery national history of Christianity specifically or religion generally will be disappointed by Kidd’s work. There’s much in America’s “lived religion,” its daily practice of faith, that is heartening, of course, but disheartening episodes abound too, especially when it comes to evangelicals and politics.
Kidd closes each chapter with a list of “Works Cited and Further Reading.” This list makes an excellent next step for readers who want go deeper on the historical developments surveyed in that chapter. While the publisher probably intends this book for use in a college classroom setting, I think it can also be used profitably by Sunday school classes, small groups, and book clubs. Or, of course, for the solitary reader seeking a better understanding of this nation’s religious history.
Book Reviewed
Thomas S. Kidd, America’s Religious History: Faith, Politics, and the Shaping of a Nation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2019).
P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Yes” on my Amazon review page.
Thomas S. Kidd is distinguished professor of history at Baylor University. His faith perspective is evangelical Christian generally and Southern Baptist specifically. His scholarly expertise is colonial and early U.S. history. Earlier this year, he published a two-volume survey, American History, for college students. Now, he’s published America’s Religious History, a single-volume introduction to that topic, also intended for college students—it’s published by Zondervan Academic—but readily accessible to a broad readership.
America’s religious history did not start with Christianity, of course, which was only introduced to the Western hemisphere beginning with Christopher Columbus in 1492. Kidd touches briefly on aspects of indigenous religious before colonization, but the main line of his story starts with first Catholic and then Protestant colonization efforts. While Catholicism always played an important role in the history of those lands that eventually became the United States, Kidd’s main focus throughout the book is on “the fate of Protestantism in America,” which is the nation’s “most powerful religious strain.” He does mention developments in other religions too, as well as in nonreligious, skeptical points of view.
As a Pentecostal Christian and ordained minister in the Assemblies of God, I was delighted by Kidd’s treatment of Pentecostalism in the last few chapters of the book. While I acknowledge that our tribe has problems—televangelist scandals, prosperity gospel preachers, etc.—our history also demonstrates a spiritual vitality and ethnic diversity that bode well for our future.
Kidd begins the book with three sentences that identify a thread running throughout America’s Religious History: “The story of American religion is a study in contrasts. Secular clashes with the sacred; demagoguery with devotion. Perhaps most conspicuously, religious vitality has existed alongside religious violence.” Readers looking for a chirpily cheery national history of Christianity specifically or religion generally will be disappointed by Kidd’s work. There’s much in America’s “lived religion,” its daily practice of faith, that is heartening, of course, but disheartening episodes abound too, especially when it comes to evangelicals and politics.
Kidd closes each chapter with a list of “Works Cited and Further Reading.” This list makes an excellent next step for readers who want go deeper on the historical developments surveyed in that chapter. While the publisher probably intends this book for use in a college classroom setting, I think it can also be used profitably by Sunday school classes, small groups, and book clubs. Or, of course, for the solitary reader seeking a better understanding of this nation’s religious history.
Book Reviewed
Thomas S. Kidd, America’s Religious History: Faith, Politics, and the Shaping of a Nation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2019).
P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Yes” on my Amazon review page.
September 16, 2020
Well-written, concise history of Christianity in America. Kidd’s brief summaries quickly get to the main point.
November 28, 2020
A solid, useful history of religion in the US. The book is popularly oriented, rather than academic. But each chapter has a useful bibliography, and the index is helpful as well. Kidd does not limit his discussion to the development of Christianity in the US, but includes all of the religions represented in a diverse population. One key thing that the book reminds the reader about is that the current conflicts within churches, among churches, and among religions is not new in the US, and our generation will not solve those problems. There is indeed nothing nee under the sun. That's something we need regularly to be reminded of. Instead, we are called to faithful day by day, leaving the outworking of all these things to God's wise providence.
November 9, 2020
A thorough, wide-ranging overview of America's religious history. I did finish the book, wondering what the authors thesis was. Perhaps his goal was not to persuade his readers, but rather inform them and allow them to contextualize their own religious and political views.
April 22, 2024
Very helpful overview of America’s religious history. As is typical for Kidd, this work is fair, well documented, and reliable.
August 17, 2021
Great book. Read slowly, though every time I picked it up, it was easy to get through a chapter. True survey. Kidd doesn’t focus on any one point more than a few pages.
June 7, 2025
Really good brief history of religion in America
May 1, 2022
One Nation Under God
The first freedom enumerated in the Bill of Rights is what we have come to call the freedom of religion. It actually is the freedom from interference in our free individual expression of religious beliefs by legislative action of Congress (later extended to the States also). While this freedom shares the First Amendment with freedoms of speech and press and the right to assemble peaceably and petition the government, its predominant position is because it is the cornerstone of these other foundational freedoms. It is the first of the unalienable rights endowed by our Creator. From America’s earliest days, our relationship with our Creator has shaped our history. It continues to do so today.
In his excellent book, “America’s Religious History”, Thomas Kidd has examined the roots and development of Christian influence on America. From the Pilgrims in New England to the early Roman Catholic missions in the West and Southwest, Christian principles have been paramount in guiding American priorities and values.
Kidd pulls no punches, however, and addresses many instances where Biblical eisegesis (making the text say what we want it to say rather than a true exegetical meaning) has been used to rationalize behaviors and policies that bore little resemblance to Christ’s message or the noble principles to which we have claimed to aspire. Famous among these, of course, are the treatment of Native Americans and slavery, but Kidd also looks at conflicts among Christian denominations or groups. Even when misused, the precepts of Christianity have played a foremost role, and we have learned, and must continue to learn, from how false teaching is a perpetual threat and has been a great influence on our history.
In fewer than 300 pages of engaging material, Kidd relates the influences of the unfolding story from our colonial days, the Great Awakenings, Western expansion, the Civil War, the influence of immigration, the global threats of the 20th Century, the influence of the Supreme Court, the growing politicization and polarization of religious expression, and much more. He introduces the great voices from George Whitefield to Billy Graham, many lesser known influencers, and even some hypocrites, failures, and frauds.
Many of us are sometimes dismayed at how the relationship between church and state has evolved. But America has always been a nation whose history has been shaped by our beliefs in God. We have been one nation under God. This book is an opportunity to understand that relationship. Let’s hope we get the relationship right in the future. If we don’t, it will not go well for us.
The first freedom enumerated in the Bill of Rights is what we have come to call the freedom of religion. It actually is the freedom from interference in our free individual expression of religious beliefs by legislative action of Congress (later extended to the States also). While this freedom shares the First Amendment with freedoms of speech and press and the right to assemble peaceably and petition the government, its predominant position is because it is the cornerstone of these other foundational freedoms. It is the first of the unalienable rights endowed by our Creator. From America’s earliest days, our relationship with our Creator has shaped our history. It continues to do so today.
In his excellent book, “America’s Religious History”, Thomas Kidd has examined the roots and development of Christian influence on America. From the Pilgrims in New England to the early Roman Catholic missions in the West and Southwest, Christian principles have been paramount in guiding American priorities and values.
Kidd pulls no punches, however, and addresses many instances where Biblical eisegesis (making the text say what we want it to say rather than a true exegetical meaning) has been used to rationalize behaviors and policies that bore little resemblance to Christ’s message or the noble principles to which we have claimed to aspire. Famous among these, of course, are the treatment of Native Americans and slavery, but Kidd also looks at conflicts among Christian denominations or groups. Even when misused, the precepts of Christianity have played a foremost role, and we have learned, and must continue to learn, from how false teaching is a perpetual threat and has been a great influence on our history.
In fewer than 300 pages of engaging material, Kidd relates the influences of the unfolding story from our colonial days, the Great Awakenings, Western expansion, the Civil War, the influence of immigration, the global threats of the 20th Century, the influence of the Supreme Court, the growing politicization and polarization of religious expression, and much more. He introduces the great voices from George Whitefield to Billy Graham, many lesser known influencers, and even some hypocrites, failures, and frauds.
Many of us are sometimes dismayed at how the relationship between church and state has evolved. But America has always been a nation whose history has been shaped by our beliefs in God. We have been one nation under God. This book is an opportunity to understand that relationship. Let’s hope we get the relationship right in the future. If we don’t, it will not go well for us.
July 3, 2025
English Colonization
Book begins by detailing the contentious history of early America, and how many of the colonies, states, and cities were formed by some person wanting to create a new religious sect, or fleeing persecution, etc. Kidd also mentioned the persecution Christians bore against Native Americans at that time. Kidd discusses how colleges like Harvard and Yale were even founded with Christian and traditionalist theology.
The Great Awakening - 1730s-40s, in a transatlantic movement, continued until the 80s. George Whitefield, many people profession being "born again." Critics thought revivals were essentially emotional chaos.
54 - Civil spirituality - the rhetoric of the bible so deeply ingrained in the colonies that Americans reflexively applied it to developments in the economy like the Stamp Act.
68 - "...the American Revolution ushered in an unprecedented era of religious liberty [(including for African American slaves)], with cascading effects for the vitality and conflict of American religion."
A lot of the founding fathers were Deists rather than Christians - they denied the divinity of God, etc. Thomas Jefferson even used a knife to cut out parts of the Bible he didn't believe (like Jesus's miracles).
93 - John Adams believed the Bible represented a pillar of civilization, and that it had profound philosophy and refined policy and perfect morality, power for ethical and cultural refinement.
128 - "The lack of a biblical consensus on slavery would divide the Protestant denominations and eventually sunder the nation itself."
132 - "Independent black churches were the most consistent voices of antislavery sentiment in the pre-Civil War era." Kidd spends some time exploring white sentimentality towards slaves and how they justified it biblically, as well as the critics at the time and the general slave-sentiments.
Kidd details how immigration and growing diversity impacted America, bringing in more denominations and religious thought. Various Catholic and Jewish sects became more widespread. Kidd also discusses the denominational views towards women in leadership, and spends a good deal of time discussing African-Americans entering into leadership after the Civil War. Then there's a chapter discussion evolution's entrance into the thought-sphere of America, and the church's fight to grapple with biblical realities and scientific theories.
Women had very few capacities they could serve in Christian denominations, so women's missionary activism became more robust.
196-197 - "...higher criticism, modernism, and rising Catholic and Jewish immigration since the late 1800s seemed to threaten America's de facto Protestant establishment. The growing ranks of non-Protestants drove many Americans to support the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups committed to white Protestant domination."
204 - "The Depression, the world wars, and the Holocaust resulted in a loss of spiritual innocence for many..." and the Cold War greatly influenced civil religion. Billy Graham's anticommunism beliefs helped spread his message.
227 - “the desire to acquire and sustain political influence became one of the distinguishing marks of American evangelicals.”
250 - “by 1980, abortion had emerged as perhaps the defining concern for conservative Protestant voters.”
266 - “the educational and cultural changes of the post-1965 era left many Christian traditionalists wondering whether they should seek to reclaim the nation or retreat from a secular American Babylon.”
Book begins by detailing the contentious history of early America, and how many of the colonies, states, and cities were formed by some person wanting to create a new religious sect, or fleeing persecution, etc. Kidd also mentioned the persecution Christians bore against Native Americans at that time. Kidd discusses how colleges like Harvard and Yale were even founded with Christian and traditionalist theology.
The Great Awakening - 1730s-40s, in a transatlantic movement, continued until the 80s. George Whitefield, many people profession being "born again." Critics thought revivals were essentially emotional chaos.
54 - Civil spirituality - the rhetoric of the bible so deeply ingrained in the colonies that Americans reflexively applied it to developments in the economy like the Stamp Act.
68 - "...the American Revolution ushered in an unprecedented era of religious liberty [(including for African American slaves)], with cascading effects for the vitality and conflict of American religion."
A lot of the founding fathers were Deists rather than Christians - they denied the divinity of God, etc. Thomas Jefferson even used a knife to cut out parts of the Bible he didn't believe (like Jesus's miracles).
93 - John Adams believed the Bible represented a pillar of civilization, and that it had profound philosophy and refined policy and perfect morality, power for ethical and cultural refinement.
128 - "The lack of a biblical consensus on slavery would divide the Protestant denominations and eventually sunder the nation itself."
132 - "Independent black churches were the most consistent voices of antislavery sentiment in the pre-Civil War era." Kidd spends some time exploring white sentimentality towards slaves and how they justified it biblically, as well as the critics at the time and the general slave-sentiments.
Kidd details how immigration and growing diversity impacted America, bringing in more denominations and religious thought. Various Catholic and Jewish sects became more widespread. Kidd also discusses the denominational views towards women in leadership, and spends a good deal of time discussing African-Americans entering into leadership after the Civil War. Then there's a chapter discussion evolution's entrance into the thought-sphere of America, and the church's fight to grapple with biblical realities and scientific theories.
Women had very few capacities they could serve in Christian denominations, so women's missionary activism became more robust.
196-197 - "...higher criticism, modernism, and rising Catholic and Jewish immigration since the late 1800s seemed to threaten America's de facto Protestant establishment. The growing ranks of non-Protestants drove many Americans to support the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups committed to white Protestant domination."
204 - "The Depression, the world wars, and the Holocaust resulted in a loss of spiritual innocence for many..." and the Cold War greatly influenced civil religion. Billy Graham's anticommunism beliefs helped spread his message.
227 - “the desire to acquire and sustain political influence became one of the distinguishing marks of American evangelicals.”
250 - “by 1980, abortion had emerged as perhaps the defining concern for conservative Protestant voters.”
266 - “the educational and cultural changes of the post-1965 era left many Christian traditionalists wondering whether they should seek to reclaim the nation or retreat from a secular American Babylon.”
April 2, 2023
As an introduction to American religion, I think this book does a laudable job. I was impressed by how many branches and offshoots Kidd touched on in such a concise but adequate manner. Never once did I feel bogged down in deep theological debates getting parsed out ad nauseam, nor did I feel like these great subjects were being ignored or unaddressed either. This book is a success as far as that is concerned.
Another aspect of this book that I found refreshing, though somewhat torn about, was the noticeable inclusion of often-neglected history pertaining to the role non-white communities had in the development of Catholic/Protestant trends in America. My only critique on this aspect of the book is that, in an attempt to provide a culturally/ethnically balanced account of religious history, it did occasionally feel like the author had an agenda to lump all white Christians into potentially unfair all-encompassing categories. That being said, those moments were rare, and did not distract from the overall enjoyment of the read. I thought his coverage of Civil War era Christianity to be very balanced and honest when so many take polarized positions on that time period today.
The interwoven nature of religion and politics in late 20th and 21st Century America is a sticky subject these days, but I think the author navigated it fairly and represented the various sides in reasonable and compelling ways. The legwork done in the early chapters helped pave the way to understanding many of the motivations at work in the controversies of our modern day.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially to those who are unfamiliar with America’s church history. It’s a good primer. Even those who would probably feel knowledgeable in this area might be surprised at the blind spots they may have in their religious rear view mirror.
- M
Another aspect of this book that I found refreshing, though somewhat torn about, was the noticeable inclusion of often-neglected history pertaining to the role non-white communities had in the development of Catholic/Protestant trends in America. My only critique on this aspect of the book is that, in an attempt to provide a culturally/ethnically balanced account of religious history, it did occasionally feel like the author had an agenda to lump all white Christians into potentially unfair all-encompassing categories. That being said, those moments were rare, and did not distract from the overall enjoyment of the read. I thought his coverage of Civil War era Christianity to be very balanced and honest when so many take polarized positions on that time period today.
The interwoven nature of religion and politics in late 20th and 21st Century America is a sticky subject these days, but I think the author navigated it fairly and represented the various sides in reasonable and compelling ways. The legwork done in the early chapters helped pave the way to understanding many of the motivations at work in the controversies of our modern day.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially to those who are unfamiliar with America’s church history. It’s a good primer. Even those who would probably feel knowledgeable in this area might be surprised at the blind spots they may have in their religious rear view mirror.
- M
February 12, 2022
Disclaimer: I only listened to this one on Audible.
In this book, Kidd has his work cut out for him in writing a history of religion in America. The work highlights everything from Native American beliefs to the Puritans to Mormons and more. The most interesting aspects of the book lay in watching religion and politics interaction from America’s founding until today. For example, while contemporary telling of history of America’s founding often present the founding fathers as being robust Christians and seeing a thorough “wall of separation” between church and state, neither of these ideas line up to what actually happened. In reality, most of the founding fathers were deists who advocated for freedom of religion against the idea of a national legislated Anglicanism and who simultaneously welcomed orthodox Christians to preach to Congress. This is but one example of how Kidd’s work is a valuable and enjoyable read. I’d further commend it as an excellent work to help inform its readers on the intersection of religion and politics in America’s history as we seek to live as citizens of the city of God sojourning in the city of man.
In this book, Kidd has his work cut out for him in writing a history of religion in America. The work highlights everything from Native American beliefs to the Puritans to Mormons and more. The most interesting aspects of the book lay in watching religion and politics interaction from America’s founding until today. For example, while contemporary telling of history of America’s founding often present the founding fathers as being robust Christians and seeing a thorough “wall of separation” between church and state, neither of these ideas line up to what actually happened. In reality, most of the founding fathers were deists who advocated for freedom of religion against the idea of a national legislated Anglicanism and who simultaneously welcomed orthodox Christians to preach to Congress. This is but one example of how Kidd’s work is a valuable and enjoyable read. I’d further commend it as an excellent work to help inform its readers on the intersection of religion and politics in America’s history as we seek to live as citizens of the city of God sojourning in the city of man.
December 31, 2019
A very thorough presentation of religion in America. While the history of America is deeply dependent on the Puritans, Pilgrims, and other Protestant Christians seeking shelter on this continent, Kidd's book shows that more is more to America's religious history than (White) Protestant Christianity.
Kidd does a remarkable job tracing the many streams of Protestant, Catholic, and non-Christian religions that have come to America. His work considers the various ethnic streams in Christianity, plus the various immigrants who brought Judaism, Buddhism, and other religions to America. As his subtitle suggests, he also explores the relationships between faith and politics.
In this way, Kidd shows the unique relationship that religion (especially various stripes of Christianity) have had in American culture and politics. His work is current, even considering events in 2016 and 2019. Yet, this works largest value is the wide-ranging history of religion in America.
It is a book I will read again to better ground my understanding of all the aspects of religion in our nation.
Kidd does a remarkable job tracing the many streams of Protestant, Catholic, and non-Christian religions that have come to America. His work considers the various ethnic streams in Christianity, plus the various immigrants who brought Judaism, Buddhism, and other religions to America. As his subtitle suggests, he also explores the relationships between faith and politics.
In this way, Kidd shows the unique relationship that religion (especially various stripes of Christianity) have had in American culture and politics. His work is current, even considering events in 2016 and 2019. Yet, this works largest value is the wide-ranging history of religion in America.
It is a book I will read again to better ground my understanding of all the aspects of religion in our nation.
May 13, 2022
Written by a first-rate evangelical historian, this is an excellent survey of the history of religion in America from early American Indian religions to 2019. This survey is a bit more broad than the typical almost exclusively Protestant Christian textbooks. Kidd includes some attention to the histories of Islam, African religion, Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, a few cults, and more at various points in American history. Yet, his main focus is on American Protestantism. Most of the material on other religious groups was new to me, so I appreciated this distinctive. Kidd sees “vital commitment, ethnic diversity, and harsh conflict” as “the essential narrative threads in American religious history” (11). A lot of his book fleshes out these themes as history unfolds, but he also covers a far wider range of topics too. If you are looking for a well-written, broad sweep of the history of religion (especially Christianity) in the United States, including the most notable figures and key ideas, this is an excellent choice to pick up and read.
May 28, 2021
3.5 stars. America’s Religious History is a timely read. Since it’s recent, Kidd knows what the questions being asked right now are and can trace those themes in history. He packs a lot into 300 pages, leaving little room for primary sources, and I don’t remember any footnotes (though each chapter has a bibliography), making it harder to engage more directly with the history and check bias, which is always present in history. Kidd also offered very little commentary on anything, which leaves a lot open to interpretation, but I appreciated that as he didn’t leave out things that would make him or his circles uncomfortable (ie, he includes examples of females preaching or being ordained, despite seemingly being complementarian). This style does make it fairly dry and detached, though. It’s helpful as is, but would be better if it were longer and could include more primary sources and go into more people’s stories and not just fly over facts.
November 22, 2020
3.5 stars. An easy-to-read flyover of the history of religion in America (with a strong emphasis on Christianity). While the founding fathers certainly didn't intend to create a "Christian" nation, I think their religious fervor and background has been unnecessarily downplayed. By our standards today, they would very religious (attended church regularly, believed in God, etc.). In fact, many of the pamphlets and literature that made the case for American independence quoted scripture at length.
It's easy to forget that up until more modern times, the common sentiment among the majority of Americans has been that religion (especially Judaism and Christianity) is good for building a just and happy society. To quote Dwight Eisenhower, “our form of government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don't care what it is!”
It's easy to forget that up until more modern times, the common sentiment among the majority of Americans has been that religion (especially Judaism and Christianity) is good for building a just and happy society. To quote Dwight Eisenhower, “our form of government has no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don't care what it is!”
April 23, 2022
Very helpful overview of Christian history in America for a Gen Z living in Baptist-dominated, quickly-urbanizing Texas. Still processing how we acknowledge the past victories and downfalls of American Christianity that we didn’t necessarily culturally grow up in, while trying to avoid those same mistakes, live faithfully in the community/city we are placed in, and engage compassionately, understandingly, and realistically with the diversity of people we interact with on a daily basis. At a minimum, helpful in further placing myself in my historical context, understanding the narratives and events that shaped those especially older than me in leadership at work and in my church community, and pray through how to be part of healing and hope-filled conversations in my moment of redemptive history.
April 30, 2023
As a former student of the author I was pleased to see that some of the anecdotes, personalities, and texts mentioned in his American Religious History courses a decade ago made it into this book.
Kidd has a specific skill of compression and summary. He can catalogue so much information into a narrow span and keep quite a bit of narrative momentum going. It is an impressive skill that makes this book easy reading and a helpful introductory text. There are plenty of things that I disagree with in terms of emphasis and analysis, but the author shows his work and states pretty clearly were he has a personal stake in the proceedings. recommended.
Kidd has a specific skill of compression and summary. He can catalogue so much information into a narrow span and keep quite a bit of narrative momentum going. It is an impressive skill that makes this book easy reading and a helpful introductory text. There are plenty of things that I disagree with in terms of emphasis and analysis, but the author shows his work and states pretty clearly were he has a personal stake in the proceedings. recommended.
March 26, 2023
This was the book we read as a part of Taido’s 13-week class. The class was exceptional! Really enjoyed all the discussion, information he relayed, and thought provoking nature of such a class. This book helped with some of that, but I feel I got most out of Taido’s lessons themselves. This book does what it sets out to do by relaying historical information about the shaping and evolution of religion in this country, and for the most part is a fairly easy read, but as is the nature of most historical texts it does come off a bit dry and data-heavy through most of it.
June 25, 2023
This was a fascinating history book for me. I never realized the vast diversity of religious experience in America. What little of this is touched on in our education system is whitewashed and simplistic. This book gave me a new insight on the meaning and intent of the Establishment Clause in the Constitution. It also gave me some much needed perspective as my church is in the process of splitting apart.
There is a TON of specific information and it was probably a bit more detailed than I would have preferred. But I learned so much new information that it was still a very worthwhile read.
There is a TON of specific information and it was probably a bit more detailed than I would have preferred. But I learned so much new information that it was still a very worthwhile read.
October 24, 2025
This is the textbook for one of my classes (chosen by the previous professor). The book does a good job of covering a lot of material in a fairly slim number of pages, although I wish the chapters were shorter. The index and list of suggested sources at the end of each chapter are very helpful. My students claim to enjoy this book, although I have a strong suspicion that they stopped reading it after the first week or two of class; the chapters are just much longer than I think they would ever consistently read.
April 7, 2022
I was surprised and impressed by the aithrosy combination of breadth for a wide audience, and obvious depth in the details of American religious history. As a book written for a general audience it excels at narrative and yet doesn't skip on insight, especially when it comes to the diversity of the movement commonly referred to as "evangelicalism".
If you want a grasp on America's unique and profligate story of a uniquely religious nation, this is a book you'll want.
If you want a grasp on America's unique and profligate story of a uniquely religious nation, this is a book you'll want.
January 25, 2023
Kidd's book is a concise survey of the story of religion in America. Kidd appears to do very well as an unbiased historian with his content selection. Because of the concision, none of the topics are discussed in depth, and Kidd does not argue for particular viewpoints or make value judgments. On the one hand, this is good historical method; on the other hand, this leads to a complete lack of tension.
March 11, 2020
Audible: Easy to listen to. It wasn't too dry or monotoned. But it's very dense, so it's hard to ingest all the information.
Book: Excellent book! It was really well laid out and had so much great information. Probably better to read with a pencil in your hand, but I'd probably never get to it if I did that. I highly recommend it for someone who is interested in America's religious history.
Book: Excellent book! It was really well laid out and had so much great information. Probably better to read with a pencil in your hand, but I'd probably never get to it if I did that. I highly recommend it for someone who is interested in America's religious history.
December 3, 2020
This was a unique look at American history not focused on any one denomination but looking at how religious movements shaped and influenced American history in various periods of time. It was especially helpful in understanding the current climate based on the emergence of the political Christian "right".
June 30, 2023
Very helpful survey of religion in general in the United States. Most of the survey surrounds Christianity, and Protestantism at that, but Kidd touches upon other areas where pertinent. While not a church history per se, this is helpful in contextualizing the unique nature of Christianity in America.
June 7, 2022
Excellent resource.
Kidd provides an excellent overview with significant detail of major influences and movements, accomplishing not only a near impossible task but doing so while holding the reader’s attention.
Kidd provides an excellent overview with significant detail of major influences and movements, accomplishing not only a near impossible task but doing so while holding the reader’s attention.
March 28, 2023
Very helpful overview of key events, periods, and figures in America’s religious history. Kidd does not go into great depth, but he makes up for this in breadth. Each chapter includes important details and lucid historical observations.
December 30, 2020
I read this book. My goal for the year was 53 books so now I'm including books for school.
Anyway this is a good one. fresh and interesting. super helpful for understanding. i read this in class and it helped me learn
Anyway this is a good one. fresh and interesting. super helpful for understanding. i read this in class and it helped me learn
May 18, 2021
Excellent and well written. Covers a vast history of religions throughout America’s history. Very rich is nuggets of information.
August 23, 2021
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2021 FOR ME!
It is a must! I loved it!
It is a must! I loved it!
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