Altamira Press Atlas of American Religion: The Denominational Era, 1776-1990

Methodists to Congregationalists, Mormons to Jews, Church of God to the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel-the story of religion in the United States is in large part the story of its paradoxical religious organizations. Through both words and maps, The Atlas of American Religion brings coherence to the shifting picture of 200 years of American religious history. From independence to the present, the Atlas charts the evolution of the 39 major denominations and sects in the U.S. Also, Newman and Halvorson offer a new five-fold typology categorizing religious organizations. Their definitions of national denominations, multiregional denominations, classic sects, multiregional sects and national sects brings new precision and clarity to our understanding of religious organizations. And with 92 two-color maps depicting this changing religious landscape, the Atlas of American Religion makes an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the sociology or history of the religious experiment that is the United States of America. Review Remarkable.... This Atlas's synergy is a welcome result of a partnership between a sociologist (Newman) and a geographer (Halvorson). Highly recommended to students of American history, sociology, and geography.--Richard Francaviglia, Center for Greater Southwestern Studies and the History of Cartography, University of Texas at Arlington "Fronteras " Scholars of religion will find it is the most helpful source available for examining the changing patterns of of church membership in America.--Gary Holloway, (Lipscomb University) "Stone-Campbell Journal " The Atlas of American Religion is...a recommendable book. It is well-written, easy to understand and helps to fill a large hole in American demographics....The authors are to be congratulated on overcoming the difficulty of compiling comparable data from such divergent sources.--Donald Woolley, (North Carolina State University) "Contemporary Sociology " About the Author William M. Newman is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut.Peter L. Halvorson is Professor of Geography at the University of Connecticut.