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In this brief but comprehensive study, David W. Wills provides both a broad interpretation and a wealth of factual information on the history of Christianity in the United States. Though Wills pays careful attention to the diversity of American Christianity, charting the growth of American religious pluralism is only one of his goals. He also emphasizes Christian efforts to build a holy commonwealth and the role of religion in America's still unresolved effort to come to terms with the realities of race.
Wills places the history of Christianity in the United States in the larger context of the globalization of the Christian religion. He links the rise of African-American Christianity with the emergence of Christianity in the non-western world. He also argues that the history of Christianity in the United States concerns itself in a central way with the relation of religious ideas, institutions, constituencies, and practices to the creation and exercise of political power. This compelling work will be an invaluable text for courses in religious studies, American history, American studies, and African-American studies.
“To identify, correlate, and evaluate the major movements and forces that have prevailed in a subject as complex as Christianity in the United States is a formidable assignment in itself. To do so with balance and perceptiveness, while displaying a thorough mastery of the detail that substantiates one's presentation, is a stunning achievement. This essay is such an accomplishment that it can be read with profit by both the novice wishing an overview of the subject and by the scholar in the field who will appreciate new angles and fresh insights.” —Calvin Theological Journal
David W. Wills is the Winthrop H. Smith ’16 Professor of American History and American Studies, and teaches in the departments of religion and black studies at Amherst College.