Customer Reviews

A Religious History of the American People

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For Ahlstrom, the underriding current that has shaped American theology -- especially Christian theology -- has been Puritanism. With good reason, he addresses a plethora of religious movements and trends in America, showing how each of them was either an outgrowth of or a reaction to American Puritanism.

Because of its length, this book looks intimidating; however, the thorough approach Ahlstrom has taken coupled with his presentation of Puritanism as the factor that has served to shape American theolgy more than any other makes the reading of this volume very worth the effort!

In this one volume you can get a sense of the breadth and depth of the religious experience in the United States. It is a stunning story and one that the author tells quite well. The book is now thirty years old, so you can't expect anything after the 1960s. From my point of view, the book is stronger in dealing with the larger and more mainstream religious viewpoints than the minority sects and religions. While smaller, they are often not marginal and have had an impact on our culture beyond their size and yet the tone used in discussing them treats them, too often for my taste, as marginal. The point being that if you are already in the religious mainstream faiths, this book will seem more objective to you than if you are one of the faiths outside those traditions. However, I don't think this is so much a weakness in the book as an atmospheric you might or might not notice as your read it - depending on where you are in the religious tradition of the US.

This point becomes even smaller when compared to the many strengths of this book. It is amazingly comprehensive for a single volume. And though it is over 1,000 pages it reads easily. It also has a fine index and can be used for reference on specific topics as well as reading from front to back. This is a strong book and belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the religious life of America.

I cannot praise this work enough. The time invested in reading this book has been well worth it. It has not yet been surpassed in scope or excellence. The work is well-balanced and covers all of the major movements and some of the minor movements in American religious history. The Puritans are dealt with fairly, as are other Protestant and non-Protestant Christian groups with substantial coverage of Roman Catholic history in America, and Ahlstrom covers the Eastern Orthodox groups as well. This is a graduate level book that can also be read in advanced undergraduate course work and I recommend this book for all Americans, regardless of your faith. Since one cannot understand American history without understanding our religious heritage, it should be on the reading list for all students of American history. A masterwork. Five stars are not enough praise for this work. If truth is important to you, and you respect high scholarship, then you will appreciate this book. It is also very well written, and the flow of the text is both smooth and erudite, without being haughty or overly specialized.

The gold standard for works of its kind, by a Yale historian. Even 30-odd years later, it makes its successors (Gaustaud and Noll's wonderful texts) seem superfluous. Massive in size and scope, it deals with social, political and intellectual issues masterfully. Very clear and accessible, while creative and brilliant.

Very comprehensive coverage - one of the best I own. Using it for a course in US Church history - it can be considered one of the definitive volumes.

An excellent book. A huge volume, almost intimidating, but the style makes the read quite enjoyable. A fine reference book - I will be keeping this one for my library.

This is a great religious history of America that I have
had on my list for a long time. It is big and a little
heavy but well written and readable.
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