Escaped Nuns

Why some antebellum reformers thought convents were incompatible with "true womanhood."
Josiah Henson

Before ‘Uncle Tom’ Was a Bestseller, He Was Josiah Henson

Born into slavery, this preacher and Underground Railroad conductor served as the inspiration for a history-making book.
Interior of St Andrew's Catholic Church in Roanoke, Virginia

Roman Catholic Dioceses in North America

How mapping Roman Catholic dioceses illustrates key concepts of religious ecologies at a continental scale.

Muslims of Early America

Muslims came to America more than a century before Protestants, and in great numbers. How was their history forgotten?

James Madison Understood Religious Freedom Better than Jefferson Did

One emphasized the freedom to think; the other, in effect, the freedom to pray.
Psychedelic swirling bright colors.

The Fascinating History of Mescaline, the OG Psychedelic

From prehistoric caves, through Aztecs, Mormons, Beat poets, Jean-Paul Sartre and a British MP.

How Cults Made America

A new book argues that, politically, messianic movements were often light-years ahead of their time. But at what cost?
Enslaved people being baptized.

'Christian Slavery: Conversion and Race in the Protestant Atlantic World'

A Q&A with author Katharine Gerbner about "Protestant Supremacy."

Muslims Arrived in America 400 Years Ago and Today are Vastly Diverse

Islamophobes today ignore the long history and contributions of Muslim Americans.
People stand outside the 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham.

The American Church's Complicity in Racism

On the many moments when white Christians could have interceded on behalf of racial justice, but did not.

Religious Cult, Force for Civil Rights, or Both?

Examining the life of Father Divine, the black preacher who called for the destruction of racial separation and claimed to be God.
Jemima Wilkison.

The Person Formerly Known as Jemima Wilkinson

Awakening from illness, the newly risen patient announced that Jemima had died and that her body had been requisitioned by God for the salvation of humankind.

Evangelicals and Immigration: A Conflicted History

Before the 1990s, evangelical Christians were busier resettling newly arrived refugees than trying to keep them out.

'I Love America': Fundamentalist Responses to World War II

The fundamentalist movement took the war as an opportunity to rebrand.

Sexism Has Long Been Part of the Culture of Southern Baptists

While sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention has recently come to light, it's not new.
A Japanese interment camp used during World War II in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Forgotten Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii

A dark chapter in the history of religious persecution.
Cover of John Krakauer's book "Under the Banner of Heaven," featuring the Utah landscape.

Abusing Religion: Polygyny, Mormonisms, and Under the Banner of Heaven

How stories of abuse in minority religious communities have influenced American culture.

Winthrop’s “City” Was Exceptional, not Exceptionalist

A review of Daniel T. Rodgers’ "As a City on a Hill: The Story of America’s Most Famous Lay Sermon."
Young Japanese American girl Yoshiko Hide Kishi. Tom Hide Collection, Washington State University Libraries' MASC.

The Complex Role Faith Played for Incarcerated Japanese-Americans During World War II

Smithsonian curator of religion Peter Manseau weighs in on a history that must be told.
Places of origin for early Eastern Mediterranean immigrants. The dot size reflects the relative number of immigrants.

“Like A Wolf Who Fell Upon Sheep”: Early Lebanese Immigrants and Religion in America

For some Lebanese immigrants, religion was a comfort, providing a sense of home in an new world. For others, it was a constant reminder of what was left behind.

The Old Culture War Over Bible Reading in Public Schools is Starting Again

It was among the first social issues to split American Protestants into liberal and conservative camps.

William James and the Spiritualist’s Phone

A story of a philosopher, his sister, and belief.

Southern Baptist Convention’s Flagship Seminary Details Its Racist, Slave-Owning Past

"We are living in an age of historical reckoning," said Southern Baptist leader R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Howard Thurman.
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The Overlooked Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement

Remembering Howard Thurman and other forgotten activists.
George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush in church.
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How George H.W. Bush Enabled the Rise of the Religious Right

Religious conservatives used the Bush presidency to launch their takeover of the GOP.
Drawing of "Uncle Sam," a common national personification of the U.S., crouched over a church. He appears to be listening to what is going on inside.

Under God

Our secular government is all tangled up with God. How did we get here?
Trump among a group of people with heads bowed in prayer.

Evangelicalism and Politics

Four historians weigh in on evangelicals' affinity for Trump – and their commitment to the conservative movement more broadly.

How Salvation Army’s Red Kettles Became a Christmas Tradition

The 140-year journey from the streets of London's East End to the parking lot of your nearest mall.
Andrew Brunson praying for Trump.
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Were Christian Missionaries ‘Foundational’ to the United States?

American isn't a Christian nation, but missionaries have always played an integral role in U.S. diplomacy.

Revisiting the Prayer at Valley Forge

The fable of George Washington's prayer was meant to foster religious tolerance, not paint him as a pious leader.