American Religious History

“There is a significant difference between the eighteenth century and the present. The white Christian nationalists who supported the American Revolution were tainted by their racism and their refusal to extend political rights to women, but they defended...

At the time of his death in 2020, Dr. Charles H. Long was called “a preeminent figure in the study of the history of religions, including American and Black Religions.” Long was a past president of the American Academy of Religion, and faculty member at...

‘Tis this season of peace and goodwill, of traditions, both familial, and religious, and to some, it’s the time of year to freak out about the so called “War on Christmas.” A rallying cry for certain sectors of the media, Christmas, apparently, has been...

C. Conrad Wright, Professor of American Church History Emeritus at Harvard Divinity School, died peacefully at home in his sleep on February 17, 2011, at the age of 94.

America is no longer a majority white Christian nation. Journalist, author, commentator, and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne and Dr. Robert P. Jones, author of The End of White Christian America, discuss this seismic change, its impact on the...

Albert J. Raboteau, Henry W. Putnam Professor of Religion at Princeton University, delivered the 2010 Ingersoll Lecture on Immortality on November 4, 2010, on the HDS campus. Raboteau is a specialist in American religious history. His research and...

Asked how HDS professors Catherine Brekus and David Holland came to co-teach "Narratives of American Religion: The Canon and Its Revisions," Brekus said the decision to collaborate was made quickly. "David said, 'That sounds like a fun course,' and I said...

“Putting the Bible or placing American history within the Bible, or suggesting the U.S. is a source of revelation, is seen by many evangelicals as a kind of heresy,” said HDS Professor Catherine Brekus.