Formed From This Soil: An Introduction to the Diverse History of Religion in America

Formed from This Soil offers a complete history of religion in America that centers on the diversity of sacred traditions and practices that have existed in the country from its earliest days.

• Organized chronologically starting with the earliest Europeans searching for new routes to Asia, through to the global context of post-9/11 America of the 21st century
• Includes discussion of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, political affiliations, and other elements of individual and collective identity
• Incorporates recent scholarship for a nuanced history that goes beyond simple explanations of America as a Protestant society
• Discusses diverse beliefs and practices that originated in the Americas as well as those that came from Europe, Asia, and Africa
• Pedagogical features include numerous visual images; sidebars with specialized topics and interpretive themes; discussion questions for each chapter; a glossary of common terms; and lists of relevant resources to broaden student learning

Thomas S. Bremer is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.  A historian of religions in the Americas, his research focuses on religion and culture, with special emphasis on tourism. He is the author of Blessed with Tourists: The Borderlands of Religion and Tourism in San Antonio (2004) and has published a number of articles on religion and tourism in the United States and elsewhere.