Characteristics of American Organized Religion

Abstract

flowering of the denominational system; revivalism, or evangelism; the gospel; and the trend toward co-operation and union among denominations. Back of these characteristics of organized religion lie certain environmental factors which are primarily political, geographic, social, and economic. The chief of these are: the complete equality of all churches and of all citizens before the law, regardless of their religion or lack of it, and the absence of governmental control or support for the churches; the newness of the country at the beginning of the Federal period, with a small population in a vast area; the small proportion of church members in the total population at that time; the volume and variety of immigration; an expanding economy, with rapid increase of population, wealth, occupied area, and social and cultural institutions; urbanization and the shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy. Putting these causes and consequences together, we may arrive at some such list of topics as the following which will guide our exploration of the phenomena of institutional religion in America: (1) free churches in a free society-a new idea; (2) the denominational system; (3) a new country and an advancing frontier; (4) revivalism; (5) immigration and its consequences; (6) the recovered sense of social responsibility; (7) trends toward unity. RELIGIOUS MOTIVES FOR COLONIZATION