Introduction

Abstract

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the emergence of religious competition in the midst of the Second Great Awakening. In the early nineteenth century, religious innovation flourished in America. As new sects emerged, religious competition escalated. As some churches radically reimagined relations between men and women, opponents accused them of violating the acceptable boundaries of religious liberty. No matter how they are classified, there is one thing adherents to these faith groups shared in common in this era: a style of religious engagement referred to as religious enthusiasm. Religious enthusiasm is ultimately more about commitment and comportment than any particular theology or ecclesiastical form. The chapter explains that the book uncovers how sex and gender were at the center of debates over religion in the early republic.