Navigation Aids

 
 
 
 
 
Click here to IM, text, or chat
Research Guides
FindIt:

Sidebar

Main Content

Religion in America - Research Guide

The following bibliography lists library resources of possible use to students studying religious life in the United States. The majority of the sources listed here are either located in the Van Pelt Library Reference Area or area available electronically via the Penn Library Web. See also the guide for United States History.


For assistance in using these and the many other reference works available for Religious Studies, please consult a reference librarian.
Contents:
Library Catalogs 
Franklin, Penn's online catalog.
Franklin lists over 95% of the Penn Library collection. See the Franklin Search Help for searching tips.
Link: http://www.franklin.library.upenn.edu
WorldCat
A large, 30+ million union catalog that includes the holdings of many university, college, and public libraries. Several Philadelphia-area libraries are included in WorldCat as well as many seminaries and colleges and universities with religious affiliations.Use this catalog to identify materials that Penn does not own and request them through BorrowDirect+ or Interlibrary Loan

Link: http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/7158
Guides to the Literature 
Selective introductions to research, listing some of the most useful and important works on their subjects, often with descriptive and evaluative annotations. These guides also list reference tools and or basic studies in their subject.

Burr, Nelson R., et al. Religion in American life. v.4: A critical bibliography of religion in America. 2v. Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1961.
The final volume of a series of books on religion in American life. Written in narrative form, the bibliography discusses important reference, primary, and secondary source material concerning all aspects of religious life in America up to 1961.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR 515 .S6]
Bibliographies 
Ayer, H. D. The Christian and Missionary Alliance : an annotated bibliography of textual sources. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2001.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX6700.C3 A94 2001]
Bass, Dorothy C. Women in American religious history : an annotated bibliography and guide to sources. Boston, MA : G.K. Hall, c1986.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL458 .B35 1986]
Batsel, John D. and Lyda K. Batsel. Union list of United Methodist serials, 1773-1973. Evanston, Ill. [Garrett Theological Seminary] 1974.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Z7845.M5 B35]
Choquette, Diane. New religious movements in the United States and Canada : a critical assessment and annotated bibliography. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1985.
Covers reference works, and historical, sociological, anthropological, psychological secondary literature concerning new movements.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .C46 1985]
Fackler, P. Mark, and Charles H. Lippy, Eds. Popular religious magazines of the United States. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1995.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks PN4888.R4 P67 1995]
Gray, John. Ashe, traditional religion and healing in Sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora : a classified international bibliography. New York : Greenwood Press, c1989.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2462.5 .G72 1989]
Jones, Charles Edwin. Black holiness : a guide to the study of Black participation in Wesleyan perfectionist and glossolalic Pentecostal movements. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press : American Theological Library Association, 1987.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR563.N4 J63 1987]
Jones, Charles Edwin. A guide to the study of the Pentecostal movement. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press : American Theological Library Association, 1983- . 2v.
Location: [Van Pelt Library BR1644 .J66 1983]
Lippy, Charles H. Bibliography of religion in the South. Macon, GA : Mercer, c1985.
Covers a broad range of religions including Native American religions and Judaism, and topics such as art, society, and literature.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR535 .L56 1985]
Lippy, Charles, H., Ed. Religious periodicals of the United States : academic and scholarly journals. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986.
A sampling of religious periodicals that focus on academic and scholarly concerns. Periodicals were selected by meeting several criteria. Lengthy entries include a history of the periodical with a bibliography and a publication history. Appendices include a chronology and sponsoring organizations. Name Subject Title index.
Location: [Van Pelt Reference PN4888.R4 L5 1986]
Osterreich, Shelley Anne. Native North American shamanism: an annotated bibliography. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1998.
Location: [Van Pelt Library E98.R3 O88 1998]
Presbyterian Historical Society. A guide to foreign missionary manuscripts in the Presbyterian Historical Society. New York : Greenwood Press, c1988.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BV2570 .P73 1988]
Prince, Harold B. A Presbyterian bibliography : the published writings of ministers who served in the Presbyterian Church the United States during its first hundred years, 1861-1961, and their locations in eight significant theological collections in the U.S.A. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press ; [Philadelphia] : American Theological Library Association, 1983.
Location: [Van Pelt Library BX8965 .P74 1983]
Richardson, Marilyn. Black women and religion : a bibliography. Boston, Mass. : G. K. Hall, 1980.
Although not useful for recent literature, very helpful for historical information, including music, art, and audiovisual materials.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR563.N4 R53]
Rowe, Kenneth E. United Methodist studies : basic bibliographies. 4th ed. Nashville, Tenn. : Abingdon Press, c1998.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Z7845.M5 U54 1998]
Singerman, Robert. Judaica Americana : a bibliography of publications to 1900.New York : Greenwood Press, 1990. 2v.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks E184.J5 S545 1990]
Southern, Eileen. African-American traditions in song, sermon, tale, and dance, 1600s-1920 : an annotated bibliography of literature, collections, and artworks. New York : Greenwood Press, 1990.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks NX512.2.A35 S68 1990]
Williams, Ethel L. Afro-American religious studies: a comprehensive bibliography with locations in American libraries. Metuchen, N.J., Scarecrow Press, 1972.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Afro-American Studies Seminar (Rm. 302) Z1361.N39 W55]
Wilson, John F., Ed. Church and state in America : a bibliographical guide. 2v. New York : Greenwood Press, 1986-c1987.
Essays concerning each topic with bibliographies of primary and secondary sources. Volume 1 covers the Colonial and early national periods; vol. 2, the Civil War to the present day.
Location: [Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR516 .C495 1986]
Indexes & Databases 
Use the online databases listed under Religious Studies in order to locate articles in journals, magazines, and other periodicals. See especially, ATLA religion database, America: History & Life, EBSCO MegaFILE, and Periodicals Contents Index.

Several good print indexes are available:

The Catholic periodical and literature index. Vol. 14 [1967 68]- . Haverford, PA: Catholic Library Association, 1968- . Bimonthly.
Formed by the union of Catholic periodical index and Guide to Catholic Literature (Van Pelt BX801 .G855). A bi-monthly index which "provides a broad Christian approach to currently significant subjects" [Preface]. International in scope, a selected list of Catholic periodicals is indexed as well as books for adults by Catholics. Author Subject Index. Books also listed by title.
Location:[Latest 5 years in Van Pelt Reference BX801 .C366]
Index to Jewish periodicals. v.1- , June 1963- . Cleveland, 1963- . Semiannual.
An Author and Subject Index to selected English-language journals of general and scholarly interest. Includes book reviews.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference AI3 I522]
Richardson, Ernest Cushing. Periodical articles on religion, 1890-1899. New York, For the Hartford seminary press by C. Scribner's sons; [etc., etc., c1907-1911]. 2v.
Indexes 10 years worth of articles. Author index.
This is also included in the 19th Century Masterfile (Poole's Plus) database--another great index for U.S. religious history.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BL41 .R55 1907]
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias 
Benedetto, Robert. Historical dictionary of Reformed Churches. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 1999.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX9415 .B46 1999]
Benowitz, June Melby. Encyclopedia of American women and religion. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c1998.
Covers all religious traditions. References included for each entry, with bibliography at the end. Chronology of most important events.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .B45 1998]
Bitton, Davis. Historical dictionary of Mormonism. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1993.
Location:[Van Pelt Library BX8605.5 .B588 1993]
Bodensieck, Julius, Ed. The encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church. Minneapolis, Augsburg Pub. House, [1965]. 3v.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX8007 .B6]
Brackney, William H. Historical dictionary of the Baptists. Lanham, Md. ; London : Scarecrow Press, 1999.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX6211 .B73 1999]
Duffield, Holley Gene. Historical dictionary of the Shakers. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2000.

Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX9765 .D84 2000]
Hill, Samuel S., Ed. Encyclopedia of religion in the South. Macon, GA : Mercer, c1984.
Covers all aspects of religion in the American South. Brief bibliographies are included.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR535 .E52 1984]
Hirschfelder, Arlene B. Encyclopedia of Native American religions : an introduction. New York : Facts on File, c2000.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks E98.R3 H73 2000]
Location:[University Museum Library Reference E98.R3 H73 2000]
Kostlevy, William C., Ed.Historical dictionary of the holiness movement. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2001.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX7990.H6 H57 2001]
Lewis, James R. The encyclopedia of cults, sects, and new religions. Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 1998.
Brief entries, mostly unsigned. Bibliographical entries listed by author at the end of the book.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .L49 1998]
Lyon, William S. Encyclopedia of Native American shamanism: sacred ceremonies of North America. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, 1998.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks E98.M4 L98 1998]
Copies also in University Museum Library and Van Pelt Stacks
McKim, Donald K., Ed. Encyclopedia of the Reformed faith. Louisville, Ky. : Westminster/John Knox Press, c1992.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX9406 .E56 1992]
Melton, J. Gordon. The encyclopedia of American religions. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. 4th ed.
A categorical arrangement of seventeen religious family groups covering 1,350 religious bodies.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BL 2530.U6 M443 1993]
Melton, J. Gordon., Ed. The encyclopedia of American religions: religious creeds. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1988.
Covers Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, and other traditions in the United States and Canada. Includes historical notes and other comments. Has a Creed Organization Name and Keyword Index.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BT 990 E58 1988]
Miller, Timothy, Ed. America's alternative religions. Albany : State University of New York Press, c1995.
Brief chapters about religious groups which, in some way, have become notable for their departure from the religious mainstream.
Helpful appendices: 1) Bibliographical Guide to Alternative Religions; 2) Chronology.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .A55 1995]
Murphy, Larry G., J. Gordon Melton, and Gary L. Ward, Eds. Encyclopedia of African American religions. New York : Garland Pub., 1993.
Includes bibliography, directory of African American churches and religious organizations, and a biographical cross-index by religious tradition.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR563.N4 E53 1993]
Shriver, George H., Ed.Dictionary of heresy trials in American Christianity. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1997.
Stories of 50 heresy trials that took place in the United States. Includes bibliographies for each trial.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR517 .D5 1997]
Schultz, Jeffrey D., John G. West, Jr., and Iain MacLean, Eds. Encyclopedia of religion in American politics. Phoenix, Ariz. : Oryx Press, 1999.
Helpful Appendices: 1) Speeches and Documents; 2) List of Organizations; 3) Timeline
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .E52 1999]
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Religious sites in America. Santa Barbara, CA : ABC-CLIO, c2000.
Entries by name of site. Includes index, a list of religious site by State, and nice bibliography.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL581.U6 S66 2000]
Yrigoyen, Jr., Charles, and Susan E. Warrick, Eds. Historical dictionary of Methodism. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 1996.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX8211 .H57 1996]
Directories 
The American Jewish yearbook. v.1- , 1899/1900- . Philadelphia: The Jewish publication society of America. Annual.
Contains a review of the year's events relating to Jewish matters plus directory and statistical information.
Location:[Latest issue in Van Pelt Reference E184.J5 A6]
The Directory of religious organizations in the United States.Falls Church, VA: McGrath, 1982- .
Alphabetical listing of over 1,600 organizations which have a religious purpose. Indicates affiliation, principal officer, address, statement of purpose, activities, membership, publications, etc.
Location:[Latest in Van Pelt Reference BL2530.U6 D573]
Lorie, Peter, and Julie Foakes. The Buddhist directory : United States of America & Canada. 1st ed. Boston : Charles E. Tuttle ; North Clarendon, VT : Distributed by Charles E. Tuttle, 1997
A listing of Buddhist groups in the United States arranged alphabetically by state.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BQ730 .B83 1997]
Morreale, Don, Ed. The complete guide to Buddhist America. 1st edition. Boston : Shambhala, 1998.
A directory of Buddhist temples and shrines in North America.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BQ724 .C66 1998]
Payne, Wardell J., Ed. Directory of African American religious bodies : a compendium by the Howard University School of Divinity. 2nd ed. Washington, DC : Howard University Press, 1995.
Includes essays on religious traditions, denominational listings, professional organizations, and more.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR563.N4 D57 1995]
Weber, Paul J. U.S. religious interest groups : institutional profiles. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1994.
Directory with brief explanation of group, its interests, contact information affiliation, and publications.
Several helpful appendices: A) Groups by policy area; B) Religious Affiliation; C) Political Identification; D) Single-Issue Groups; E) Type of Membership; F) Litigating Groups; G) Size of Budget
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .W413 1994]
Yearbook of American and Canadian churches.41st, 1973- . Prepared in the Office of Research, Evaluation and Planning of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. Annual.
Covers the organizations and activities of all faiths.
Location:[Latest at Reference Desk BR513 Y4]
Handbooks 
Lewis, James R. Cults in America : a reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c1998.
Beginner's introduction to cults, including chronology, discussion of court decisions, statistical information, print and electronic resources.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .L486 1998]
Biography 
Bowden, Henry Warner. Dictionary of American religious biography. 2nd ed., rev. and enl. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1993.
550 biographies of important people in American religions. Appendices of people by denominational affiliation and birthplace.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL72 .B68 1993]
Hyman, Paula E., and Deborah Dash Moore, Eds. Jewish women in America : an historical encyclopedia. 2v. New York : Routledge, c1998.
ANNOTATION
Location:[Van Pelt Reference DS115.2 .J49 1998]
Lippy, Charles H., Ed. Twentieth-century shapers of American popular religion. New York : Greenwood Press, 1989.
Biographies with brief critical appraisals and bibliographies.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BL2525 .T84 1989]
Nadell, Pamela Susan. Conservative Judaism in America : a biographical dictionary and sourcebook. New York : Greenwood Press, 1988.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BM750 .N33 1988]
Olitzky, Kerry M., Lance J. Sussman, and Malcolm H. Stern, Editors. Reform Judaism in America : a biographical dictionary and sourcebook. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1993.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BM750 .R39 1993]
Rogal, Samuel J. A biographical dictionary of 18th century Methodism. Lewiston : E. Mellen Press, c1997-
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BX8491 .R64 1997]
Sherman, Mosheh. Orthodox Judaism in America : a biographical dictionary and sourcebook. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1996.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BM750 .S395 1996]
Who's who in religion. 1st ed.- , 1975/76- . Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.
Provides biographical information on more than 7,000 religious leaders and religious professionals in North America. Selection based on merit. Alphabetical arrangement.
Location:[Latest in Van Pelt Reference BL72 W478]
Statistics 
Churches and church membership in the United States, 1990 : an enumeration by region, state, and county, based on data reported for 133 church groupings. Atlanta, Ga. : Glenmary Research Center, c1992.
Any church that was identified as "Judaeo-Christian" was invited to participate. Detailed statistics by county of number of churches and their membership.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR526 .C48 1992]
Location:[1980 edition in Van Pelt Library Stacks BR526 .C48 1982]
Religion in America... Princeton, N.J. : American Institute of Public Opinion, n,d.
Polling information on all types of questions regarding religion.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks BR526 R444 (most recent edition)]
Yearbook of American and Canadian churches. New York [etc.] National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America [etc.] 1916- .
An annual publication that gives membership statistics, tracts trends, and is a directory of religious bodies in the U.S. and Canada.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Desk BR513 .Y4 (most recent edition)]
Atlases 
Gaustad, Edwin Scott, and Philip L. Barlow. New historical atlas of religion in America. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2001.
Includes Appendices for the number of churches distributed by colonies/states for the years 1750, 1850, 1890, 1950, 1990.
Location:[Van Pelt Library Reference Atlas Cases G1201.E4 N4 2001]
Newman, William M. tlas of American religion : the denominational era, 1776-1990. Walnut Creek : AltaMira Press, c2000.
Location:[Van Pelt Reference BR515 .N49 2000]
Microform Sets 
Below are listed those microform sets that directly apply to topics concerning religion in America. For a more complete list, see Major Microform Sets in the Penn Library.

American Indian correspondence: the Presbyterian Historical Society collection of missionaries' letters, 1833-1893.
Location:[Van Pelt Microtext Center: Microfilm 4439]
American Missionary Association manuscripts, mostly written 1839-1882.
Location:[Van Pelt Microtext Center: Microfilm 4335]
American Negro Historical Society collection, 1790-1905.
Location:[Van Pelt Microtext Center: Microfilm 4367]
Anti-slavery collection, 18th and 19th centuries from the Library of the Society of Friends, London.PUBLICATION INFO
ANNOTATION
Location:[Van Pelt Microtext Center: Microfilm 3193]
Moravian mission records among the North American Indians.
Location:[Van Pelt Microtext Center: Microfilm 4448]
Mother Bethel AME Church, 1760-1972.
Location:[Van Pelt Microtext Center: Microfilm 4370]
Papers of the American slave trade.
Location:[Van Pelt Microtext Center: Microfilm 4362]
Primary Source Materials 
APS online
Also Known as: American Periodical Series.
This collection includes digitized images of the pages of 1100 American magazines and journals (of which about 750 are available online as of Fall 2002) published from colonial days to the dawn of the 20th century. Includes many magazines and journals of a religious nature.
The Church in the Southern Black Community - Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries
Primary source documents which trace how Southern African Americans experienced Protestant Christianity.
Material History of American Religion Project
The Material History of American Religion Project studies the history of American religion in all its complexity by focusing on material objects and economic themes. Working with religious leaders, it helps contemporary religious communities with their economic concerns by placing those concerns within an historical context. Finally, the Project encourages further investigations into the religious lives of Americans by paying attention to material and economic questions. This web site maintains a collection of Objects and Documents found by their scholars which represent the material aspect of religion in America. It also provides web links of interest.
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic - Library of Congress
Encompassing over 200 objects including early American books, manuscripts, letters, prints, paintings, artifacts, and music from the Library's collections and complemented by loans from other institutions, Religion and the Founding of the American Republic explores the role religion played in the founding of the American colonies, in the shaping of early American life and politics, and in forming the American Republic.
Research Centers 
Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture
The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture is a research and public outreach institute devoted to the promotion of the understanding of the relation between religion and other features of American culture. Established in 1989, the Center is based in the School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis.
Center on Religion and Democracy
The Center on Religion and Democracy is a politically non-partisan research center at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, committed to addressing the complex relationship between religion and democratic culture.
Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life
Established at Trinity College to advance knowledge and understanding of the varied roles that religious movements, institutions, and ideas play in the contemporary world; to explore challenges posed by religious pluralism and tensions between religious and secular values; and to examine the influence of religion on politics, civic culture, family life, gender roles, and other issues in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
Additional Research Guides 
Contemporary American Jewish Culture
Citing Your Sources 
For information about how to cite books and journal articles, see the Documentation page in PORT (Penn Online Research Tutorial).
Link:[http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/PORT/documentation/]
Send mail concerning this page to David Azzolina: azzolina@pobox.upenn.edu
*