Shenandoah Religion: Outsiders and the Mainstream, 1716-1865

Rating:
Summary: The transitions and evolutions of various denominations
Review: Shenandoah Religion: Outsiders and the Mainstream, 1716-1865 by Stephen L. Longenecker (Professor of History, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Virginia) is a thoughtful, scholarly, meticulously researched, and carefully written survey of religious pluralism in eighteenth and early nineteenth century Shenandoah Valley. Studying the transitions and evolutions of various denominations toward mainstream homogeny, and the tendency of other religious movements to retain their distinctive mannerisms, dress, and economies, Shenandoah Religion is a simply fascinating microcosm of the development of religious thought and human society over the course of decades.