Religion in Mississippi

As historians of American religion begin to pay long-overdue attention to the American South, more studies emerge that explore the conflicts and triumphs of Southern religion. In Religion in Mississippi, historian Randy Sparks explores the history of that state's predominate evangelical Christian population, both white and black, as well as the presence of ""outsider religious groups"" such as Jews, Catholics and Mormons. While not as nuanced as other studies on religion in the South (such as Christine Leigh Heyrman's Southern Cross), this is valuable for its ambitious denominational scope and its sweeping saga of change over a 300-year period. ( Aug.)