One of the project's main goals was to encourage scholars interested in material aspects of American religious life, a subfield rich with potential. To broaden this discussion, this site included an electronic journal, featuring a selection of articles by scholars from across the field of American religious history.
- In an excerpt from the introduction to her Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America, Colleen McDannell suggests how a focus on material culture studies might challenge traditional ways of doing American religious history. (The excerpt is 10 kb, and includes a 46 kb photograph.)
- Marie Griffith talks about her research into material aspects of Pentecostal devotion, especially the use of prayer handkerchiefs. (The interview is 20 kb.)
- James Hudnut-Beumler investigates the economic and social contexts of locating and designing Protestant churches in America. (The article is 66.5 kb, plus eighteen images, totaling over 210 kb.)
- Daniel Sack reflects on the social meaning of food-centered church social events. (The paper is 35.6 kb)
- Clifton Guthrie looks at the role saints play in Methodism, including the place of relics and shrines. (The article is 62.5 kb)
- In an important aid to scholars, Peter Williams summarizes recent research in religious architecture in an annotated bibliography. (The bibliography is 16.7 kb)
- Robert Orsi describes his approach to the materializing of faith in the lives of Catholic children. (The interview is 26 kb)
- Diane Winston identifies the material practices of The Salvation Army and how the Army created an urban religion. (The interview is 28 kb, plus 127 kb in images.)
- A selected bibliography of resources on materialism and the material culture of American religion. (4 kb)
- Judith Weisenfeld investigates the complex relationships between movies, religion, race and gender. (The interview is 30 kb, with a 68 kb image.)
- Vanessa Ochs explores the theologies and anxieties of the material culture of religion as she asks, what makes a Jewish home Jewish? (The article is 45 kb, with five images totaling 171 kb)
- Leigh Schmidt listens to ventriloquists and hears how Enlightenment skepticism questioned the reliability of the ears of faith. (102 kb)
- An exhibit of Sunday school cards shows how they were a Protestant analogue to Catholic holy cards. (Eight pages, fourteen images, totaling 263 kb)
- Daniel Sack ruminates on the role of food in the religious lives of whitebread Protestants. (The interview is 23 kb)
- Mary Ann Clark looks closely at the material culture of Santeria, focusing on a Seven African Powers candle, and offers a warning to students of material religion. (The article is 22 kb, plus three images totaling 66 kb)
- Enrico Cumbo compares a religious food ritual in Italy with the festa of the transplanted community in Toronto. (48 kb)
- Heather Hartel finds important meaning in church signs. (4 kb, plus four images totaling 72 kb)
- Colleen McDannell exhibits government photography of the 1930s and reflects on how those pictures depicted American religious life. (The interview is 24 kb, plus 121 kb in images.)
- Religion is everywhere in American movies. Judith Weisenfeld has put together a useful filmography and bibliography to help you track it down. (Each is 5 kb)
- In an article in American Quarterly, Marie Griffith tells us about the "Apostles of Abstinence: Fasting and Masculinity during the Progressive Era." (You can access this article only if you have a subscription to "Project MUSE." Ask your local institution.)
- Patricia Appelbaum looks at the the political and ethical uses of clothing, art, and other aspects of material pacifism. (124 kb, plus seven images)
- Project scholar Leigh Schmidt talks with us about the Enlightenment, the history of the senses, and hearing God. (20kb, plus two images)
- James Hudnut-Beumler, the project's director, discussed the economic history of American religion, and reflected on the project's work. (27 kb, plus two images)
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