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This chapter examines the interplay between magazines and religion, with emphasis on how the growing number and variety of magazines supported and channeled community building in America—including the translocal communities that were a big part of the modernization of American society. It first considers how American religion evolved during the period 1740–1860, citing in particular the rise of national religious organizations. It then explores the relationship between religious events and institutions, on the one hand, and religious magazines on the other. It also describes the fragmentation of American churches in disputes over theology and politics and concludes by explaining how the proliferation of religious magazines affected the rest of the magazine industry.

State faith‐based conferences are a way for state organizations and FBOs in that state to connect. However, they also serve another purpose — states have used conferences as political rallying grounds around the initiative, particularly as a way to connect with the black church community. Faith‐based conferences sponsored by federal and state governments look much like state‐sponsored religious political events, akin in cultural tone and style to events held at black churches. This chapter explores the relationships among race, religion, and politics and discusses the faith‐based initiative at the state level. While African‐Americans make up only 12 percent of the overall population in the United States, almost half of state liaisons were African‐American. State implementation thus appears to be at least partially designed to fulfil the political goal of shifting the black vote away from the Democratic Party and to the Republican Party.

This chapter illuminates the relatively neglected global aspect of American Christianity and broadens the framework in which one customarily thinks about the successes, failures, and variations among faith communities. The central need is to reorient perspective in such a way that the chronology of religious events in particular national locations is understood in a wider, more diverse, and interconnected cultural context. As globalization increases, that task becomes ever more urgent. The globalization of American Christianity poses significant questions about the changing role of Christianity within the United States itself. One of these is whether being part of a church makes any difference to the way Christians think about America's role in the world, particularly on questions of international policy. An aspect of globalization that has become trite, because it is so often mentioned, is the fact that international transportation and communication have become quicker and easier.