Religion in the Southern States: A Historical Study
While preparing the first edition of Mercer UP’s Encyclopedia Of Religion in the South, in 1982, Dr. Samuel S. Hill came to the realization that one set of its ingredients made up a book in it’s own right. The 16 state histories constitute a significant and quite distinctive approach to the study of Southern religious history. They add up to a unique story very much worth telling.
Which states to regard as Southern states proved to be a question that touched on several issues. One criterion seemed finally the most compelling: the prevalence of the dominant pattern of Southern religious geography. That means a Baptist-Methodist-Presbyterian primary strength. This left the status of a few states to be determined, Namely Louisiana, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, and West Virginia, perhaps also Oklahoma. But each was finally assessed as qualifying since each resembled more than it diverged from regional patterns.