Introductory essays provide an overview of American and Canadian religion. The religious family chapters contain 24 general essays that trace historically the rise of the 24 major religious families and traditions into which most U.S. and Canadian bodies can be classified. Directory listings of individual religious groups that fall into each of the 24 religions families immediately follow the narrative for that chapter. A directory listing typically contains the following categories of information: organization name and acronym, address, alternate address, description, membership, educational facilities, periodicals, remarks, and sources. Appendices provide information on organizations that have become defunct and a geographical arrangement of the organizations included in the directory listings.--Excerpted from p. xxiii-xxiv.

The development of American religion : an interpretive view -- Religion in Canada : a historical survey, 1500 to the present -- American religion in the twenty-first century -- 1. Interfaith and ecumenical family of organizations -- 2. Western liturgical family -- 3. Anglicanism -- 4. Eastern liturgical family -- 5. Lutheran family -- 6. Reformed-Presbyterian family -- 7. Pietist-Methodist family -- 8. Holiness family -- 9. Pentecostal family -- 10. European free-church family -- 11. Baptist family -- 12. Independent fundamentalist family -- 13. Adventist family -- 14. Liberal family -- 15. Latter-day Saints family -- 16. Communal family -- 17. Western esoteric family I : ancient wisdom -- 18. Western esoteric family II : spiritualism and New Age -- 19. Western esoteric family III : magick -- 20. Western esoteric family IV : Christian Science/metaphysical -- 21. Middle Eastern family, part I : Judaism -- 22. Middle Eastern family, part II : Islam, Zoroastrianism, and Baha'i -- 23. Eastern family, part I : Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism -- 24. Eastern family, part II : Buddhism, Shinto, Japanese new religions -- 25. Unclassified Christian churches -- 26. Unclassified religious groups -- Defunct appendix -- Geographic appendix.