Popular religiosity is a phenomenon of every culture. Popular religiosity is the personal, informal expressions of religious belief that flourish outside the structures of formal belief. And these have played an important role in American religious history, according to Charles H. Lippy[1] in Being Religious, American Style: A History of Popular Religiosity in the United States.
From the Puritans in New England to African American slaves in the south to contemporary charismatic movements and “New Spirituality” expressions, individuals have sought an immediate, personal encounter with the supernatural, apart from religious structures. For Lippy, this accounts both for the vitality and the privatization of belief among Americans. [Read more…] about Book Review: Being Religious, American Style