PhD in Religion - The History of Religions in America in Houston United States | Rice University

Religious History in the United States Traditionally, American religious scholarship has centered on ecclesiastical history, framing its archival materials and inquiries through the conventional perspectives of Catholic colonial rule in the Americas and prevailing Protestant narratives—such as biblical supremacy, the Puritan vision of a "City upon a Hill," the doctrine of manifest destiny, and various civil religious motifs (consider, for instance, the "In God We Trust" motto formally adopted in 1956). However, this represents merely one approach to examining faith traditions in the Americas. The graduate program in Religious History of America employs an alternative perspective—one that is profoundly historical yet thoroughly comparative. While meticulously examining the scriptural foundations and dominant European Christian traditions that indeed shaped the nation's public discourse and cultural ethos, this field of study does not elevate any single religious account or mode of spiritual encounter. It rejects linear historical progression in favor of cyclical patterns, emphasizing the interpretive feedback loop between past and future—recognizing that subsequent generations interpret history through lenses unavailable to their predecessors, thereby continually reshaping both historical understanding and future religious developments. Consequently, this discipline carefully considers notions like the "living past" (how historical elements resurface and adapt to serve contemporary faith communities) and "revelatory realignment" (how new spiritual insights reconfigure our understanding of history).