The thirteen colonies were a haven for evangelicals of all stripes. This authoritative history of the oldest religious tradition in the U.S. tells how evangelicalism arose from our political origins, recounts many long-forgotten religious movements, and shows how the evangelical Christian movements of today were informed by history and the struggle for the American Christian soul. "Randall Balmer is an astute interpreter of America's deep currents of evangelical Christian piety." -Diana Eck, author of Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras