What religion the newly opened, recently indigenous territory of Iowa would become was a matter of concern to German Lutherans, Austrian and French Catholics, and New England Congregationalists. But their funding proved no match for the myriad of choices Iowans had. Methodists were everywhere, and Inspirationists, Freethinkers, and Meskwakis all added to the chorus suggesting that hegemony was not a possibility and cooperation a better strategy. Religious Iowans Black Hawk, Amelia Bloomer, Annie Wittenmeyer, James B. Weaver, Billy Sunday, John R. Mott, Luigi Ligutti, Henry A. Wallace, Ann Landers, Harold Hughes, and Robert Ray all make appearances. How did Sioux City pastor George Haddock get his name on streets in California? How did Rev. George Slater contribute to civil rights? Which state was the go-to for journalists looking for an American religious consensus? How did Dubuque seminary professors feel about nuclear weapons? How did Sr. Pat Farrell parry Vatican accusations of heresy? The answers to those and many other questions the reader never thought to ask lie within. With humor, incisive analysis, and sympathy, Douglas paints a tapestry that contributes not just to religious history but argues for its importance to the history of Iowa.
