The region that has produced our last three presidents is ground zero of America's current culture wars. Comprising Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, it is a land of borders—where East meets West, South meets North, and Anglo America meets the cultures of Mexico and the Caribbean. Here, cultural and religious conflict has long been a way of life: Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals and Catholics; Latinos, Blacks, and Native Americans all strive with and against each other around agendas of family, gender, race, and turf. Religion and Public Life in the Southern Crossroads examines the distinctive character of this region and shows how it is shaping the religious politics of America today.

Contributions by: Kathy Breazale, Jane Harris, William Leonard, Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Andy Manis