Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest: The None Zone

Part of an eight-volume project intended to shed light on regional realities of religious practice in the contemporary United States, this text examines religion in the "None Zone"—Alaska, Washington, and Oregon—where the majority is "unchurched." After their introduction discussing the religious history and demographics of the region, Killen (religion, Pacific Lutheran U.) and Silk (religion in public life, Trinity College) present five papers that examine the state of mainline Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish groups; discuss the rise of "sectarian entrepreneurs" running Christian rock festivals and other similar events; examine the religions of the Pacific Rim in the context of immigration; and explore the "secular by spiritual" non- sectarian majority of the population of the Pacific Northwest. The relationship of religion to political attitudes and behavior is a frequent theme throughout. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR