Christopher P. Scheitle is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Sociology at the Pennsylvania State University. He is also the author of Beyond the Congregation: The World of Christian Nonprofits.

Roger Finke is Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at the Pennsylvania State University and is Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives. He is the author of many books and articles, including The Churching of America, 1776-2005 with Rodney Stark.

"Accessibly written and visually engaging... The incorporation of over 150 color images distinguishes Places of Faith as a compelling (and rare) example of visual methods in the sociology of religion... a welcome addition to introductory courses." --Sociology of Religion

"At a time when strip-mall sameness threatens to erase local difference, this book reminds us of the stubborn particularity of the religious landscape. Using vivid prose and engaging photographs to take us with them on their journey across America, the authors document contemporary diversity while recounting the local terrain's complex history and wider significance. The best spiritual journey you can take without leaving home." --Thomas A. Tweed, author of America's Church: The National Shrine and Catholic Presence in the Nation's Capital

"This engaging volume demonstrates as clearly as anything I know that place is fundamentally important in American religion. People of faith lovingly consecrate the buildings in which they worship, the halls in which they meet, and the cemeteries in which they bury their dead. Scheitle and Finke have done a wonderful job of showing the diversity of ways in which this happens." -- Robert Wuthnow, Gerhard R. Andlinger '52 Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University

"The authors' informed historical and cultural perspectives unfold many hidden aspects of America's religious traditions, and they more than fulfill their promise to reveal a rich and diverse religious landscape overlaying the physical ground they covered...an excellent overview of the spiritual nature of the United States in the 21st century."--America