"Carefully rooted in the historical setting....Not only historians but also judges and lawyers should consult this book."--American Historical Review

"A balanced and insightful survey."--North Carolina Historical Review

"The writing is clear; the arguments are carefully crafted; the conclusions are judiciously stated. There are flashes of humor throughout....This is a superb and important book that deserves a wide audience."--The William and Mary Quarterly

"Will be immensely useful as a summary of how religious institutions and governments interacted throughout the century and a half of colonial experience."--Reviews in American History

"[An] excellent new book."--Church & State

"An excellent, comprehensive book, rooted in the relevant primary and secondary literature....The definitive guide to church and state in colonial America."--America

"A magnificent history of church-state relations in America prior to the ratification of the Bill of Rights."--Harvard Review

"Given the current importance of the religious issue in the U.S., this study should prove enlightening."--CHOICE

"A good synthetic survey of the developments in the colonial period leading up to the ratification of the first amendment...[Curry] has brought the entire story together for easy access by students of American history and religion."--Religious Studies Review

"This is a useful book for scholars of church-state relations in the colonial period and for those trying to evaluate and respond to the "intentionalist" views of the First Amendment currently advocated by the Right Wing."--Church History

"Excellent. [Its] new, creative approach [is] much appreciated!"--Kathy J. Pulley, Southwest Missouri State University