In spite of setbacks, Southern religious diversity continues to grow

Despite some continued signs of religious intolerance, a retired professor of religious studies from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Charles Lippy, said times are changing in the American South. Prof. Lippy explained that the South is becoming more inclusive and diverse, indicating that the stereotypical Protestant evangelical stereotype is being challenged today more than ever.

Although Baptists continue to be the top denomination in the Deep South, experts have noted that there are currently more faiths represented in the region than at any time in the past. One sign of religious diversity growing in the South includes the cultivation of non-Christian believers, most notably Muslims.

Where Southern Muslim populations once had few places of worship in the Deep South, mosques are growing today despite sometimes strong resistance against them.

The New York Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to religious tolerance, multiculturalism, diversity and social justice. The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women, from every background, for careers in ministry.