Introduction

Serving as an introduction to the text and the research, this chapter explores notions of the American West, outlines different conceptions of both cowboys and cowboy Christians, and introduces key themes. The chapter suggests commonalities in the ways people express what western heritage/cowboy culture means to them, and how it connects people who are geographically dispersed. The cowboy church’s focus on connecting with the “authentic” cowboy is studied in conjunction with the construction of the meaning of the term “cowboy.” A discussion of closely related forms of evangelical Christianity provides an initial religious context for understanding the present-day cowboy church and its history. A brief account of the book’s place in the scholarship on religion of the American West, as well as of the book’s methodology concludes the chapter.