Introduction
This chapter states the objectives and scope of the present book, and the historical and scholarly context in which it has been written. In the early twenty-first century a flood of books and newspaper articles declared the existence of a ‘God Gap’ between a more ‘religious’ United States and a more ‘secular’ Europe, reflected in politics, as well as in wider cultural differences. American/European differences also became a major issue in the debates between rival schools in the sociology of religion. The chapter outlines the evidence for the alleged ‘Gap’, the explanations offered by sociologists and historians, and the long tradition of writing on ‘American exceptionalism’. It concludes with a summary of the themes to be addressed in the book and the main arguments advanced by the authors.