St. Luke's Episcopal               Beth Salem Presbyterian Church                 Covenant College

One does not have to look far in the region and in the history of Tennessee to know that religion is an integral part of the life and culture of Tennessee and Southeast Tennessee in particular. The prevalence of roadside signs that announce church locations, potluck suppers, and revivals along with declaring gospel messages reflect the fact that for many in the region religion is both significant and public. Such attitudes are deeply ingrained in the history of the people. Historian Wilma Dykeman noted that the framers of the Tennessee constitution required office holders to believe in God and included statements that looked very much like a Presbyterian confession of faith (Dykeman, 118).  Vanderbilt historian Herman Norton wrote in his Religion in Tennessee , 1777-1945, “Religion has always been an important ingredient in Tennessee life. From the time the first settlers moved into the valleys of the Holston and Watauga rivers to the present-day, religious organizations have had a major social and cultural role in the growth of the state” (Norton, vii).