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{{Short description|Cultural region of the United States}}
{{Other uses|Bible Belt (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Bible Belt
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| settlement_type          = Cultural region of the United States
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| nickname                 = 
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| image_map                = File:BibleBelt.png
| map_alt                  = 
| map_caption              = Approximate boundaries of the Bible Belt
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| subdivision_name5        = {{flag|Alabama}}<br />{{flag|Arkansas}}<br />{{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}}<br />{{flag|Kentucky}}<br />{{flag|Mississippi}}<br />{{flag|North Carolina}}<br />{{flag|Oklahoma}}<br />{{flag|South Carolina}}<br />{{flag|Tennessee}}<br />
and parts of:
{{flag|Florida}}<br />{{flag|Illinois}}<br />{{flag|Indiana}}<br />{{flag|Kansas}}<br />{{flag|Louisiana}}<br />{{flag|Missouri}}<br />{{flag|New Mexico}}<br />{{flag|Ohio}}<br />{{flag|Texas}}<br />{{flag|Virginia}}<br />{{flag|West Virginia}}
| official_name            = 
}}
The '''Bible Belt''' is a region of the [[Southern United States]] and the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] state of [[Missouri]] (which also has significant Southern influence), where [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Protestantism]] exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been described as the most [[socially conservative]] across the United States due to a significant impact of Protestant Christianity on politics and culture. The region is known to have a higher [[church attendance]], more evangelical Protestant denominations, and greater emphasis on traditional religious values compared to other parts of the country. The region contrasts with the religiously diverse Midwest and [[Great Lakes region|Great Lakes]] and the [[Mormon corridor]] in [[Utah]], [[southern Idaho]], and [[northern Arizona]].

Whereas the states with the highest percentage of residents identifying as non-religious are in the [[Western United States|West]] and [[New England]] regions of the United States (with [[Vermont]] at 37%, ranking the highest), in the Bible Belt state of [[Alabama]] it is just 12%,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/unaffiliated-religious-nones/|title=The Unaffiliated|date=May 11, 2015|work=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|access-date=August 31, 2017|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206154641/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/unaffiliated-religious-nones/|url-status=live}}</ref> while [[Tennessee]] has the highest proportion of [[Evangelicalism|evangelical Protestants]], at 52%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/tennessee/|title=Adults in Tennessee|date=May 11, 2015|work=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|access-date=August 31, 2017|archive-date=September 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907135416/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/tennessee/|url-status=live}}</ref> The evangelical influence is strongest in Alabama, [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[North Florida]], [[Mississippi]], Arkansas, Tennessee, [[Kentucky]], southern Missouri, [[Western North Carolina]], the [[Upstate South Carolina|Upstate]] region of [[South Carolina]], [[Oklahoma]], [[North Louisiana]], northern and [[East Texas|eastern]] [[Texas]], [[Southside (Virginia)|southern]] and [[Southwest Virginia|western]] [[Virginia]], and [[West Virginia]].

The earliest known usage of the term "Bible Belt" was by American journalist and social commentator [[H. L. Mencken]], who in 1924 wrote in the ''[[Chicago Tribune|Chicago Daily Tribune]]'': "The old game, I suspect, is beginning to play out in the Bible Belt."<ref>Fred R. Shapiro (ed.). ''Yale Book of Quotations''. [[Yale University Press]] (2006). {{ISBN|978-0-300-10798-2}}.</ref> In 1927, Mencken claimed the term as his invention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/images/detail/h-l-mencken-letter-to-charles-green-shaw-9819|title= H. L. Mencken letter to Charles Green Shaw, 1927 Dec. 2 |publisher=Charles Green Shaw papers, [[Archives of American Art]], [[Smithsonian Institution]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708154841/http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/images/detail/h-l-mencken-letter-to-charles-green-shaw-9819 |archivedate=July 8, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/06/human-race-is-incurably-idiotic.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223233704/http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/06/human-race-is-incurably-idiotic.html|archivedate=December 23, 2019|title= The human race is incurably idiotic|author=H. L. Mencken|via=lettersofnote.com|date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> The term is now also used in other countries for regions with higher religious doctrine adoption.

==In the United States==
===Geography===
The name "Bible Belt" has been applied historically to the South and parts of the Midwest, but is more commonly identified with the South.<ref>Brunn, Stanley D., Gerald R. Webster, and J. Clark Archer. "The Bible Belt in a changing south: Shrinking, relocating, and multiple buckles." ''Southeastern Geographer'' 51.4 (2011): 513–549. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/26228980 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129031122/https://www.jstor.org/stable/26228980 |date=January 29, 2023 }}</ref> It encompasses both the [[Deep South]] (South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and most of Louisiana) and the [[Upland South]] (North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma). In a 1961 study, [[Wilbur Zelinsky]] delineated the region as the area in which Protestant denominations, especially Southern Baptist, Methodist, and evangelical, are the predominant religious affiliations. 

The region also includes most of [[Texas]] and [[North Florida]], and extends east to include most of Virginia outside of [[Northern Virginia]]. In addition, the Bible Belt covers [[Missouri]] south of the [[Missouri River]] (i.e. the [[Ozarks]]), as well as [[Southern Indiana]] and [[Appalachian Ohio|Southern Ohio]] along the [[Ohio River]].

On the other hand, areas in the South which are ''not'' considered part of the Bible Belt include heavily Catholic Southern Louisiana, religiously diverse [[Central Florida|Central]] and [[South Florida]], overwhelmingly Hispanic [[South Texas]] and [[Trans-Pecos]], and Northern Virginia in the [[Washington metropolitan area]]. A 1978 study by Charles Heatwole identified the Bible Belt as the region dominated by 24 fundamentalist Protestant denominations, (including Baptist and Methodist denominations), corresponding to essentially the same area mapped by Zelinsky.<ref>Barry Vann (2008), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=_cx6NMWOqKQC&dq=bible+belt+charles+heatwole&pg=PA138 In search of Ulster-Scots land: the birth and geotheological imagings of a transatlantic people, 1603-1703] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006204515/https://books.google.com/books?id=_cx6NMWOqKQC&dq=bible+belt+charles+heatwole&pg=PA138 |date=October 6, 2023 }}'', Univ of South Carolina Press, {{ISBN|1-57003-708-6}}, {{ISBN|978-1-57003-708-5}}. Pages 138–140.</ref>

According to Stephen W. Tweedie, an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography at [[Oklahoma State University–Stillwater|Oklahoma State University]], the Bible Belt was viewed in terms of numerical concentration of the audience for religious television when he first published his research in 1995.<ref name=Carney_Fast_Food>{{cite book|editor-last1=Carney|editor-first1=George O.|title=Fast food, stock cars and rock'n'roll: place and space in American pop culture|date=1995|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location=Lanham|isbn=9780847680801|page=131|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aJnNasHzjN0C&pg=PP1|access-date=October 15, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115192530/https://books.google.com/books?id=aJnNasHzjN0C&pg=PP1|url-status=live}}</ref> He finds two belts: one more eastern that stretches from [[North Florida]] through Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Southside Virginia, and the Carolinas; and another concentrated in Texas (excluding [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] and [[South Texas]]), [[Arkansas]], [[Louisiana]], (excluding [[New Orleans]] and [[Acadiana]]), Oklahoma, Missouri (excluding [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] and [[St. Louis]]), and [[Mississippi]].<ref>Tweedie, S.W. (1978) Viewing the Bible Belt. [[Journal of Popular Culture]] 11; 865-76</ref> "[H]is research also broke the Bible Belt into two core regions, a western region and an eastern region." Tweedie's western Bible Belt was focused on a core that extended from [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], to [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]]. His eastern Bible Belt was focused on a core that included the major population centers of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.<ref name=About_BibleBelt>{{cite news|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Matt|title=The Bible Belt Extends Throughout the American South (And Perhaps Beyond?)|url=http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/fl/The-Bible-Belt.htm|access-date=June 11, 2015|agency=About Education|publisher=About.com|ref=Rosenberg|archive-date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612225620/http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/fl/The-Bible-Belt.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A study by the [[Pew Research Center]] in 2016 found that the ten most religious states were Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma and North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/29/how-religious-is-your-state/?state=alabama |title=How religious is your state? |last1=Lipka |first1=Michael |last2=Wormald |first2=Benjamin |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=January 5, 2023 |access-date=January 5, 2023 |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608032825/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/29/how-religious-is-your-state/?state=alabama |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2014 study by the Pew Research Center found that the states with the highest belief in the Bible as the literal word of God were Mississippi (56%), Alabama (51%), South Carolina (49%), West Virginia (47%), Tennessee (46%), Arkansas (45%), Louisiana (44%), Georgia (41%), Kentucky (41%), and Texas (39%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/compare/interpreting-scripture/by/state/ |title=Interpreting Scripture by State |date=30 May 2014 |website=Pew Research Center |access-date=4 August 2023 |archive-date=August 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804203542/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/compare/interpreting-scripture/by/state/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Clear}}
====By state====
[[File:Importance of Religion in the United States of America.svg|thumb|350px|Percentage of respondents in the USA stating that religion is "Very important" or "Somewhat important" in their lives, 2014<ref name="Pew"/>]]
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Proportion of Evangelical Protestants per state in the [[Southern United States|American South]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/ |title=State - Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809173625/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

|-
!State !! Baptist !! Pentecostal !! Restorationist !! Presbyterian !! Other !! Total !! class="unsortable"  style="width:1px; background:gray;"| !! valign="top"|Share indicating<br />religion is "Very Important"<ref name="Pew">[http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/#importance-of-religion-by-state Importance of religion by state] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515002129/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/alabama/#importance-of-religion-by-state |date=May 15, 2015 }} Pew forum</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Alabama}} || 31% || 5% || 3% || 2% || 8% || '''49%''' || class="unsortable" rowspan="18"  style="width:1px; background:gray;"| || 77%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Arkansas}} || 25% || 5% || 5% || 2% || 9% || '''46%''' || 70%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Delaware}} || 7% || 1% || 3% || 1% || 3% || '''15%''' || 46%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|District of Columbia|name=Washington, D.C.}} || 2% || 1% || 1% || 1% || 3% || '''8%''' || 50%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Florida}} || 8% || 4% || 2% || 1% || 9% || '''24%''' || 53%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}} || 21% || 4% || 2% || 1% || 10% || '''38%''' || 64%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Kentucky}} || 29% || 7% || 3% || 1% || 9% || '''49%''' || 63%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Louisiana}} || 16% || 3% || 1% || <1% || 7% || '''27%''' || 71%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Maryland}} || 5% || 3% || 1% || <1% || 9% || '''18%''' || 50%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Mississippi}} || 26% || 4% || 2% || 1% || 8% || '''41%''' || 74% 
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Missouri}} || 15% || 6% || 3% || 1% || 11% || '''36%''' || 56% 
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|North Carolina}} || 20% || 4% || 1% || 1% || 9% || '''35%''' || 62%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Oklahoma}} || 23% || 6% || 4% || <1% || 14% || '''47%''' || 64%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|South Carolina}} || 22% || 4% || 1% || 1% || 7% || '''35%''' || 69%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Tennessee}} || 33% || 4% || 6% || 2% || 7% || '''52%''' || 71%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Texas}} || 14% || 4% || 2% || <1% || 11% || '''31%''' || 63%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Virginia}} || 15% || 5% || <1% || 1% || 9% || '''30%''' || 60%
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|West Virginia}} || 19% || 7% || 2% || <1% || 11% || '''39%''' || 64%
|}

====Other Bible Belts in the United States====
In addition to the South, there is a smaller Bible Belt in [[West Michigan]], centered on the heavily Dutch-influenced cities of [[Holland, Michigan|Holland]] and [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]]. Christian colleges in that region include [[Calvin University]], [[Hope College]], [[Cornerstone University]], [[Grace Christian University]], and [[Kuyper College]]. Much like the South, West Michigan is generally fiscally and socially conservative.

There is also a Bible Belt in the western suburbs of Chicago (especially in [[DuPage County, Illinois|DuPage County]]), centered on [[Wheaton, Illinois|Wheaton]]. Christian colleges in that region include [[Wheaton College (Illinois)|Wheaton College]], [[North Central College]], [[Northern Seminary|Northern Baptist Theological Seminary]], and [[Elmhurst University]]. Christian publishing houses in that region include [[Crossway]], [[InterVarsity Press]], and [[Tyndale House]]. [[Carol Stream, Illinois|Carol Stream]] is home to the headquarters of ''[[Christianity Today]]''.

[[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], could be considered a Bible belt due to the large amount of prominent evangelical organizations headquartered there including [[Focus on the Family]], [[Compassion International]], [[The Navigators (organization)|The Navigators]], [[David C. Cook]], [[Young Life]], [[Biblica]], and others, even though it has low church attendance compared to other Bible belts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Despite its reputation, Colorado Springs has low church attendance |url=https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/despite-its-reputation-colorado-springs-has-low-church-attendance/73-344798060 |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=KUSA.com |date=January 7, 2005 |language=en-US |archive-date=September 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922202853/https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/despite-its-reputation-colorado-springs-has-low-church-attendance/73-344798060 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Burge |first=Tobin Grant with Ryan |title=Trump won big in the Bible Belt (and lots of mini-Bible Belts outside the South) |url=https://gazette.com/news/trump-won-big-in-the-bible-belt-and-lots-of-mini-bible-belts-outside-the/article_035cbd10-5188-513b-80b9-dee5fc52baf8.html |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=Colorado Springs Gazette |date=April 21, 2016 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brady |first=Jeff |date=January 17, 2005 |title=Colorado Springs a Mecca for Evangelical Christians |url=https://www.npr.org/2005/01/17/4287106/colorado-springs-a-mecca-for-evangelical-christians |website=NPR |access-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129031124/https://www.npr.org/2005/01/17/4287106/colorado-springs-a-mecca-for-evangelical-christians |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yi |first=Fred |date=2013-02-22 |title=February 22, 2013 ~ Colorado Springs Evangelicals {{!}} February 22, 2013 {{!}} Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2013/02/22/february-22-2013-colorado-springs-evangelicals/14792/ |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly |language=en-US |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129031125/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2013/02/22/february-22-2013-colorado-springs-evangelicals/14792/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Religious Nonprofits in 'Evangelical Mecca' Face Unprecedented Challenges |url=https://religionunplugged.com/news/2020/4/30/religious-nonprofits-in-the-usas-evangelical-mecca-face-unprecedented-challenges |access-date=2023-01-29 |website=[[Religion Unplugged]] |date=April 30, 2020 |language=en-US |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129031123/https://religionunplugged.com/news/2020/4/30/religious-nonprofits-in-the-usas-evangelical-mecca-face-unprecedented-challenges |url-status=live }}</ref>

===History===
During the [[Thirteen Colonies|colonial period]] (1607–1776), the South was a stronghold of the [[Church of England|Anglican church]]. Its transition to a stronghold of non-Anglican Protestantism occurred gradually over the next century as a series of religious revival movements, many associated with the Baptist denomination, gained great popularity in the region.<ref name=Jeynes>{{cite book|first=William H.|last=Jeynes|others=Foreword by William J. Murray|title=A call for character education and prayer in the schools|date=2009|publisher=Praeger|location=Santa Barbara, CA|isbn=978-0313351044|pages=122–123|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmlFCQAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|access-date=June 11, 2015|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115192530/https://books.google.com/books?id=VmlFCQAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|url-status=live}}</ref>

The northern colonial Bible Belt (especially New England with its [[Puritans|Puritan]] heritage) frequently performed [[missionary]] work in the South. "The centre of Particular Baptist activity in early America was in the [[Middle Colonies]]. In 1707 five churches in [[New Jersey]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Delaware]] were united to form the Philadelphia Baptist Association, and through the association they embarked upon vigorous missionary activity. By 1760 the Philadelphia association included churches located in the present states of [[Connecticut]], [[New York (state)|New York]], New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia; and by 1767 further multiplication of churches had necessitated the formation of two subsidiary associations, the Warren in New England and the Ketochton in Virginia. The Philadelphia association also provided leadership in organizing the Charleston Association in the Carolinas in 1751."<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baptist|title=Baptist - History, Beliefs, Denominations, & Facts|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=February 1, 2019|archive-date=January 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109160237/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baptist|url-status=live}}</ref>

An influential figure was [[Shubal Stearns]]: "Shubael Stearns, a New England Separate Baptist, migrated to Sandy Creek, North Carolina, in 1755 and initiated a revival that quickly penetrated the entire Piedmont region. The churches he organized were brought together in 1758 to form the Sandy Creek Association".<ref name="Britannica" /> Stearns was brother-in-law of Daniel Marshall, who was born in Windsor, Connecticut and "is generally considered the first great Baptist leader in Georgia. He founded Kiokee Baptist Church, the oldest continuing Baptist congregation in the state".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/daniel-marshall-1706-1784|title=Daniel Marshall (1706-1784)|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia|access-date=February 1, 2019|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095356/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/daniel-marshall-1706-1784|url-status=live}}</ref> Also, Wait Palmer, of Toland, Connecticut,<ref name="Sobel">{{cite book|title=Trabelin' on: The Slave Journey to an Afro-Baptist Faith|last=Sobel|first=Mechal|url=https://archive.org/details/trabelinonslavej0000sobe|url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0691006032}}</ref>{{rp|84–85}} may have influenced African American Christianity in the South: "The Silver Bluff, South Carolina, revival was a seminal development, whose role among blacks rivalled that played by the Sandy Creek revival of the Separate Baptists, to which it was indirectly related. It was probably the same Wait Palmer who had baptized Shubal Stearns in 1751 who came to Silver Bluff in 1775, baptizing and constituting a church. Abraham Marshall, who encouraged the later offshoots, was a Separate Baptist of the Sandy Creek school. The revival at the Silver Bluff plantation of George Galphin (some twelve miles from Augusta, Georgia) had brought David George to the Afro-Baptist faith and had provided a ministry for [[George Liele]]".<ref name="Sobel" />{{rp|188}}

According to Thomas P. Kidd, "As early as 1758, Sandy Creek missionaries helped organize a slave congregation, the Bluestone Church, on the plantation of William Byrd III, which may have been the first independently functioning African American church in North America. The church did not last long, but it reflected the Baptists' commitment to evangelizing African Americans".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America|last=Kidd|first=Thomas S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xPCrZa70--AC|year=2007|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0300148251|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115192531/https://books.google.com/books?id=xPCrZa70--AC|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|249}} According to Gayraud S. Wilmore, "The preaching of New England Congregationalists such as Jonathan Edwards about the coming millennium, and his conviction that Christians were called to prepare for it, reached the slaves through the far-ranging missionary work of white evangelists such as Shubal Stearns, Wait Palmer, and Matthew Moore - all of whom left Congregationalism and became Separatist Baptist preachers in the plantation country of Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia".<ref>{{cite book|title=Pragmatic Spirituality: The Christian Faith through an Africentric Lens|last=Wilmore|first=Gayraud S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wy_DAAAQBAJ|year=2004|publisher=New York University Press|isbn=9781479884247|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115192533/https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wy_DAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|168}}

==="Buckle of the Bible Belt"===
[[File:Bible-minded Cities map.PNG|thumb|right|400px|Bible-minded cities map]]
A study was commissioned by the [[American Bible Society]] to survey the importance of the Bible in the metropolitan areas of the United States. The report was based on 42,855 interviews conducted between 2005 and 2012. It determined the 10 most "Bible-minded" cities were [[Knoxville, Tennessee]]; [[Shreveport, Louisiana]]; [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]]; [[Birmingham, Alabama]]; [[Jackson, Mississippi]]; [[Springfield, Missouri]]; [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]; [[Lynchburg, Virginia]]; [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville-Decatur, Alabama]]; and [[Charleston, West Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cities.barna.org/americas-most-and-least-bible-minded-cities/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328095729/http://cities.barna.org/americas-most-and-least-bible-minded-cities/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 28, 2013|title=America's Most and Least Bible-Minded Cities|access-date=July 31, 2018}}</ref>

Several locations are occasionally referred to as "the Buckle of the Bible Belt":
* [[Abilene, Texas]], a city of 117,000, is home to three Protestant universities: the Baptist affiliated [[Hardin–Simmons University]], the Church of Christ's [[Abilene Christian University]], and Methodist-founded [[McMurry University]].<ref name="encyclopedia of the great plains">{{cite web|url=http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ct.002|title=Encyclopedia of the Great Plains - ABILENE, TEXAS|work=unl.edu|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112257/http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ct.002|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], is the birthplace of [[Billy Graham]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/38b5e9c2df4b43ac9b6a8b04009583e8|title=Billy Graham and North Carolina: The Affection was mutual|last=Drew|first=Jonathan|date=February 23, 2018|work=Associated Press|access-date=August 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/diverse-community-believers-thrives-billy-graham-s-charlotte-n851846|title=A diverse community of believers thrives in Billy Graham's Charlotte|last=McCausland|first=Phil|date=March 1, 2018|website=[[NBC News]]|access-date=January 14, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2018/02/21/charlotte-politicians-ceos-reflect-on-billy.html|title=Hometown preacher Billy Graham influenced leaders across the world and the Carolinas|last=Spanberg|first=Erik|date=February 21, 2018|website=BizJournals.com|access-date=January 14, 2023}}</ref> The [[Billy Graham Evangelistic Association]], [[Wycliffe USA|Wycliffe Bible Translators]]' [[JAARS]] Center, [[Serving In Mission|SIM]] Missions Organization, and The Christian Research Institute make their homes in the Charlotte general area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.equip.org/connect/|title=Connect with the Christian Research Institute|website=equip.org|access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.simusa.org/|title=Become a Missionary – Christian Missions – Sims USA|website=simusa.org|access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jaars.org/experience/|title=Experience JAARS|website=jaars.org|access-date=February 28, 2023}}</ref> The [[Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America]] is headquartered in Charlotte, and both [[Reformed Theological Seminary]] and [[Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary]] have campuses there.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpfna.org/|title=Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America website|website=bpfna.org|access-date=August 19, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Nashville, Tennessee]], sometimes referred to as "the Protestant Vatican",<ref>{{cite book|title=Insiders' Guide to Nashville|first1=Cindy Stooksbury|last1=Guier|first2=Jackie Sheckler|last2=Finch|year=2007|edition=6th|pages=13, 35, 396}}</ref> has over 700 churches,<ref name="nashcity1">{{cite web |url=http://nashcity.com/religious-institutions/christian-churches/index.shtml |title=Nashville Area Churches |work=NashCity.com |access-date=April 30, 2008 |archive-date=April 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429224524/http://www.nashcity.com/religious-institutions/christian-churches/index.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> several seminaries, and a number of Christian schools, colleges and universities, including [[Belmont University]], [[Trevecca Nazarene University]], [[Lipscomb University]], [[Welch College]] and [[American Baptist College]]. Nashville is the seat of the [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.]], the headquarters of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]], the [[National Association of Free Will Baptists]], the [[The Gideons International|Gideons International]], the [[Gospel Music Association]], and [[Thomas Nelson (publisher)|Thomas Nelson]], the world's largest producer of [[Bible|Bibles]].<ref name="road&travel">{{cite web |url=http://www.roadandtravel.com/travel%20directory/Tennessee/nashvillestory.htm |title=Nashville: Sophisticated Southern City with a Country Edge |work=RoadandTravel.com |first=Rachel L |last=Miller |date=April 14, 2008 |access-date=April 30, 2008 |archive-date=May 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517015813/http://www.roadandtravel.com/travel%20directory/Tennessee/nashvillestory.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> 
* [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], is a city where Protestant and, in particular, [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist]], the [[Word of Faith]] movement, and other evangelical Christian traditions are very prominent. Tulsa is home to [[Oral Roberts University]], [[Phillips Theological Seminary]], and [[RHEMA Bible Training Center|RHEMA Bible Training College]] (in the suburb of [[Broken Arrow, Oklahoma|Broken Arrow]]). A number of prominent Protestant Christians have lived or studied in Tulsa, including [[Joel Osteen]], [[Kenneth E. Hagin]], [[Carlton Pearson]], [[Kenneth Copeland]], [[Billy Joe Daugherty]], [[Smokie Norful]], and [[Billy James Hargis]]. Tulsa is also home to a number of vibrant [[Mainline Protestant]] congregations. Some of these congregations were founded during the oil boom of the early twentieth century and their facilities are noted for striking architecture, such as the art deco [[Boston Avenue Methodist Church]] and [[First Presbyterian Church (Tulsa)|First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa]]. The metropolitan area has at least four religious radio stations ([[KCFO]], [[KNYD]], [[KXOJ-FM|KXOJ]], & [[KPIM-LP|KPIM]]), and at least two religious TV stations ([[KWHB]] & [[KGEB]]).
* [[Greenville, South Carolina]], is a city where many Baptist churches, particularly [[Independent Baptist]], are located. There are more than one hundred Baptist churches in the Greenville area,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchangel.com/churches-by-state/south-carolina/greenville/|title=Churches in Greenville, South Carolina|website=churchangel.com|access-date=February 24, 2022|archive-date=February 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224173516/https://www.churchangel.com/churches-by-state/south-carolina/greenville/|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as [[Bob Jones University]]. It also is the home of [[List of radio stations in South Carolina|WTBI-FM]] radio station which plays old-fashioned [[Christian music]] and preaching 24 hours a day.

===Political and cultural context===
[[File:Go to church....jpg|thumb|Billboard near the center of [[Alabama]]]]
Evangelical Protestantism in recent decades links to [[social conservatism]].<ref>http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/6/8/0/6/p68068_index.html{{dead link|date=May 2018|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> In 1950, President [[Harry S. Truman]] told Catholic leaders he wanted to send an ambassador to the [[Vatican City|Vatican]]. Truman said the leading Democrats in Congress approved, but they warned him, "it would defeat Democratic Senators and Congressmen in the Bible Belt."<ref>Amanda Smith, ''Hostage of Fortune'' (2001) p. 604</ref>

In presidential elections, the Bible Belt states of Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas have voted for the Republican candidate in all elections since 1980; Oklahoma has supported the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1968, with Republicans having carried every county in the state in all presidential elections since 2004. The states of Kentucky, Louisiana, West Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee have voted for the Republican candidate in all elections since 1996.

However, with the exception of Mississippi, historical geographer [[Barry A. Vann|Barry Vann]] shows that counties in the upland areas of the [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachians]] and the [[Ozarks]] have a more conservative voting pattern than the counties located in the coastal plains.<ref>{{cite web|author=Peter Haworth|title="Natural Liberty in the Bible Belt: An Explanation of Conservative Voting Patterns in Southern Appalachia," By Barry A. Vann|website=Nomocracy in Politics|date=February 3, 2014|url=http://nomocracyinpolitics.com/2014/02/03/natural-liberty-in-the-bible-belt-an-explanation-of-conservative-voting-patterns-in-southern-appalachia-by-barry-a-vann/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203064959/http://nomocracyinpolitics.com/2014/02/03/natural-liberty-in-the-bible-belt-an-explanation-of-conservative-voting-patterns-in-southern-appalachia-by-barry-a-vann/ |archivedate=February 3, 2014 }}</ref>

During Republican presidential primaries, Christian Social Conservatives tend to win most states from the Bible Belt. In the [[2008 Republican Party presidential primaries]] [[Mike Huckabee]] won most Bible Belt states. In the [[2012 Republican Party presidential primaries]] [[Rick Santorum]] won most states. Both were Christian Social Conservatives. In the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries]] [[Donald Trump]] won most of the states while [[Ted Cruz]] won few.

==Outside the United States==
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===Australia===
In [[Australia]], the term "Bible Belt" has been used to refer to areas within individual cities, which have a high concentration of Christian residents usually centralized around a [[megachurch]], for example:<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/14/1094927585127.html | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | title=Bible Belt wants to tighten a grip on power | date=September 15, 2004 | access-date=March 13, 2007 | archive-date=April 21, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421195541/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/14/1094927585127.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
* Formerly, the northwestern suburbs of [[Sydney]] focusing on The [[Hills District, New South Wales|Hills District]] were traditionally known as the "Bible belt", where [[Hillsong Church]] is located.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/census-2016-sydneys-bible-belt-is-losing-the-faith-20171004-gyuecs.html|title=Census 2016: Sydney's Bible belt is losing the faith|last=Wade|first=Matt|date=October 4, 2017|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128045144/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/census-2016-sydneys-bible-belt-is-losing-the-faith-20171004-gyuecs.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Between the 2011 and 2016 census, however, the Christian population of The Hills district reduced by 18.5% and those [[irreligion|without a religion]] grew from 1 in 8 in 2006 to 1 in 5 in the 2016 census.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/revealed-the-most-christian-places-in-australia/|title=REVEALED: THE MOST CHRISTIAN PLACES IN AUSTRALIA|last=Lim|first=Anne|date=October 10, 2017|work=Eternity News|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-date=January 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131184021/https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/revealed-the-most-christian-places-in-australia/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The [[Greater Western Sydney]] area, typically in the [[City of Fairfield]] area, in the suburbs between [[Fairfield, New South Wales|Fairfield]] and [[Horsley Park, New South Wales|Horsley Park]], where the megachurches are [[Rabban Hormizd|St Hurmizd]] Church, an [[Assyrian Church of the East]] and the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Church, a [[Chaldean Catholic]] church.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-07/religion-in-australia-is-unlike-anywhere-else-in-the-world/11652442|title=How we worship|last=Clark|first=Emily|date=November 7, 2019|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|access-date=January 20, 2021|archive-date=January 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113174956/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-07/religion-in-australia-is-unlike-anywhere-else-in-the-world/11652442|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/the-unwanted-church-in-one-of-australias-most-christian-suburbs/ |title=THE UNWANTED CHURCH IN ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST CHRISTIAN SUBURBS |first=Ben |last=McEachen |website=Eternity News |date=January 7, 2018 |access-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128104501/https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/the-unwanted-church-in-one-of-australias-most-christian-suburbs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other Bible belts include those with high Anglo-Saxon Protestant populations found in the [[Sutherland Shire]], parts of [[City of Penrith]], [[Camden Council (New South Wales)|Camden Council]] and the [[Wollondilly Shire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/sydneys-no-1-for-faith-according-to-new-study/ |title=Sydney's No.1 for faith, according to new study |first=Debbie |last=Cramsie |work=[[The Catholic Weekly]] |date=March 8, 2018 |access-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128054544/https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/sydneys-no-1-for-faith-according-to-new-study/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The outer-eastern suburbs of [[Melbourne]], where [[CityLife Church]], [[Crossway Baptist Church]], Stairway Church and Discovery Church are located.
* The northeastern suburbs of [[Adelaide]] focusing on [[Paradise, South Australia|Paradise]], [[Modbury, South Australia|Modbury]] and [[Golden Grove, South Australia|Golden Grove]], where [[Influencers Church]] is located
* The [[Brisbane]] southern suburbs of [[Mansfield, Queensland|Mansfield]], [[Springwood, Queensland|Springwood]], [[Carindale]] and [[Mount Gravatt]].
*In 2017, the far northern suburbs of [[Perth]] were forming this reputation, with the focus being on One Church and Globalheart in the suburbs of [[Merriwa, Western Australia|Merriwa]] and [[Joondalup]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=Perth suburbs by religion: evangelicals head to the northern suburbs |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/evangelicals-migrate-to-northern-suburbs-ng-b88534387z |website=The West Australian |date=July 14, 2017 |access-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501072654/https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/evangelicals-migrate-to-northern-suburbs-ng-b88534387z |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Toowoomba]] city in [[Queensland]] has long been regarded as fertile ground for [[Christian fundamentalist]] [[right-wing populism|right-wing movement]]s <ref name="espace.library.uq.edu.au">{{cite web|url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:8027/HARRISON_eprint_.pdf|title=The Logos Foundation: The Rise and Fall of Christian Reconstructionism in Australia|first=John|last=Harrison|year=2006|via=espace.library.uq.edu.au|access-date=February 14, 2018|archive-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601223424/http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:8027/HARRISON_eprint_.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> that adhere to [[biblical literalism]], particularly those within the [[Pentecostal]] and [[Charismatic Christianity|charismatic stream]] of Christianity.

===Canada===
The province of [[Alberta]] has been referred to as Canada's Bible Belt due to it containing a significant population of [[Catholic Church|Catholics]], [[Anabaptism|Anabaptists]], and other Protestants.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wells|first1=Kristopher|title=Progressive Albertans are challenging province's Bible Belt stereotypes|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/progressive-albertans-are-challenging-provinces-bible-belt-stereotypes/article28361567/|website=The Globe and Mail|access-date=August 22, 2017|archive-date=May 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505214446/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/progressive-albertans-are-challenging-provinces-bible-belt-stereotypes/article28361567/|url-status=live}}</ref> Certain areas of Canada's east coast region, such as the province of [[New Brunswick]], also contain significant populations of Catholic, Baptist, Anglican, and United faith adherents, up to 85% overall. There is also a vast Bible belt across southern [[Manitoba]].

===Denmark===
In Denmark, rural western [[Jutland]] in particular is considered to be the Bible Belt. This is due to the higher number of citizens who are associated (in this particular area) with conservative [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] Christian organizations such as [[Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark|the Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark]], which traditionally have had a very strong resistance to [[abortion]] and [[LGBT rights in Denmark|LGBT rights]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thelocal.dk/20150710/danish-higher-education-minister-god-created-the-world|title=Danish minister: 'God created the world'|newspaper=The Local Denmark|date=July 10, 2015|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=January 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131213805/https://www.thelocal.dk/20150710/danish-higher-education-minister-god-created-the-world|url-status=live}}</ref> Today, the movement is strongest around [[Hedensted]], [[Løsning]], Korning, and Øster Snede. The Danish Oasis Movement, the [[YMCA]], and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] are also active in the area. The Evangelical Lutheran Free Church is active in Løsning and the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Adventists]] in [[Vejle]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evald |first=Maria |date=May 3, 2012 |title=Her flytter folk til på grund af troen |url=https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/liv-sj%C3%A6l/her-flytter-folk-til-p%C3%A5-grund-af-troen |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=Kristeligt Dagblad |language=da |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105214345/https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/liv-sj%C3%A6l/her-flytter-folk-til-p%C3%A5-grund-af-troen |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Estonia===
[[Demographics of Estonia#Religion|Census results]] show religious belief in the country is more prevalent in the east running from north to south along the border with [[Russia]], particularly in those areas with large populations of [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]], [[Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church|Estonian Orthodox]], and [[Old Believers|Orthodox Old Believers]].

===Finland===
In [[North Ostrobothnia]], [[Lapland (Finland)|Lapland]], and [[North Savo|Northern Savonia]], the influence of the [[Laestadianism|Laestadian]] movement, a Finnish Lutheran revival, is particularly strong.<ref>{{cite web |title=FENNIA 2002 |url=http://www.helsinki.fi/maantiede/geofi/fennia/demo/pages/fig_pages/raento_cd4.htm |access-date=February 3, 2018 |website=www.helsinki.fi |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918141522/http://www.helsinki.fi/maantiede/geofi/fennia/demo/pages/fig_pages/raento_cd4.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[South Ostrobothnia]] and Swedish-speaking [[Ostrobothnia (administrative region)|Ostrobothnia]], the influence of [[Awakening (Finnish religious movement)|awakenism]] and evangelicalism (''evankelisuus'') is strong, as is that of the [[Free church|Free Church]]. The Finnish Bible belt has been described on the basis of various indicators, but there is no precise definition. Mika Gissler of the THL has identified the medical districts of the Ostrobothnian regions as the Bible zone, which have distinguished themselves in the long term by a lower number of abortions than the rest of the country.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 25, 2012 |title=Pohjanmaan Raamattu-vyöhyke näkyy aborttitilastoissa |url=https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/pohjanmaan-raamattu-vyohyke-nakyy-aborttitilastoissa/1894996 |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=mtvuutiset.fi |language=fi |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105113451/https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/pohjanmaan-raamattu-vyohyke-nakyy-aborttitilastoissa/1894996 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Perho]] in Central Ostrobothnia is the most Lutheran municipality in Finland.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mäkelä |first=Juho |date=January 14, 2018 |title=Tällainen on Suomen luterilaisin kunta: Seurakunnan kerhoissa ei ole tilaa kaikille lapsille ja kinkeriperinne elää vahvana |url=https://www.aamulehti.fi/uutiset/art-2000007289771.html |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=Aamulehti |language=fi |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103184136/https://www.aamulehti.fi/uutiset/art-2000007289771.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Church membership in Ostrobothnia is also more common than in the rest of the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=STT |date=August 3, 2014 |title=HS: Kirkkoon kuulumisessa isoja alueellisia eroja |url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000789607.html |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=Ilta-Sanomat |language=fi |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103184127/https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000789607.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Voting of the [[Christian Democrats (Finland)|Christian Democrats]] in 2019 parliamental elections was most common in [[Larsmo]] and [[Parkano]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 16, 2019 |title=Parkanosta Suomen toiseksi kristillisdemokraattisin kunta |url=https://osastot.kd.fi/2019/04/16/parkanosta-suomen-toiseksi-kristillisdemokraattisin-kunta/ |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=KD-osastot |language=fi |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625175037/https://osastot.kd.fi/2019/04/16/parkanosta-suomen-toiseksi-kristillisdemokraattisin-kunta/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===France===
[[Brittany]] has a long Catholic tradition, and the church has historically played an important role in the region's cultural and social life. Today, the region is known for its many religious festivals and processions, as well as its numerous churches, chapels, and shrines. Another region with a strong Catholic tradition is the [[Vendée]], which is located in western France. The Vendée has a long history of resistance to anti-clericalism and anti-Catholicism, [[War in the Vendée|dating back to the French Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chelini-Pont |first=Blandine |url=https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03937154 |title=The Oxford Handbook on Religion and Europe |date=2021 |isbn=9780198834267 |editor-last=Davie |editor-first=Grace |language=en |chapter=France - Chapter 35, Part V Religious Geography, Society and Politics in Europe |publisher=Oxford University Press |id={{HAL|hal-03937154}} |editor-last2=Leustean |editor-first2=Lucian N. |access-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319160504/https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03937154 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The western suburbs of [[Paris]] are also known to be very catholic, including the city of [[Versailles, Yvelines|Versailles]].{{fact|date=March 2025}}

===Germany===
An area in the [[Ore Mountains]] in [[Saxony]] has been described as the "Saxon Bible Belt" with a notable evangelical Protestant/[[Christian fundamentalism|Christian fundamentalist]]/free church community, as well as some conservative Lutheran parishes that are opposed to [[same-sex marriage]]. Nevertheless, the [[Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony]] approved church resolutions regarding the issue regardless of opinions within those parishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weiterdenken.de/sites/default/files/downloads/ErklaerungKirchgemeinden.pdf|title=Erklärung 144 sächsischer Kirchgemeinden zum familiären Zusammenleben im Pfarrhaus|access-date=February 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606074305/http://www.weiterdenken.de/sites/default/files/downloads/ErklaerungKirchgemeinden.pdf|archive-date=June 6, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weiterdenken.de/de/2014/06/01/evangelikale-sachsen-ein-bericht|title=Evangelikale in Sachsen - Ein Bericht|website=Weiterdenken - Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Sachsen|access-date=February 11, 2018|archive-date=January 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128074638/http://www.weiterdenken.de/de/2014/06/01/evangelikale-sachsen-ein-bericht|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weiterdenken.de/sites/default/files/evangelikale_download_2014-08-19.pdf|title=Jennifer Stange: Evangelikale in Sachsen, Dresden 2014|access-date=February 11, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209234356/http://www.weiterdenken.de/sites/default/files/evangelikale_download_2014-08-19.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.evlks.de/aktuelles/nachrichten/31864.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019081429/http://www.evlks.de/aktuelles/nachrichten/31864.html|url-status=dead|title=Evlks.de:"Segnung von Paaren in Eingetragener Lebenspartnerschaft" in Sachsen möglich – Beschluss der Kirchenleitung vom 27.&nbsp;Oktober 2016|archivedate=October 19, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.evangelisch.de/inhalte/139413/18-10-2016/saechsische-kirche-ermoeglicht-segnung-homosexueller-im-gottesdienst|title=Sächsische Kirche ermöglicht Segnung Homosexueller im Gottesdienst|website=www.evangelisch.de|access-date=February 11, 2018|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107032006/https://www.evangelisch.de/inhalte/139413/18-10-2016/saechsische-kirche-ermoeglicht-segnung-homosexueller-im-gottesdienst|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Lithuania===
Among its [[Baltic states|Baltic]] neighbors, [[Lithuania]] is in general much more religious with [[Catholic Church in Lithuania|Catholicism]] having long historical roots in the [[Lithuanian culture|culture]] of [[Lithuanians]],<ref name="LKBVle">{{cite web |title=Lietuvos Katalikų Bažnyčia |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-kataliku-baznycia/ |website=[[Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija]] |access-date=2 December 2024}}</ref> but even in this context [[Vilnius District Municipality|Vilnius district]] and [[Šalčininkai District Municipality|Šalčininkai district]] municipalities, which have a large number of [[Poles in Lithuania|Lithuanian Poles]], are the most religious administrative regions of Lithuania. Both the Šalčininkai and Vilnius district municipalities were declared by the ruling [[Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance]] as being guarded and ruled by [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/vilniaus-ir-salcininku-rajonuose-naujai-isrinktoms-taryboms-toliau-vadovaus-jezus-kristus-56-499129 |title=Vilniaus ir Šalčininkų rajonuose naujai išrinktoms taryboms ir toliaus vadovaus Jėzus Kristus |publisher=15min.lt |access-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203181134/https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/vilniaus-ir-salcininku-rajonuose-naujai-isrinktoms-taryboms-toliau-vadovaus-jezus-kristus-56-499129 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Mexico===
In [[Mexico]], there is what is known as the '''Rosary Belt''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: '''''Cinturón del Rosario'''''). The term, created by journalist and writer [[Carlos Monsiváis]] in 1999, refers to a region comprising the states of [[Aguascalientes]], [[Guanajuato]], [[Jalisco]], [[Querétaro]] and, in more recent years, [[Zacatecas]], where 90% of the population professes [[Catholic Church in Mexico|Roman Catholicism]], which has a notable influence on local politics and society. Guanajuato, for example, is one of the most important electoral strongholds of the [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]], of Christian democrat tradition, mostly inspired by the Social Doctrine of the Church, and with strong conservative ideals. It was in this region where the first uprisings against the government took place during the [[Cristero War]], demanding an end to the persecution of Catholics in the country as a result of the promulgation of the so-called [[Calles Law]], which restricted Catholic worship in Mexico.

===Netherlands===
The [[Bible Belt (Netherlands)|Bible Belt of the Netherlands]] (Dutch: ''Bijbelgordel'') stretches from [[Zeeland]], through the West-[[Batavia (region)|Betuwe]] and [[Veluwe]], to the northern parts of the province [[Overijssel]]. In this region, orthodox [[Calvinism|Calvinists]] prevail.

The ABC Islands of [[Aruba]], [[Bonaire]], and [[Curaçao]] are all under 20% irreligious.

===New Zealand===
In [[New Zealand]], [[Mount Roskill]], [[Auckland]], contains the highest number of churches per capita in the country, and is the home of several Christian political candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-2606.html|title=New Zealand|work=emigratenz.org|access-date=March 27, 2015|archive-date=March 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307234858/http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-2606.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The electorate was one of the last in the country to go "wet", in 1999, having formerly been a dry area where the selling of alcohol was prohibited.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/71757291/tawa-ditches-prohibition-a-century-after-banning-alcohol--150-years-of-news|title=Tawa ditches prohibition a century after banning alcohol - 150 years of news|last=O'Neil|website=Stuff|date=September 4, 2015|access-date=February 3, 2018|archive-date=October 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012092458/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/71757291/tawa-ditches-prohibition-a-century-after-banning-alcohol--150-years-of-news|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2013 New Zealand census]], the [[Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board]] area of Auckland had the highest concentration of Christians in New Zealand, with 67.7 percent of the local board's 71,000 residents identifying as such. This is due to its high proportion of Pacifica immigrants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Census/2013%20Census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-culture-identity/tables.xls |title=Table 33: Religious affiliation (total responses) by territorial authority area, Auckland local board area, and sex – 2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |date=April 15, 2014 |access-date=July 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524102811/http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Census/2013%20Census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-culture-identity/tables.xls |archive-date=May 24, 2014 }}</ref>

In contrast to other Bible belts, both areas tend to vote for left-wing candidates and are both currently represented in parliament by the center-left [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]] as of 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members of Parliament - New Zealand Parliament |url=https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/members-of-parliament/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.parliament.nz |language=en |archive-date=August 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823014458/https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/members-of-parliament/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Norway===
The [[Bible Belt (Norway)|Bible Belt of Norway]] is located mainly in [[Western Norway|the western]] and [[Southern Norway|southern parts of the country]], especially rural areas of [[Agder]] and [[Rogaland]] counties, which contains numerous devout Lutherans.

===Poland===
The southern and eastern parts of [[Poland]] are much more religious than in the north and west.<ref>Wojciech Sadlon (ed.), [http://iskk.pl/images/stories/Instytut/dokumenty/Annuarium_Statisticum_2018.pdf Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae in Polonia AD 2018] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131132003/http://iskk.pl/images/stories/Instytut/dokumenty/Annuarium_Statisticum_2018.pdf |date=January 31, 2021 }}</ref> See [[Poland A and B]].

===Soviet Union===
Before its independence, [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet Ukraine]] was known as the Bible Belt of the Soviet Union, with a significant proportion of [[Baptists in Ukraine|Baptists]].<ref name="NCEEER">{{cite journal | url=http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/2006_819_19g_Wanner.pdf | title=Evangelicalism and the Resurgence of Religion in Ukraine | author=Wanne, Catherine | journal=The National Council for Eurasian and East European Research | year=2006 | access-date=March 1, 2011 | archive-date=July 20, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720030412/http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/2006_819_19g_Wanner.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sweden===
The area normally called the [[Bible Belt (Sweden)|Bible Belt of Sweden]] is centered on [[Jönköping]] in [[South Sweden|southern Sweden]] and contains numerous [[free church]]es. Of the [[Småland]] counties, [[Jönköping County|Jönköping]] is characterized by the [[Free church|Free Church]], [[Kalmar County|Kalmar]] by the [[High church Lutheranism|High Church]], and [[Kronoberg County|Kronoberg]] by the [[Ecumenical creeds|Old Church]]. In a broader sense, the Bible Belt refers to the area between Jönköping and Gothenburg.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 4, 2021 |title=HBL besökte svenska bibelbältet: Flit, frälsning och flyktingar |url=https://www.hangotidningen.fi/article/hbl-besokte-svenska-bibelbaltet-flit-fralsning-och-flyktingar/ |access-date=December 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104161059/https://www.hangotidningen.fi/article/hbl-besokte-svenska-bibelbaltet-flit-fralsning-och-flyktingar/ |archive-date=November 4, 2021 }}</ref>

There are also numerous conservative Lutheran [[Laestadianism|Laestadians]] in the [[Meänmaa|Torne valley]] area in the far north of the country.

===United Kingdom===
In [[Northern Ireland]], the area in [[County Antrim]] stretching from roughly [[Ballymoney]] to [[Larne]] and centered in the area of [[Ballymena]] is often referred to as a Bible Belt.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/growing-up-in-northern-ireland-s-bible-belt-1.3442069|title=Growing up in Northern Ireland's Bible belt|last=Doyle|first=James|date=March 31, 2018|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=September 15, 2024|archive-date=September 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915225344/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/growing-up-in-northern-ireland-s-bible-belt-1.3442069|url-status=live}}</ref> This is because the area is heavily Protestant with a large [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] community. From 1970 to 2010, the MP for [[North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)|North Antrim]] was [[Ian Paisley]], a [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster|Free Presbyterian]] minister well known for his theological fundamentalism. The town of Ballymena, the largest town in the constituency, is often referred to as the "buckle" of the Bible Belt.<ref name="gonzo2005">{{cite web|url=http://sluggerotoole.com/2005/07/29/more_news_from_the_bible_belt/|title=More news from the Bible Belt...|first=Belfast|last=Gonzo|date=July 29, 2005|work=Slugger O'Toole|access-date=November 8, 2016|archive-date=May 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516085119/https://sluggerotoole.com/2005/07/29/more_news_from_the_bible_belt/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Christianity}}
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Banana Belt]]
* [[Blue wall (U.S. politics)|Blue wall]]
* [[Born again]]
* [[Christian fundamentalism]]
* [[Christian right]]
* [[Conservative holiness movement]]
* [[Hindi Belt]] 
* [[Deep South]]
* [[Evangelicalism in the United States]]
* [[Great Awakening]]
* [[Jesusland map]]
* [[List of belt regions of the United States]]
* [[List of U.S. states by religiosity]]
* [[Quran Belt]]
* [[Rust Belt]]
* [[Southern Baptist Convention]]
* [[Unchurched Belt]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Balmer |first=Randall H. |year=2002 |title=Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism |location=Westminster |publisher=John Knox Press}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Brunn |first1=Stanley D. |first2=Gerald R. |last2=Webster |first3=J. Clark |last3=Archer |title=The Bible Belt in a changing south: Shrinking, relocating, and multiple buckles |journal=Southeastern Geographer |volume=51 |issue=4 |year=2011 |pages=513–549 |doi=10.1353/sgo.2011.0040 |jstor=26228980}}
* {{cite journal |last=Denman |first=Stan |year=2004 |title=Political Playing for the Soul of the American South: Theater and the Maintenance of Cultural Hegemony in the American Bible Belt |journal=Southern Quarterly |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=64–72}}
* {{cite journal |last=Heatwole |first=Charles A. |year=1978 |title=The Bible Belt: a problem of regional definition |journal=Journal of Geography |volume=77 |issue=2 |pages=50–55|doi=10.1080/00221347808980072 |bibcode=1978JGeog..77...50H }}
* {{cite book |first=Christine Leigh |last=Heyrman |year=1997 |title=Southern Cross: The Beginnings of the Bible Belt |publisher=Knopf}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hill |first1=Samuel S. |last2=Lippy |first2=Charles H. |last3=Wilson |first3=Charles R. |year=2005 |title=Encyclopedia of Religion in the South |publisher=Mercer University Press}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Lippy |editor-first=Charles H. |year=1993 |title=Religion in South Carolina |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-87249-891-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/religioninsouthc0000unse/ |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Marsden |first=George M. |year=1982 |title=Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism, 1870–1925 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}
* {{cite journal |last=Moran |first=Jeffrey P. |year=2004 |title=The Scopes Trial and Southern Fundamentalism in Black and White: Race, Region, and Religion |journal=Journal of Southern History |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=95–120 |doi=10.2307/27648313 |jstor=27648313 }}
* {{cite book |last=Park |first=Chris C. |year=1994 |title=Sacred Worlds: An Introduction to Geography and Religion |publisher=Routledge}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Pettersson |first1=Thorleif |last2=Hamberg |first2=Eva M. |year=1997 |title=Denominational Pluralism and Church Membership in Contemporary Sweden |journal=Journal of Empirical Theology |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=61–78|doi=10.1163/157092597X00122 }}
* {{cite book |last=Sparks |first=Randy J. |year=2001 |title=Religion in Mississippi |publisher=University Press of Mississippi for the Mississippi Historical Society}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Stacey |first1=Williams A. |last2=Shupe |first2=Anson |year=1984 |title=Religious Values and Religiosity in the Textbook Adoption Controversy in Texas, 1981 |journal=Review of Religious Research |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=321–333|doi=10.2307/3511366 |jstor=3511366 }}
* {{cite book |last=Turner |first=Elizabeth Hayes |year=1997 |title=Women, Culture and Community: Religion and Reform in Galveston 1880–1920 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn= 9780195086881}}
* {{cite journal |last=Tweedie |first=Stephen W. |year=1978 |title=Viewing the Bible Belt |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=865–876|doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1978.1104_865.x }}

{{Regions of the world}}
{{U.S. Belt regions}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1920s neologisms]]
[[Category:Bible belts]]
[[Category:Cultural regions]]
[[Category:Christianity in the United States]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in the United States]]
[[Category:Christian fundamentalism in the United States]]
[[Category:Religion in the Southern United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the Southern United States]]
[[Category:Belt regions of the United States]]
[[Category:Cultural regions of the United States]]
[[Category:Conservatism in the United States]]
[[Category:Social conservatism in the United States]]
[[Category:History of religion in the United States]]
[[Category:Christian states]]