Spatial Diffusion of a Religious Movement

This paper tests several models of the diffusion of a religious movement over time and space. The Holiness movement was chosen as a case study because of its consistent presence on the American religious scene. I developed an index of movement strength using data on the establishment and operation of Holiness oriented periodicals and schools. The index was then mapped for subsequent time periods in order to trace the movement's diffusion in time and space. The questions of how and why the movement spread were then analyzed. Several geographically descriptive models of diffusion were surveyed, with a directional sector model receiving the greatest support. Several explanatory variables were also surveyed, with population migration, reaction to national crises, and reaction to contemporary related movements receiving support.