What Is the Bible Belt?
The Bible Belt is an informal term for a region of the United States, generally associated with the South and parts of the lower Midwest, where conservative Protestant Christianity has historically played a prominent role in public and cultural life. Although originally pejorative, the term has since been widely adopted by scholars, writers, and the public. It is often used to describe the historical and cultural landscape of the American South and surrounding areas, where church attendance has traditionally been high, and religious beliefs have significantly shaped social norms and political attitudes. This religious culture has developed within both white and African American church traditions, particularly within Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, and Holiness churches. Evangelicalism and Christian fundamentalism have been especially associated with white Protestant communities in the region. Despite its imprecision, Bible Belt remains a widely recognized shorthand for a distinctive strand of American religious, political, and cultural identity.
The term was coined in the 1920s by American journalist H.L. Mencken, who used it derisively to describe what he saw as a largely rural region characterized by literal interpretation of the Bible, strict moral codes, and anti-intellectual tendencies. Mencken criticized the Bible Belt for its influence on movements such as Prohibition, censorship, and laws against teaching evolution in schools.
The “buckle,” or capital, of the Bible Belt is contested. Mencken and others have suggested Jackson, Mississippi, whereas some scholars have applied the moniker to Oklahoma City. Other cities with claims to the title include Nashville, Tennessee; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Abilene, Texas; and Greenville, South Carolina.
As a geographic identifier, the Bible Belt has never had precise boundaries. Exponents of Biblical literalism, moral conservatism, and skepticism toward secular intellectual trends can be found in all parts of the United States and Canada and in most religious denominations. Indeed, the traditional boundaries of the Bible Belt also exclude several communities often associated with these characteristics, including members of the Church of Latter-day Saints in Utah and certain conservative Lutherans in North Dakota, though these groups generally lack the revivalist traditions typical of Bible Belt Christianity.
Despite these limitations, the term is useful in historical and cultural contexts. For example, it is frequently invoked in discussions of events such as the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial; in analyses of the growth of Christian fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and Christian nationalism in the United States; in political discussions (since the 1960s and ’70s Bible Belt states have been aligned with the Republican Party); or in biographical descriptions of regional background. Literary figures such as Flannery O’Connor, Zora Neale Hurston, and William Faulkner explored themes associated with this religious culture in their depictions of southern life.