Noahs_Ark

Roadside Religion

As Brethren across the country are making their plans for travel to Peoria this summer, they may want to check out a book by Timothy K. Beal. Beal, a religion scholar who took his family on a summer RV tour of some of America's oddest religious sites, explores the varieties of religious. Whether he's tackling the popularity of biblical mini-golf courses or Precious Moments figurines, Beal uncovers serious questions about religion and its sometimes highly singular practitioners. It's clear that the sites he finds most compelling are those whose creator has stepped out of the mainstream to carry out a quixotic personal vision, like the former Church of the Brethren pastor who is building a gigantic replica of Noah's Ark to the size specified in the Book of Genesis.