At Secondhand Religion Project, we challenge traditional notions of religious practice and belief by highlighting the diverse and often surprising ways people engage with religious objects in their everyday lives. Our website is a digital exploration of the unexpected and often overlooked ways religion manifests in contemporary American life.
Both James Bielo and Heidi Campbell have been collecting secondhand religious materials for several years, as part of their individual research into American religious cultures. While these projects started independently of one another, Bielo and Campbell connected online in 2022 after seeing images of each other’s collections on social media. Through this they began a dialogue about their intersecting research interests which has led to this collaboration.
Our vision is to provide a platform for individuals to explore their relationship with religion and material culture in new and exciting ways, and to celebrate the unique and diverse ways faith is practiced in America today.
We hope to uncover the complex relationship between individuals, objects, and faith by exploring themes such as consumption, nostalgia, identity, and the role of material culture in shaping religious experience. We strive to challenge traditional notions of religious practice and belief by showcasing the unexpected ways religion manifests in contemporary American life.
~ 30,000
95% in last decade
> $50 billion
16-18%
Consider how you would answer these questions?
Our team has been collecting and documenting diverse expressions of secondhand religion, focusing on how religious art and sacred objects are given a second life through resale practices and thrift stores. From vintage plaques to used bibles, rosaries, and religious figurines, these items found in thrift shops highlight the role traditional and contemporary sacred objects play in expressing and living out religious identities and beliefs.
Exhibits will be hosted featuring diverse examples of religious material culture in the venue city. This includes presenting findings from ethnographic research studies of local thrift stores and documenting the common religious objects, symbols, and ideas from these shops.
Our team seeks to identify and study the prominent messages, symbols, and images contained within religious objects found in thrift stores, resale culture, and its related practices.
This research collaboration project is supported by funding from Saint Louis University’s Center for Lived Religion, the “Where’s Religion? Project Grant”, and the Luce Foundation-American Academy of Religion Advancing Public Scholarship Grant.
Bielo and Campbell connected online in 2022 after seeing images of each other’s collections on social media. Through this, they began a dialogue about their intersecting research interests, leading to this collaboration project.
Many of our secondhand discoveries include items that reflect the rich tapestry of spiritual expression found in local thrift stores. Here are just a few examples.
2020
2021
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Bielo and Campbell would be happy to hear from you and explore ways to collaborate.
