This dissertation aims to understand popular evangelical belief and practice through a study of popular hymnody from 1870 to 1940. It is a discussion of the social, cultural, and theological aspects of music expressed within the context of the Protestant evangelical belief system in which they became popular. The purpose is to examine how music helped bring about new styles of popular religious practice and created a new type of religious community. Americanization, feminization and racialization are some of the themes that became relevant in contests over music. In various evangelical denominations, debates over music both inside and outside the church building provided a means for negotiating boundaries of gender, class, ethnicity, and race. Using a medium that crosses social, cultural, and theological perimeters and is as intensely individual as it is communal, this dissertation intends to provide a unique perspective on modern evangelicalism and American culture.