Book description
Politics, while always an integral part of the daily life in the
South, took on a new level of importance after the Civil War. Today,
political strategists view the South as an essential region to
cultivate if political hopefuls are to have a chance of winning
elections at the national level. Although operating within the context
of a secular government, American politics is decidedly marked by a
Christian influence. In the mostly Protestant South, religion and
politics have long been nearly inextricable. Politics and Religion in
the White South skillfully examines the powerful role that religious
considerations and influence have played in American political
discourse. This collection of thirteen essays from prominent
historians and political scientists explores the intersection in the
South of religion, politics, race relations, and southern culture from
post--Civil War America to the present, when the Religious Right has
exercised a profound impact on the course of politics in the region as
well as the nation. The authors examine issues such as religious
attitudes about race on the Jim Crow South; Billy Graham's influence
on the civil rights movement; political activism and the Southern
Baptist Convention; and Dorothy Tilly, a white Methodist woman, and
her contributions as a civil rights reformer during the 1940s and
1950s. The volume also considers the issue of whether southerners felt
it was their sacred duty to prevent American society from moving away
from its Christian origins toward a new, secular identity and how this
perceived God-given responsibility was reflected in the work of
southern political and church leaders. By analyzing the vital
relationship between religion and politics in the region where their
connection is strongest and most evident, Politics and Religion in the
White South offers insight into the conservatism of the South and the
role that religion has played in maintaining its social and cultural traditionalism.
"Must reading for any student of Southern religion and
politics." -- Studies in American Culture
