Book description
While religious diversity is often considered a recent phenomenon in
America, the Cape Fear region of southeastern North Carolina has been
a diverse community since the area was first settled. Early on, the
region and the port city of Wilmington were more urban than the rest
of the state and thus provided people with opportunities seldom found
in other parts of North Carolina. This area drew residents from many
ethnic backgrounds, and the men and women who settled there became an
integral part of the region's culture. Set against the backdrop of
national and southern religious experience, A Coat of Many Colors
examines issues of religious diversity and regional identity in the
Cape Fear area. Author Walter H. Conser Jr. draws on a broad range of
sources, including congregational records, sermon texts, liturgy,
newspaper accounts, family memoirs, and technological developments to
explore the evolution of religious life in this area. Beginning with
the story of prehistoric Native Americans and continuing through an
examination of life at the end of twentieth century, Conser tracks the
development of the various religions, denominations, and ethnic groups
that call the Cape Fear region home. From early Native American
traditions to the establishment of the first churches, cathedrals,
synagogues, mosques, and temples, A Coat of Many Colors offers a
comprehensive view of the religious and ethnic diversity that have
characterized Cape Fear throughout its history. Through the lens of
regional history, Conser explores how this area's rich religious and
racial diversity can be seen as a microcosm for the South, and he
examines the ways in which religion can affect such diverse aspects of
life as architecture and race relations.
"A wonderful book, broadly conceived, deeply researched,
beautifully written, and carefully documented. It exemplifies that
aphorism about how much can be learned by asking 'big' questions about
little places." -- John B. Boles, William P. Hobby Professor of
History, Rice University
Walter H. Conser Jr., professor of religious studies and history
at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, is the author of
several books, including God and the Natural World: Religion and
Science in Antebellum America.
