Religion permeated the day-to-day life of antebellum Kentucky. This engaging account of Kentucky's various Christian denominations, first published as part of the Kentucky Bicentennial Bookshelf, traces the history of the Great Revival of 1800–1805, the subsequent schism in Protestant ranks, the rise of Catholicism, the development of a distinctive black Christianity, and the growth of a Christian antislavery tradition. Paying special attention to the role of religion in the everyday life of early Kentuckians and their heritage, John B. Boles provides a concise yet enlightening introduction to the faith and the people of the Bluegrass State. Religion In Antebellum Kentucky is an excellent survey of religion and its significance in the first eighty-five years of Kentucky's history.

Religion In Antebellum Kentucky

History

Boles, John

Americas

University Press of Kentucky

Drawing upon the religious writings of southern evangelicals, John Boles asserts that the extraordinary crowds and miraculous transformations that distinguished the South's First Great Awakening were not simply instances of emotional excess but the expression of widespread and complex attitudes toward God. Converted southerners were starkly individualistic, interested more in gaining personal salvation in a hopelessly evil world than in improving society. As Boles shows in this landmark study, the effect of the Revival was to throw over the region a conservative cast that remains dominant in contemporary southern thought and life.

The Great Revival: Beginnings of the Bible Belt (Religion in the South)

Over the last three decades scholars have rediscovered the religious dimension of the Old South's history. Evangelical Christianity was a central component of the culture of both antebellum whites and blacks. In its formative years evangelical religion stood in critique of the dominant society and opposed slavery, but by the eve of the Civil War evangelical religion was a stalwart defender of that peculiar institution. Religion was essential to the development of southern nationalism, was used to defend secession, and convinced white southerners that victory was certain. Moreover, when defeat came, southerners again turned to religion to explain the course of events. Blacks also found meaning and solace in evangelical Christianity; in the churches they were treated more nearly as equals than anywhere else in southern society.

The Irony of Southern Religion (The Rockwell Lecture Series)

Kelber, Werner H.

Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers

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Books by Boles, John

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Boles, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Religion In Antebellum Kentucky

The Great Revival: Beginnings of the Bible Belt (Religion in the South)

The Irony of Southern Religion (The Rockwell Lecture Series)