The Origins of Proslavery Christianity

White and Black Evangelicals in Colonial and Antebellum Virginia

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Church, Church History, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book The Origins of Proslavery Christianity by Charles F. Irons, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Charles F. Irons ISBN: 9780807888896
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: November 30, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Charles F. Irons
ISBN: 9780807888896
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: November 30, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In the colonial and antebellum South, black and white evangelicals frequently prayed, sang, and worshipped together. Even though white evangelicals claimed spiritual fellowship with those of African descent, they nonetheless emerged as the most effective defenders of race-based slavery.

As Charles Irons persuasively argues, white evangelicals' ideas about slavery grew directly out of their interactions with black evangelicals. Set in Virginia, the largest slaveholding state and the hearth of the southern evangelical movement, this book draws from church records, denominational newspapers, slave narratives, and private letters and diaries to illuminate the dynamic relationship between whites and blacks within the evangelical fold. Irons reveals that when whites theorized about their moral responsibilities toward slaves, they thought first of their relationships with bondmen in their own churches. Thus, African American evangelicals inadvertently shaped the nature of the proslavery argument. When they chose which churches to join, used the procedures set up for church discipline, rejected colonization, or built quasi-independent congregations, for example, black churchgoers spurred their white coreligionists to further develop the religious defense of slavery.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the colonial and antebellum South, black and white evangelicals frequently prayed, sang, and worshipped together. Even though white evangelicals claimed spiritual fellowship with those of African descent, they nonetheless emerged as the most effective defenders of race-based slavery.

As Charles Irons persuasively argues, white evangelicals' ideas about slavery grew directly out of their interactions with black evangelicals. Set in Virginia, the largest slaveholding state and the hearth of the southern evangelical movement, this book draws from church records, denominational newspapers, slave narratives, and private letters and diaries to illuminate the dynamic relationship between whites and blacks within the evangelical fold. Irons reveals that when whites theorized about their moral responsibilities toward slaves, they thought first of their relationships with bondmen in their own churches. Thus, African American evangelicals inadvertently shaped the nature of the proslavery argument. When they chose which churches to join, used the procedures set up for church discipline, rejected colonization, or built quasi-independent congregations, for example, black churchgoers spurred their white coreligionists to further develop the religious defense of slavery.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Religion and American Education by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book The German Colonial Empire by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Havana and the Atlantic in the Sixteenth Century by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Form and History in American Literary Naturalism by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book American Bards by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Reality Radio by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Custom, Kinship, and Gifts to Saints by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Native Americans, Christianity, and the Reshaping of the American Religious Landscape by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Lee’s Army Has Not Lost Any of Its Prestige by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Working the Garden by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Domesticating Slavery by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book Southern Cultures: The Politics Issue by Charles F. Irons
Cover of the book The Commerce Clause under Marshall, Taney, and Waite by Charles F. Irons
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy