Christianity and Race in the American South

Very often, it can seem as if religion in the American South boils down to the actions of two groups: right-wing white evangelicals and left-wing black Methodists or Baptists. Yet as Paul Harvey shows in this accessible history, there is so much more diversity and complexity in the intertwined histories of race and religion in the South, dating back to the first days of European settlement. This history is full of strange alliances, unlikely parallels, and far too many tragedies. Harvey shows that ideas about the role of churches in the South were critically shaped by the conflicts over slavery and race that defined southern life more broadly. Ironically, black and white churches were shaped by the same influences and participated in the same culture--especially when it came to music--but wound up perhaps irrevocably estranged. As recent events have tragically shown, race, violence, religion, and southern identity remain a volatile brew. Paul Harvey helps us see the history of it with remarkable new clarity.