Southern Cross

April 15, 1997
Heyrman (history, Univ. of Delaware) traces the development of evangelical Christianity in early Southern history, from Colonial days to the early 19th century. The author shows how the primarily Methodist and Baptist evangelicals were able to overcome strong resistance to become a predominant force in Southern culture. Young and inspired preachers, fear of the devil, signs and wonders, and an appeal to the most disadvantaged members of society brought initial success. Later, a movement toward patriarchal church and family structures and racial separatism helped the radical movement establish a permanent niche for itself. Both strands of this heritage continue to have influence. The author points out the importance of understanding this powerful heritage when analyzing modern trends in conservative Protestantism. A fascinating work; recommended for public and academic libraries.--C. Robert Nixon, Lafayette, Ind.

April 15, 1997
How the Bible Belt got buckled--that is, how the attitudes of the Puritan settlers of New England became the quintessential puritanism of the early American South and Southwest--is the subject of this fascinating history. The rise of evangelical Protestantism, its separation from the state Anglican church of the English southern colonies, its conflict with and eventual truce with the manly self-image of the settlers (who hailed from a different cultural background than that of New Englanders), and its eventual triumph in the region make exciting reading. Heyrman uses diaries, letters, and other original documents to paint a compelling portrait of southern society in a state of change, economic and social as well as religious, from before the revolution into the early nineteenth century. The testimonies of the participants in this change illuminate the intricate strands of postrevolutionary and antebellum evangelicalism that Heyrman skillfully weaves into an evocation of a time and place that is now too often neglected and not merely by religious historiography. ((Reviewed April 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)