The Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South, 1790-1860
Most histories of the American South describe the conflict between evangelical religion and honor culture as one of the defining features of southern life before the Civil War. The story is usually told as a battle of clashing worldviews, but in this book, Robert Elder challenges this interpretation by illuminating just how deeply evangelicalism in Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches was interwoven with traditional southern culture, arguing that evangelicals owed much of their success to their ability to appeal to people steeped in southern honor culture. Previous accounts of the rise of evangelicalism in the South have told this tale as a tragedy in which evangelicals eventually adopted many of the central tenets of southern society in order to win souls and garner influence. But through an examination of evangelical language and practices, Elder shows that evangelicals always shared honor's most basic assumptions.

Making use of original sources such as diaries, correspondence, periodicals, and church records, Elder recasts the relationship between evangelicalism and secular honor in the South, proving the two concepts are connected in much deeper ways than have ever been previously understood.

1122732018
The Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South, 1790-1860
Most histories of the American South describe the conflict between evangelical religion and honor culture as one of the defining features of southern life before the Civil War. The story is usually told as a battle of clashing worldviews, but in this book, Robert Elder challenges this interpretation by illuminating just how deeply evangelicalism in Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches was interwoven with traditional southern culture, arguing that evangelicals owed much of their success to their ability to appeal to people steeped in southern honor culture. Previous accounts of the rise of evangelicalism in the South have told this tale as a tragedy in which evangelicals eventually adopted many of the central tenets of southern society in order to win souls and garner influence. But through an examination of evangelical language and practices, Elder shows that evangelicals always shared honor's most basic assumptions.

Making use of original sources such as diaries, correspondence, periodicals, and church records, Elder recasts the relationship between evangelicalism and secular honor in the South, proving the two concepts are connected in much deeper ways than have ever been previously understood.

17.49 In Stock
The Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South, 1790-1860

The Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South, 1790-1860

by Robert Elder
The Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South, 1790-1860

The Sacred Mirror: Evangelicalism, Honor, and Identity in the Deep South, 1790-1860

by Robert Elder

eBook

$17.49  $19.99 Save 13% Current price is $17.49, Original price is $19.99. You Save 13%.

Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
WANT A NOOK?  Explore Now

Related collections and offers


Overview

Most histories of the American South describe the conflict between evangelical religion and honor culture as one of the defining features of southern life before the Civil War. The story is usually told as a battle of clashing worldviews, but in this book, Robert Elder challenges this interpretation by illuminating just how deeply evangelicalism in Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches was interwoven with traditional southern culture, arguing that evangelicals owed much of their success to their ability to appeal to people steeped in southern honor culture. Previous accounts of the rise of evangelicalism in the South have told this tale as a tragedy in which evangelicals eventually adopted many of the central tenets of southern society in order to win souls and garner influence. But through an examination of evangelical language and practices, Elder shows that evangelicals always shared honor's most basic assumptions.

Making use of original sources such as diaries, correspondence, periodicals, and church records, Elder recasts the relationship between evangelicalism and secular honor in the South, proving the two concepts are connected in much deeper ways than have ever been previously understood.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781469627571
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date: 03/02/2016
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
File size: 4 MB

About the Author

Robert Elder is assistant professor of history at Valparaiso University.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

In this elegant and exciting book, Robert Elder sets himself apart by arguing that white southerners hastened modernity's arrival when they accepted evangelicalism. Elder's highly nuanced discussion of the relationship between the 'secular' culture of southern honor and the 'sacred' culture of southern evangelicalism establishes him as part of a robust movement of scholars quick to call attention to the 'modern' elements of intellectual discourse in the antebellum South.—Charles F. Irons, Elon University

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews