In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

The Catholic Historical Review 92.4 (2006) 701-702

Reviewed by
Darryl Birkenfeld
Ogallalla Commons
Nazareth, Texas
Rock Beneath the Sand: Country Churches in Texas. Text by Lois E. Myers and Rebecca Sharpless. Photographs by Clark G. Baker. [Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life, no. 5.] (College Station: Texas A&M University Press. 2003. Pp. xx, 197.)

When reviewing history, it is easier to be struck by tumultuous events than to grasp the bedrock that stands firm even while tyrants and tempests rage. "Rock Beneath the Sand," a fitting title for this book detailing the proud stories of some tenacious rural churches in Central Texas, is also a metaphor for the foundations that undergird rural churches, things that seem strange or hidden in a world of cities and suburbs.

One remarkable foundation unearthed by this book is the religious diversity found within remote rural areas in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The authors aptly describe the growth of "open country churches" in McLennan County, Texas, where successive waves of immigrants brought their faith communities with them. Certainly we know there were Anglo settlers in rural Texas, but who would have guessed there were also German, Norwegian, Czech, Polish, Wendish, and African-American churches (both Protestant and Catholic), not to mention Mexican-American parishes in and near this single county. More than ethnic islands, these small churches provided a place to socialize, to speak, sing, and worship in native languages and cultures. Clearly, these rural churches also provided an entry way to American life and gradual integration. While many rural churches have disappeared in the last seventy-five years, those that remain have done so by remembering and celebrating their ethnic roots and strong family ties. [End Page 701]

The role of agriculture is also acknowledged for its prominent position in the life of rural churches. Throughout American history, faith communities settled where they could draw sustenance from land that was accessible to newcomers. Their church life was closely tied to the seasons of the farm life. Most importantly, living with the land gave rural churches in McLennan County (and elsewhere) a sense of place—an anchor that continues to bolster small churches that have survived. It is noteworthy that this book spends significant time on a major cause of rural church decline: the shift from subsistence farming to cash crops, then to mechanized agriculture, which drastically diminished the number of families in small churches.

Two additional foundations of country churches revealed by the authors are the churches' ability to adapt to changes and an ethic of service. Rural churches that survive today defy the quaint, conservative, caricatures of their ilk. In reality, these communities were not static, but highly dynamic in responding to the struggles of antebellum America and the World Wars, and to the rapid changes brought on by contemporary society. Furthermore, a key to survival of rural churches has been their ability to endow their members with a sense of service, and to continually carve out a strong and creative mission outreach, even as society changed and populations shifted.

One final note about this book is that it is a handsome edition: high quality paper, strong binding, and exquisite black-and-white photographs—features that bespeak the sacredness of its contents. In a North American world where country churches are disappearing, this book is an inspiring illustration of foundations that endure through time, and of practices that matter most of all . . . regardless of where we live.

...

pdf

Share