In this Book
- Avenues of Faith: Shaping the Urban Religious Culture of Richmond, Virginia, 1900–1929
- Book
- 2009
- Published by: The University of Alabama Press
- Series: Religion and American Culture
summary
Avenues of Faith documents how religion flourished in southern cities after the turn of the century and how a cadre of clergy and laity created a notably progressive religious culture in Richmond, Virginia. Famous as the former capital of the Confederacy, in Avenues of Faith Richmond emerges as a dynamic and growing industrial city invigorated by the social activism of its Protestants.
By examining six mainline white denominations—Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Disciples of Christ, and Lutherans—Samuel C. Shepherd Jr. emphasizes the extent to which the city fostered religious diversity, even as “blind spots” remained regarding Catholics, African Americans, Mormons, and Jews. Shepherd explores such topics as evangelism, interdenominational cooperation, the temperance campaign, the Sunday school movement, the international peace initiatives, and the expanding role of lay people of both sexes. He also notes the community’s widespread rejection of fundamentalism, a religious phenomenon almost automatically associated with the South, and shows how it nurtured social reform to combat a host of urban problems associated with public health, education, housing, women’s suffrage, prohibition, children, and prisons.
In lucid prose and with excellent use of primary sources, Shepherd delivers a fresh portrait of Richmond Protestants who embraced change and transformed their community, making it an active, progressive religious center of the New South.
By examining six mainline white denominations—Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Disciples of Christ, and Lutherans—Samuel C. Shepherd Jr. emphasizes the extent to which the city fostered religious diversity, even as “blind spots” remained regarding Catholics, African Americans, Mormons, and Jews. Shepherd explores such topics as evangelism, interdenominational cooperation, the temperance campaign, the Sunday school movement, the international peace initiatives, and the expanding role of lay people of both sexes. He also notes the community’s widespread rejection of fundamentalism, a religious phenomenon almost automatically associated with the South, and shows how it nurtured social reform to combat a host of urban problems associated with public health, education, housing, women’s suffrage, prohibition, children, and prisons.
In lucid prose and with excellent use of primary sources, Shepherd delivers a fresh portrait of Richmond Protestants who embraced change and transformed their community, making it an active, progressive religious center of the New South.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- 1. The Urban Challenge
- pp. 1-14
- 2. Restless Richmond
- pp. 15-37
- 3. City Sounds and Joyful Noises
- pp. 38-58
- 4. Mighty Engines of Evangelism
- pp. 59-83
- 5. Paths of Grace
- pp. 84-103
- 6. Disarming Dangers [Includes Image Plates]
- pp. 104-136
- 7. “A New Pentecost”
- pp. 137-167
- 8. A “Divine Discontent”
- pp. 168-201
- 9. Not Brothers or Sisters
- pp. 202-230
- 10. “A World Made New”
- pp. 231-252
- 11. The Wrong Place for a Row
- pp. 253-281
- 12 Avenues of Faith
- pp. 282-299
- Selected Bibliography
- pp. 377-399
Additional Information
ISBN
9780817313586
Related ISBN(s)
9780817310769, 9780817358471
MARC Record
OCLC
427565605
Pages
429
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2001