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Rebuilding Zion: The Religious Reconstruction of the South, 1863-1877

by Daniel W. Stowell
Hardcover |English |0195101944 | 9780195101942

Rebuilding Zion: The Religious Reconstruction of the South, 1863-1877

by Daniel W. Stowell
Hardcover |English |0195101944 | 9780195101942
Overview
Both the North and the South viewed the Civil War in Christian terms. Each side believed that its fight was just, that God favored its cause. Rebuilding Zion is the first study to explore simultaneously the reaction of southern white evangelicals, northern white evangelicals, and Christian freedpeople to Confederate defeat. As white southerners struggled to assure themselves that the collapse of the Confederacy was not an indication of God's stern judgment, white northerners and freedpeople were certain that it was. Author Daniel W. Stowell tells the story of the religious reconstruction of the South following the war, a bitter contest between southern and northern evangelicals, at the heart of which was the fate of the freedpeople's souls and the southern effort to maintain a sense of sectional identity. Central to the southern churches' vision of the Civil War was the idea that God had not abandoned the South; defeat was a Father's stern chastisement. Secession and slavery had not been sinful; rather, it was the radicalism of the northern denominations that threatened the purity of the Gospel. Northern evangelicals, armed with a vastly different vision of the meaning of the war and their call to Christian duty, entered the post-war South intending to save white southerner and ex-slave alike. The freedpeople, however, drew their own providential meaning from the war and its outcome. The goal for blacks in the postwar period was to establish churches for themselves separate from the control of their former masters. Stowell plots the conflicts that resulted from these competing visions of the religious reconstruction of the South. By demonstrating how the southern vision eventually came to predominate over, but not eradicate, the northern and freedpeople's visions for the religious life of the South, he shows how the southern churches became one of the principal bulwarks of the New South, a region marked by intense piety and intense racism throughout the twentieth century.
ISBN: 0195101944
ISBN13: 9780195101942
Author: Daniel W. Stowell
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Format: Hardcover
PublicationDate: 1998-05-28
Language: English
Edition: Illustrated
PageCount: 288
Dimensions: 6.3 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
Weight: 21.12 ounces
Both the North and the South viewed the Civil War in Christian terms. Each side believed that its fight was just, that God favored its cause. Rebuilding Zion is the first study to explore simultaneously the reaction of southern white evangelicals, northern white evangelicals, and Christian freedpeople to Confederate defeat. As white southerners struggled to assure themselves that the collapse of the Confederacy was not an indication of God's stern judgment, white northerners and freedpeople were certain that it was. Author Daniel W. Stowell tells the story of the religious reconstruction of the South following the war, a bitter contest between southern and northern evangelicals, at the heart of which was the fate of the freedpeople's souls and the southern effort to maintain a sense of sectional identity. Central to the southern churches' vision of the Civil War was the idea that God had not abandoned the South; defeat was a Father's stern chastisement. Secession and slavery had not been sinful; rather, it was the radicalism of the northern denominations that threatened the purity of the Gospel. Northern evangelicals, armed with a vastly different vision of the meaning of the war and their call to Christian duty, entered the post-war South intending to save white southerner and ex-slave alike. The freedpeople, however, drew their own providential meaning from the war and its outcome. The goal for blacks in the postwar period was to establish churches for themselves separate from the control of their former masters. Stowell plots the conflicts that resulted from these competing visions of the religious reconstruction of the South. By demonstrating how the southern vision eventually came to predominate over, but not eradicate, the northern and freedpeople's visions for the religious life of the South, he shows how the southern churches became one of the principal bulwarks of the New South, a region marked by intense piety and intense racism throughout the twentieth century.
Editorial Reviews



Essential reading. The best account we have of the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on southern Protestantism. Stowell's consideration of the three dominant southern white denominations, of the emergence of black denominations, and of the northern religious perspective, plus the detailed comparisons of developments in two states, Georgia and Tennessee, provide a multifaceted comparative perspective with attention to change over time. Well researched, clearly written, perceptive, and judicious in tone, this is an uncommonly rewarding work of primary scholarship.--John B. Boles, Managing Editor,
Journal of Southern History, and William Pettus Hobby Professor of History, Rice University


This book should be an important contribution to understanding changes in religious institutions during a vastly confusing and conflicted time. The author is to be congratulated for leading us through a process that most historians have ignored. We will be able to understand the neligious history of the late nineteenth century much better now. Southern historians especially will benefit from his work, but students of American religious history, as well, should read it to their own advantage.--Donald G. Mathews, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


[The book] admirably complements the wealth of recent literature on religion and the Civil War by taking a small step forward in time to the Reconstruction period of the US South. For research on religious reconstruction in the US South, this volume will be a welcome addition.--
CHOICE


Clearly argued and carefully documented, this important book should be in every college library.--
Religious Studies Review


[An] ambitious work...in crafting a deeply contextualized account of Southern religious reconstruction, Stowell has also easily surpassed the conventional one-note denominational or biographical studies of Reconstruction religion and laid bare the real complexities of rebuilding the new even while the shadow of the old hung long over the land.--
The North Carolina Historical Review


The greatest strength of [the book] lies in the author's well-crafted narrative of the myriad conflicts that shaped the institutional forms and cultural commitments emerging by the middle of the 1870s...Not content to synthesize the wide array of recent secondary scholarship...[H]e has supplemented existing studies with extensive work in manuscript sources from Georgia and Tennessee...His use of personal papers and local church records is particularly effective and should provoke similar investigations of other states...Stowell moves a giant step closer to a broader understanding of the role that religious faith played in the wake of Union victory.--
Journal of Interdisciplinary History






Daniel W. Stowell is an Assistant Editor with The Lincoln Legal Papers, a project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, in Springfield, Illinois.

is an Assistant Editor with The Lincoln Legal Papers, a project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, in Springfield, Illinois.

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  • Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.

Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.

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Estimated delivery times:

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  • Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days

Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.  

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If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.

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Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.

Additional non-returnable items:

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  • Downloadable software products
  • Some health and personal care items

To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)

  • Book with obvious signs of use
  • CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
  • Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
  • Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery

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Overview
Both the North and the South viewed the Civil War in Christian terms. Each side believed that its fight was just, that God favored its cause. Rebuilding Zion is the first study to explore simultaneously the reaction of southern white evangelicals, northern white evangelicals, and Christian freedpeople to Confederate defeat. As white southerners struggled to assure themselves that the collapse of the Confederacy was not an indication of God's stern judgment, white northerners and freedpeople were certain that it was. Author Daniel W. Stowell tells the story of the religious reconstruction of the South following the war, a bitter contest between southern and northern evangelicals, at the heart of which was the fate of the freedpeople's souls and the southern effort to maintain a sense of sectional identity. Central to the southern churches' vision of the Civil War was the idea that God had not abandoned the South; defeat was a Father's stern chastisement. Secession and slavery had not been sinful; rather, it was the radicalism of the northern denominations that threatened the purity of the Gospel. Northern evangelicals, armed with a vastly different vision of the meaning of the war and their call to Christian duty, entered the post-war South intending to save white southerner and ex-slave alike. The freedpeople, however, drew their own providential meaning from the war and its outcome. The goal for blacks in the postwar period was to establish churches for themselves separate from the control of their former masters. Stowell plots the conflicts that resulted from these competing visions of the religious reconstruction of the South. By demonstrating how the southern vision eventually came to predominate over, but not eradicate, the northern and freedpeople's visions for the religious life of the South, he shows how the southern churches became one of the principal bulwarks of the New South, a region marked by intense piety and intense racism throughout the twentieth century.
ISBN: 0195101944
ISBN13: 9780195101942
Author: Daniel W. Stowell
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Format: Hardcover
PublicationDate: 1998-05-28
Language: English
Edition: Illustrated
PageCount: 288
Dimensions: 6.3 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
Weight: 21.12 ounces
Both the North and the South viewed the Civil War in Christian terms. Each side believed that its fight was just, that God favored its cause. Rebuilding Zion is the first study to explore simultaneously the reaction of southern white evangelicals, northern white evangelicals, and Christian freedpeople to Confederate defeat. As white southerners struggled to assure themselves that the collapse of the Confederacy was not an indication of God's stern judgment, white northerners and freedpeople were certain that it was. Author Daniel W. Stowell tells the story of the religious reconstruction of the South following the war, a bitter contest between southern and northern evangelicals, at the heart of which was the fate of the freedpeople's souls and the southern effort to maintain a sense of sectional identity. Central to the southern churches' vision of the Civil War was the idea that God had not abandoned the South; defeat was a Father's stern chastisement. Secession and slavery had not been sinful; rather, it was the radicalism of the northern denominations that threatened the purity of the Gospel. Northern evangelicals, armed with a vastly different vision of the meaning of the war and their call to Christian duty, entered the post-war South intending to save white southerner and ex-slave alike. The freedpeople, however, drew their own providential meaning from the war and its outcome. The goal for blacks in the postwar period was to establish churches for themselves separate from the control of their former masters. Stowell plots the conflicts that resulted from these competing visions of the religious reconstruction of the South. By demonstrating how the southern vision eventually came to predominate over, but not eradicate, the northern and freedpeople's visions for the religious life of the South, he shows how the southern churches became one of the principal bulwarks of the New South, a region marked by intense piety and intense racism throughout the twentieth century.
Editorial Reviews



Essential reading. The best account we have of the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on southern Protestantism. Stowell's consideration of the three dominant southern white denominations, of the emergence of black denominations, and of the northern religious perspective, plus the detailed comparisons of developments in two states, Georgia and Tennessee, provide a multifaceted comparative perspective with attention to change over time. Well researched, clearly written, perceptive, and judicious in tone, this is an uncommonly rewarding work of primary scholarship.--John B. Boles, Managing Editor,
Journal of Southern History, and William Pettus Hobby Professor of History, Rice University


This book should be an important contribution to understanding changes in religious institutions during a vastly confusing and conflicted time. The author is to be congratulated for leading us through a process that most historians have ignored. We will be able to understand the neligious history of the late nineteenth century much better now. Southern historians especially will benefit from his work, but students of American religious history, as well, should read it to their own advantage.--Donald G. Mathews, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


[The book] admirably complements the wealth of recent literature on religion and the Civil War by taking a small step forward in time to the Reconstruction period of the US South. For research on religious reconstruction in the US South, this volume will be a welcome addition.--
CHOICE


Clearly argued and carefully documented, this important book should be in every college library.--
Religious Studies Review


[An] ambitious work...in crafting a deeply contextualized account of Southern religious reconstruction, Stowell has also easily surpassed the conventional one-note denominational or biographical studies of Reconstruction religion and laid bare the real complexities of rebuilding the new even while the shadow of the old hung long over the land.--
The North Carolina Historical Review


The greatest strength of [the book] lies in the author's well-crafted narrative of the myriad conflicts that shaped the institutional forms and cultural commitments emerging by the middle of the 1870s...Not content to synthesize the wide array of recent secondary scholarship...[H]e has supplemented existing studies with extensive work in manuscript sources from Georgia and Tennessee...His use of personal papers and local church records is particularly effective and should provoke similar investigations of other states...Stowell moves a giant step closer to a broader understanding of the role that religious faith played in the wake of Union victory.--
Journal of Interdisciplinary History






Daniel W. Stowell is an Assistant Editor with The Lincoln Legal Papers, a project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, in Springfield, Illinois.

is an Assistant Editor with The Lincoln Legal Papers, a project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, in Springfield, Illinois.

Books - New and Used

The following guidelines apply to books:

  • New: A brand-new copy with cover and original protective wrapping intact. Books with markings of any kind on the cover or pages, books marked as "Bargain" or "Remainder," or with any other labels attached, may not be listed as New condition.
  • Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include "From the library of" labels. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media.
  • Used - Acceptable: All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. Item may but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, but the text cannot be obscured or unreadable.

Note: Some electronic material access codes are valid only for one user. For this reason, used books, including books listed in the Used – Like New condition, may not come with functional electronic material access codes.

Shipping Fees

  • Stevens Books offers FREE SHIPPING everywhere in the United States for ALL non-book orders, and $3.99 for each book.
  • Packages are shipped from Monday to Friday.
  • No additional fees and charges.

Delivery Times

The usual time for processing an order is 24 hours (1 business day), but may vary depending on the availability of products ordered. This period excludes delivery times, which depend on your geographic location.

Estimated delivery times:

  • Standard Shipping: 5-8 business days
  • Expedited Shipping: 3-5 business days

Shipping method varies depending on what is being shipped.  

Tracking
All orders are shipped with a tracking number. Once your order has left our warehouse, a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number will be sent to you. You will be able to track your package at all times. 

Damaged Parcel
If your package has been delivered in a PO Box, please note that we are not responsible for any damage that may result (consequences of extreme temperatures, theft, etc.). 

If you have any questions regarding shipping or want to know about the status of an order, please contact us or email to support@stevensbooks.com.

You may return most items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases.

Additional non-returnable items:

  • Gift cards
  • Downloadable software products
  • Some health and personal care items

To complete your return, we require a tracking number, which shows the items which you already returned to us.
There are certain situations where only partial refunds are granted (if applicable)

  • Book with obvious signs of use
  • CD, DVD, VHS tape, software, video game, cassette tape, or vinyl record that has been opened
  • Any item not in its original condition, is damaged or missing parts for reasons not due to our error
  • Any item that is returned more than 30 days after delivery

Items returned to us as a result of our error will receive a full refund,some returns may be subject to a restocking fee of 7% of the total item price, please contact a customer care team member to see if your return is subject. Returns that arrived on time and were as described are subject to a restocking fee.

Items returned to us that were not the result of our error, including items returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address, will be refunded the original item price less our standard restocking fees.

If the item is returned to us for any of the following reasons, a 15% restocking fee will be applied to your refund total and you will be asked to pay for return shipping:

  • Item(s) no longer needed or wanted.
  • Item(s) returned to us due to an invalid or incomplete address.
  • Item(s) returned to us that were not a result of our error.

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, please Contact Us with your order number and details about the product you would like to return. We will respond quickly with instructions for how to return items from your order.


Shipping Cost


We'll pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.). In other cases, you will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.

If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.

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