Local Baptists, Local Politics: Churches and Communities in the Middle and Uplands South

Front Cover
Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1999 - History - 244 pages
"This meticulously researched study reveals how the localism inherent among Baptists carries over into political attitudes and involvement. Grammich's 'bible-based' Baptist sectarians also show how diverse Baptists really are and how strong and enduring a social ethic many smaller Baptist groups have cultivated."--Charles H. Lippy, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

This provocative book explores the political views and actions of religious adherents who claim to base their faith on a literal interpretation of the Bible. Focusing on several small Baptist sects scattered throughout the middle and uplands South, Clifford Grammich finds that these groups are often highly engaged politically at the local level. He thus challenges the traditional view of these Baptists as politically aloof, concerned only with matters of faith and personal conduct.

Grammich shows that the politics arising from these groups' religious beliefs are not those of any consistent, pervasive ideology. Rather, he argues, such politics more often reflect a series of adaptations to local circumstances. Among the sects that he studies, there is a strong emphasis on the local authority to interpet the Bible and, thus, to shape religious commands to very specific conditions. Beyond the broad concerns of preserving the traditional family and curbing excessive worldliness, these Baptists are free to adapt their theology to meet their particular needs--and can often do so more readily than those belonging to more hierarchical churches. Since these people are typically more rural, more southern, less educated, and less affluent than most Americans, the author notes, they can face special problems in dealing with modernity--problems that their religion helps them address.

The book includes two case studies that show in depth both the possiblities and limitations of politics within these groups. In a local labor struggle in Tennessee, Baptist sectarians were able to generate more religious support for a United Mine Workers local than was offered by the usual supporters of organized labor in other churches. On the other hand, in an environmental conflict in Kentucky, these Baptists' traditional community concerns inhibited their participation in a broader reform movement.

Relating the beliefs and actions of the "local Baptists" to various larger themes--including those of cultural traditionalism, economic populism, and increasing affluence--Grammich offers a valuable study of the complex ways in which religious faith can affect political involvement. His book will effect a new understanding of American fundamentalism itself.

The Author: Clifford A. Grammich Jr. is director of research at Heartland Center, a social research institute in Hammond, Indiana.

 

Contents

Maps
15
National Themes in Local Settings
27
Central Baptist Distribution by County 1990
61
Central Baptist Area Characteristics
64
Duck River and Kindred Baptist Distribution by County 1990
67
Duck River and Kindred Baptist Core Counties
68
Duck River and Kindred Baptist Core Area Characteristics
70
Old Missionary Baptist Distribution by County 1990
73
Eastern District Primitive Baptist Association
83
Distribution by County 1990
86
Eastern District Primitive Baptist Core Area Characteristics
87
United Baptist Distribution by County 1990
89
United Baptist Analysis Areas
91
United Baptist Area Characteristics
92
Magoffin Jefferson and Fayette Counties Kentucky
141
Magoffin County Population Characteristics
143

Old Missionary Baptist Analysis Areas 1990
74
Old Missionary Baptist Area Characteristics
75
Old Regular Baptist Distribution by County 1990
80
Old Regular Baptist Core Counties
81
Old Regular Baptist Core Area Characteristics
82
Magoffin County Families and Poverty144
144
Sources and Methodology
205
Bibliography
233
Copyright

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