| Episcopalians and Race: Civil War to Civil Rights Contributor(s): Shattuck, Gardiner H. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0813190649 ISBN-13: 9780813190648 Publisher: University Press of Kentucky OUR PRICE: $28.50 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2003 Annotation: "Superb. . . . The first comprehensive history of modern race relations within the Episcopal Church and, as such, a model of its kind." -- Journal of American History "A model of how good this kind of history can be when it is well researched and centers on the difficult choices faced and made by people who share institutional and faith commitments in settings that call those commitments into question." -- American Historical Review "A well-documented and riveting story of how racism in Episcopalianism -- despite having been stripped of some of its pre-1960s overt vicious expressions -- still persists with great energy and pervasiveness today." -- Anglican and Episcopal History "This clear chronicle of the structural ways in which white Episcopalians have attempted to create unity in Christ -- against the reluctance of powerful whites -- proceeds by making clear the preconceptions and ways of thinking that crippled even the best efforts of whites." -- North Carolina Historical Review |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Christianity - Episcopalian - Religion | Christianity - History - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - African American Studies |
| Dewey: 261.83 |
| Series: Religion in the South |
| Physical Information: 0.8" H x 5.84" W x 9.22" (1.15 lbs) 328 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Chronological Period - 20th Century - Ethnic Orientation - African American - Religious Orientation - Christian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Meeting at an African American college in North Carolina in 1959, a group of black and white Episcopalians organized the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity and pledged to oppose all distinctions based on race, ethnicity, and social class. They adopted a motto derived from Psalm 133: ""Behold, how good and joyful a thing it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity "" Though the spiritual intentions of these individuals were positive, the reality of the association between blacks and whites in the church was much more complicated. Episcopalians and Race examines the often ambivalent relationship between black communities and the predominantly white leadership of the Episcopal Church since the Civil War. Paying special attention to the 1950s and 60s, Gardiner Shattuck analyzes the impact of the civil rights movement on church life, especially in southern states. He discusses the Church's lofty goals--exemplified by the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity--and ignoble practices and attitudes, such as the failure to recognize the role of black clergy and laity within the denomination. The efforts of mainline Protestant denominations were critically important in the struggle for civil rights, and Episcopalians expended a great deal of time and resources in engaging in the quest for racial equality and strengthening the missionary outreach to African Americans in the South. Shattuck offers an insider's history of Episcopalians' efforts, both successful and unsuccessful, to come to terms with race and racism since the Civil War. |