This year marks the anniversary of the Christian cult film A Thief in the Night. In the 1980s, I watched this film and at its sequels during a string of Saturday night showings at Highland Park Baptist Church. The irony of seeing these films, which featured "worldly" dress Christian rocker Larry Norman's music, at the … Continue reading The 40th Anniversary of Jesus’ Rapture
What You Missed This Summer at Jacksonian America
Looking back, Summer 2012 at Jacksonian America wasn't very Jacksonian. My summer reading list dictated the topic of many of the posts. If you're looking for some reading material, here's a look at the past couple of months. My summer reading list included several books on fundamentalist and evangelical Christianity. You can find my reviews … Continue reading What You Missed This Summer at Jacksonian America
Review of Himes, The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family
I'll be honest--I didn't expect much from this biography of influential fundamentalist preacher and writer John R. Rice. Knowing that the author, Andrew Himes, was Rice's grandson left me prepared for hagiography and hero worship. I was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. The Sword of the Lord examines the life and times of John R. … Continue reading Review of Himes, The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family
Review of Balmer, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America
As part of my summer reading, I determined to pick up Randall Balmer's Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory. I first became acquainted with Balmer after seeing him in the God in America series on PBS. During one of his moments discussing the emergence of the evangelical movement, he mentioned that he grew up in a fundamentalist … Continue reading Review of Balmer, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America
Summer 2012 Reading
Several years ago, I set the goal of using the summer months to read either canonical southern literature or a new area of history outside of the Early Republic period. Between research projects and major life changes, I haven't done a great job of achieving my objective, but I've tackled William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Walker … Continue reading Summer 2012 Reading
The Antichrist in U.S. Politics
In a recent New York Times op-ed piece, Matthew A. Sutton observed that the Antichrist is relevant to evangelical voters, who tend to vote Republican. Specifically, he wrote: The global economic meltdown, numerous natural disasters and the threat of radical Islam have fueled a conviction among some evangelicals that these are the last days. While … Continue reading The Antichrist in U.S. Politics
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 