Hell Without Fire has been nominated in the Creative Nonfiction
Historical Division category of the 39th Annual Georgia Author of
the Year Awards. Abingdon Press would like to congratulate Henry
Whelchel on this honor.
Conversion is one of the most significant motifs in American
church history. From the First and Second Great Awakenings to early
twentieth century Pentecostal revivals and contemporary Evangelical
movements, conversion in all its extravagant forms is important to
the story of religion in America.
L. Henry Whelchel takes up this motif of conversion as it
relates particularly to enslaved Africans and Black Americans. He
explains the role of conversion in the complex interaction between
blacks and whites in America. Beginning with the differences
between European and African forms of slavery and the importance of
the motif of conversion to white legitimization of the Atlantic
slave trade, Whelchel describes the process of slave conversion as
one in which slaves were separated from African religion and
culture. He counters the myth that Africans had no history and that
African religion was entirely effaced in its American context. He
demonstrates the contradictory relationship between Afro-American
and Euro-American religion: on the one hand whites prohibited
demonstrations of African religion and on the other hand they
embraced and adopted these demonstrations of religion in
transformed modes with their revivalist Christianity. According to
Whelchel, "as African religion and culture were exposed to western
Christianity," there was forged "a new Afro-American religion."
Whelchel's exposure of the contradiction between the propaganda
used to defend slavery and the actual, historical circumstances of
slaves in America is most compelling in his treatment of the role
of education as an adjunct to conversion. He highlights the
emergence of laws prohibiting the teaching of slaves and he
explores the emergence of the plantation missions--sponsored by
mainline southern denominations--to implement an oral method of
religious training. He continues with the role of conversion in
post-emancipation relations between black and white religion in
America, in both the North and South. Finally, Whelchel chronicles
the rise of the CME and the distinctions between the AME and CME,
concluding with the seating of the first black CME bishops.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
