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Paul Harvey on Religion in the American South

tonygill — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 09:00:10 +0000

“The South” is commonly referred to as the Bible Belt in the United States today, and despite New England having a more explicit Christian identity during colonial times, the region from Virginia down to Florida and out to Texas has been shaped by religious dynamics from its most early days. Prof. Paul Harvey, professor of history at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, takes us on a grand tour of this region and the history of Christianity there. After sorting through Prof. Harvey’s own intellectual trajectory to this topic, we define what is meant by “The South,” an identity-based term that really doesn’t become defined until roughly the Civil War era and shortly thereafter. Histories of religion in The South often begin with the arrival of the British in Jamestown and the Anglican influence there, but Paul reminds us that Florida was a northern outpost for the Spanish Empire and Catholicism came to the region during the 16th century. He discusses attempts by the Spaniards to missionize the indigenous populations and how the presence of the Spanish put pressure on the British to colonize up the coast. We then walk through the colonial period, through the First Great Awakening, the Revolutionary era, and then into to the Second Great Awakening discussing how Christianity factored into the socio-demographic environment of those two centuries. We focus on the role of Christianity with respect to slavery, touching upon the issues of whether to missionize slaves and how the Christian message was received, including mention of Charles Jones (“apostle to the slaves”) and the Stono Rebellion. Paul points out that the Great Awakenings had an impact on these marginalized groups and there was even a religious “Awakening” amongst the Indian population. Our discussion moves next to the Antebellum period, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, where religion plays a role in shaping the identify of the South, both amongst the White “evangelical” population and among former African-American slaves. Paul plays out these themes noting a period of segregation that occurs in religion after the Civil War. Journeying into the 20th century, we explore some of the themes we’ve visited in previous podcasts (e.g., Lerone Martin – see below) and how modern technology shaped the religious landscape, with an emphasis on phonograph religion and how that, in turn, influenced the musical trends of Americana, country music, and even Elvis Presley. Paul points out an interesting paradox in Southern culture in this time that juxtaposes an immense amount of racial violence and poverty with an enormous outpouring of artistic creativity, not only in music, but in literature as reflected in the works of individuals such as William Faulkner. We finish with a discussion of the role of religion in the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century, the rise of the Religious Right, and how interesting it has been to see the growth of the “prosperity gospel” message in the past few decades. Paul further notes the changing religious landscape as an influx of Latinos are adding to the pluralism of the region, not only in terms of Catholicism, but a new flavor of evangelical Protestantism as well. Prof. Harvey ends with a few reflections on where he sees religious and social trends moving in the future, offering up both some pessimistic concerns and optimistic hopes for the future. Recorded: December 23, 2016.

Christianity and Race in the American South, by Paul Harvey.

Bounds of their Habitation: Religion and Race in American History, by Paul Harvey.

Through the Storm, Through the Night: A History of African American Christianity, by Paul Harvey.

Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities among Southern Baptists, 1865-1925, by Paul Harvey.

The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in American History, by Edward Blum and Paul Harvey.

Religion in American History (a fascinating blog on religious history with several historians).

Religion Dispatches.

RELATED PODCASTS

Lerone Martin on Preaching on Wax and Phonographic Religion.

David Dixon on Religious Rhetoric and the Civil Rights Movement.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

Bradley Wright on Religion, Race, and Discrimination.

James Patterson on MLK, Fulton Sheen, & Jerry Falwell.

Merissa Davis on Bill Cosby, Religion, and African American Churches.

John Wilsey on American Exceptionalism & Civil Religion.

David Mislin on Embracing Religious Pluralism.

Joseph Castleberry on the New Pilgrims.

Hunter Baker on the Past and Future of the Religious Right.

Paul Sinitiere on the Osteens and Lakewood Church.

Roger Luckhurst on Zombies!

tonygill — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 08:00:49 +0000

Our annual Halloween special takes us to the world of the undead, tracking the history and transformation of the zombie genre. Prof. Roger Luckhurst — a professor of Modern Literature at Birkbeck, University of London — joins us from across the Atlantic to discuss his fascinating research into science fiction, horror, trauma, and … of course … zombies. After finding out how Prof. Luckhurst became enthralled with this aspect of modern literature and the reaction he has received to his research, we go back a couple centuries to examine where the myth of the zombie originated. Interestingly, Roger notes that the vampire stories that originated in Europe during the early 18th century have a similar pattern to the zombie narrative in that both deal with superstitions about “the other” from a land far away that Europeans (and later North Americans) are beginning to contact. This then takes us to the island of Haiti that, the first post-colonial nation and one that begins to “haunt” the former colonists imagination. We learn that the term “zombi” first appears in the late 1880s and has its representations in many different forms including three-legged horses, ghosts hanging from trees, and other odd entities. The notion of the “undead human” as zombie begins to take shape with the writing of two very distinct literary figures — Lafcadio Hearn and William Seabrook. Prof. Luckhurst details their vivid lifestyles and contributions to fiction and pulp fiction. With literacy spreading rapidly and printing costs dropping quickly in the early 20th century, travel novels of the odd and bizarre were popular fodder for books and magazines. Roger then points out that much of the underlying narrative of zombie stories relates to anxiety of the US’s expanding empire and colonial subjects turning the table on their white masters. Stories about “dead men working in cane fields” for American sugar companies becomes to be seen as the form of the zombie, a concept that mixed well with a growing fascination with Vodou (Voodoo). We mention the interesting anthropological work of Zora Neale Hurston and her frightening experiences in Haiti as well. The conversation then turns to more contemporary notions of the zombie, tracking some of the film adaptations of the literary zombie and how it meshed with other science fiction genres during the post-WWII era, noting similarities with The Manchurian Candidate and other films depicting communist subjects as brainwashed others. The next major turning point discussed is George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead and how it began to envision us as part of the zombie and the underlying subtext of America’s anxiety about the civil rights movement. We take this further into what Prof. Luckhurst considers to be one of the most important turning points in the zombie narrative in recent years, Romero’s follow-up film, Dawn of the Dead (a movie that Tony admits to being a cult fan of). It his here where it is modern living that turns us into the walking undead, meandering aimlessly through shopping malls in what might be a futile search for meaning. True to Tony’s concern over radiation from Venus causing problems with our Skype connection, the audio does break down at this point, but we have Roger call in a few days later to finish the discussion about how the zombies we now see have three distinct features that separate them from the historical images of the undead: 1) zombies can now run (cf. 28 Days Later) and mutate quickly; 2) zombies now represent a global contagion (mirroring anxiety about globalization); and 3) zombies begin to regain consciousness (cf. Warm Bodies and I, Zombie). All of this connects with other aspects of Prof. Luckhurst’s research that examines how “death” and “being dead” has been re-conceptualized ever since the definition of death was changed from a heart stoppage to “brain dead” in the late 1960s. Concerns over the prolongation of life and diseases such as Alzheimer’s that erase human memories and what it might mean to be human come into play. Roger finishes the conversation with some reflections about the future of the zombie narrative and what he has discovered over the course of several decades examining weird fiction. He notes that pop culture does serious research for us with respect to the great philosophical questions of what it means to be a human being. Recorded: October 14 and 17, 2016.

NOTE: We had some technical difficulties with the Skype connection that become most pronounced around the 40 minute mark of the podcast. As such, we decided to return to finish the interview a few days later. You will notice a significant break in the flow of the conversation around the 44 minute mark. Our apologies, but we blame the undead.

Zombies: A Cultural History, by Roger Luckhurst.

The Mummy’s Curse: The True Story of a Dark Fantasy, by Roger Luckhurst.

Science Fiction, by Roger Luckhurst.

The Invention of Telepathy, by Roger Luckhurst.

The Trauma Question, by Roger Luckhurst.

“Tentacles: The New Fangs (and Teaching Tools)” by Roger Luckhurst in The Times Higher Education.

The Magic Island, by William Seabrook (mentioned in podcast).

I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Gary Laderman on Resting in Peace: The Death Industry in American History.

Chris Bader on Ghosts, UFOs, and the Paranormal.

Peter Lesson on Witch Trials and Human Sacrifice.

Scott Poole on Monsters.

Chris White on Debunking Ancient Aliens.

Sarah Bond on the Church and Funerals in Late Antiquity.

Eleanor Power on Rituals, Community, and Signaling.

Phillip Sinitiere on the Osteens & Lakewood Church

tonygill — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 09:00:04 +0000

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Since 2000, Pastor Joel Osteen seemingly has become an overnight success on the national evangelical scene. But his rise in popularity, along with that of Lakewood Church, has a deeper history dating back to the ministry of his father, John Osteen. Prof. Phillp L. Sinitiere — an associate professor of history at the College of Biblical Studies (Houston) and a visiting assistant professor at Sam Houston State University — talks about his new book Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, & American Christianity.

As is par for the course, we explore how our guest came to be interested in the topic he studies. Prof. Sinitiere grew up in Houston, which he calls the “buckle of the Bible Belt,” and attended small churches in a mixed-ethnicity neighborhood. Having known about Lakewood Church growing up, he found it to be an interesting topic given his fascination with the history of American Christianity and considering how it dovetailed with his interests in African-American Christianity. His experience studying Lakewood dates back about a decade, and Phillip tells the story of his first visit to the mega-church and how he was immediately approached to sing in the choir. He talks of himself as a “shade tree sociologist” using both archival research and ethnographic fieldwork to paint a vivid picture of the Osteen family and the Lakewood community.

Our conversation turns historically to the story of John Osteen, the founder of Lakewood Church, and his unique personal journey to the pastorate. We learn about John Osteen’s childhood growing up during the Great Depression, his evangelical conversion to Christ as a teen, and his Southern Baptist charismatic roots. After attending John Brown University, he then followed his spiritual development through the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and spent some time in California during the 1940s before returning to Houston. Phillip notes that the elder Osteen was associated with some of the early attempts at “televangelism” in the 1950s when TV was becoming all the rage. Following a divorce in 1955, another marriage brings him a daughter who has medical problems at a young age but who eventually grew in health. This event had a significant impact on John and he becomes more drawn to the neo-Pentecostal movement bubbling up at the time and develops an interest in divine healing, which plays an important role in his theological development, eventually influencing his son Joel. Prof. Sinitiere then details the institutional founding and growth of Lakewood Church. Interestingly, shortly after Lakewood’s founding in 1959, John heads down to Mexico to do missionary work but returns home in the late 1960s. This gap in the senior Osteen’s ministry proves critical for Lakewood’s eventual multi-racial appeal as John did not get drawn into the divisiveness of the Civil Rights Movement in the South during the 1960s.

We follow Lakewood Church’s history through the 1970s and into the ’80s when Joel enters the picture and begins working in the television aspect of his father’s ministry in the early 1980s. By this time, Lakewood could be considered a mega-church by scholarly standards (more than 2,000 members) and Joel is learning how to manage such a large congregation as it grows extensively during this time. We also talk a bit about the transition of the pastorate to Joel in 1999. Shortly after taking the helm, Joel moves Lakewood from northeast Houston and to Greenway Plaza and the Compaq Center, giving the church new visibility along a major highway. Combined with the use of social media and an expanding televangelism ministry, Lakewood witnesses unprecedented growth making it the largest congregation in America.

Our discussion then picks up on theological themes and Prof. Sinitiere explains the “prosperity gospel” that Joel Osteen (and his father before him) were known for. Phillip traces the roots back to 19th century “New Thought” and the neo-Pentecostal movement of the 20th century. While there is much emphasis on material advancement within prosperity gospel thinking, Phillip points out that a major part of John Osteen’s theology also revolved around divine healing, which was influenced both by his daughter’s recovery from muscular disease and his second wife’s overcoming cancer. We then examine the development of Joel’s theological perspective and the influences that Joyce Meyer and John Maxwell played. Joel’s thinking emerges in the first few years of his taking the helm at Lakewood, and in addition to the material aspects of his theology that his critics are quick to point out, Prof. Sinitiere notes that there is a great deal of emphasis on healthy living, psychological wholeness, and positive thinking, which was an influence from his father. The picture that is painted by Phillip is more nuanced than of Osteen’s critics. While not an apologist for the prosperity gospel, Prof. Sinitiere puts it into a much broader context based upon his own research of the topic.

We finish our discussion with an examination of how Lakewood’s congregants have taken to this prosperity gospel message, and what impact the Osteens have had on American Christianity. Phillip notes that many individuals who attend Lakewood see it as a means of finding a “second chance” in life, and that several of these individuals eventually go in search of deeper Christianity elsewhere. Amongst these individuals, there is an image of Lakewood being a “seasonal Christianity” from whence they move into other phases of their spiritual development. Phillip also points out that Lakewood’s congregation is multi-racial although the leadership has tended to be Caucasian, but notes that there have been efforts to address this in recent years. As for Lakewood’s impact, Phillip explains how the Osteens have “re-enchanted” American televangelism and how the message of predictability in unstable times seems to resonate during times of economic turmoil. He also observes that many of Osteen’s Calvinist critics indicates the broader influence Osteen is having on the discussion of Christianity in America. Recorded: Jan. 21, 2016.

Phillip Sinitiere’s personal website.

Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity, by Phillip Sinitiere.

Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace, by Shayne Lee and Phillip Sinitiere.

Christians and the Color Line: Religion & Race after Divided by Faith, by Russell Hawkins and Phillip Sinitiere.

Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, by Kate Bowler (mentioned on the podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.

Matt Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

James Patterson on MLK, Fulton Sheen, & Jerry Falwell

tonygill — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 09:00:24 +0000

As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the United States, we invite Dr. James Patterson, the 2014-15 Thomas W. Smith Postdoctoral Research Associate at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, to discuss a book manuscript he is working on that involves an examination of MLK’s religious foundations and media strategy. Dr. Patterson puts this famous civil rights leader’s foundations and strategies in a comparative context with Bishop Fulton Sheen and Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Our discussion begins with an examination of how James came to this topic, why he chose the three religious figures that he did, and whether or not he received any pushback about making such radical comparisons of individuals who are seemingly so different. He reveals how he came about to study this topic in graduate school, introducing the concept of jeremiad into Tony’s vocabulary. We also cover why his manuscript is titled “Priest, Prophet, and King: Religious Foundations and Public Policy during the 20th Century.” James explains what he means by “religious foundations,” defining it as the underlying values that help inform political policy and discourse. He considers this in light of the importance that Christianity plays in a liberal democratic republic. While founded with an eye towards separating church and state, American history is still replete with Judeo-Christian ideas and ideals informing mass political appeals. Many times the appeals to Judeo-Christian ideals conflict with the notion of a liberal order and he is interested in exploring how this plays out in history.

The first figure we examine in depth is Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., probably the most well known of the three figures in James’ book. Dr. Patterson discusses the concepts of the “progressive covenant” and “post-millennial eschatology” within King’s political and religious foundations. He details how the concept of “agape” (love) is emphasized strongly in King’s rhetoric and how King became an ideal figure to rally around because he was someone that other leaders could agree upon. James notes that even though religious leaders like to appear above the fray, there does exist “politics among pastors.” James then talks about King’s strategy for getting his message out to a broad audience and how he was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Understanding that his movement was at the mercy of what the media wanted to cover, King also sought to dramatize and illustrate the everyday struggles that African-Americans faced. James also reflects upon King’s legacy both in terms of his religious foundations but his media strategy as well.

We next roll back the historical tape to look at Bishop Fulton Sheen, a Catholic priest who was among the first religious figures to leverage modern mass communications, most notably radio and television. Given that Sheen may not be as recognizable to younger audiences, we review his background growing up in Illinois and his desire to bring Catholicism into the mainstream by capturing the attention of the I-95 corridor (between New York and Washington, DC). We discuss Sheen’s political foundations and his concern with both fascism in the 1930s, with a particular eye to the dangers of the war in Spain, and communism in the 1940s. These political concerns dovetailed well with his religious foundations, and James notes that Sheen was very worried that both fascism and communism were movements that sought to replace God with race, state, and war. His concerns about these movements helped him build bridges with Protestants who shared similar concerns and allowed Sheen to build alliances over matters of religious liberty. His use of radio corresponded to a rise in Catholic voting power and helped smooth the path to greater acceptance of Catholics in national politics as he was able to appeal to “high brow discussions” of various issues. We also discuss his use of television and command of that media. We discuss Sheen’s legacy as “The Confessor” and talk a bit about the politics behind his canonization, including the conflict over moving his sacred relics.

Finally, we move over to Rev. Jerry Falwell, perhaps the most controversial figure of the three examined. Dr. Patterson discusses the “apocalyptical covenant” religious foundation upon which Falwell’s political ideas and movement rested. James explains the concept behind dispensational pre-millennialism wherein the faithful commune in churches just prior to the “beginning of the end of time.” Falwell’s pre-millennialism led him to support greater freedoms for churches and religious folk to preach before the end times and thus this led him to become a strong advocate for religious liberty and more engagement of pastors in public life. His religious foundation also led him to advocate for against policies which he saw as angering God, including many of the cultural and legal changes that emanated from the sexual revolution of the 1960s such as abortion and gay rights. It was Falwell who had the strongest sense of jeremiad of the three figures examined. In an effort to build a mass appeal strategy using modern communications, Falwell found it difficult dealing with a variety of government regulators and thus became a strong advocate of smaller government. He broke the taboo of religious figures, particularly Baptists, of being involved in politics and took a great deal of inspiration from the likes of Frances Schaeffer. James also supports the interesting claim that Falwell pursued a strong ecumenical outreach beyond denominational lines.

We finish our discussion with James’ reflections on what he learned throughout the process of writing his dissertation and modifying it as a book manuscript. He notes two important lessons. First, he discovered how much fun archival research can be, either watching old episodes of “Life Is Worth Living” or digging through papers regarding King’s writings. Second, he discovered how truly “improvisational” religious leadership really is. While there are always plans for moving a religious and political agenda along, he was fascinated at how adept these individuals were in adapting to changing conditions and technologies. He found that politics and direct mass appeals are a combination of both discipline and improvisation. Recorded: January 9, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

James Patterson’s bio at the academia.edu (with links to his writings).

The James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.

RELATED PODCASTS

David Dixon on Religious Rhetoric and the Civil Rights Movement.

Sean Scott on Religious Rhetoric in the US Civil War.

Melissa Matthes on Sermons after Tragedies.

John Owen IV on Confronting Political Islam, Historical Lessons.

R.R. Reno on Pop(e) Francis.

Hunter Baker on the Past and Future of the Christian Right.

David Dixon on Religious Rhetoric and the Civil Right Movement

tonygill — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:00:27 +0000

It is well known that the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century had a strong religious character to it, with individuals such as Rev. Martin Luther King playing a prominent role and with churches being the locus of organization. How far does the influence of religion extend, though? Prof. David Dixon, professor of political science at St. Joseph’s College, discusses a major undertaking the he and his colleague Davis Houck have been working on in documenting the amazing breadth of religious influence in that social movement. Both Prof. Dixon and Prof. Houck have spent countless hours sifting through audio and video archives looking at how religious rhetoric was used broadly in the fight for African American civil rights.

Dave begins the podcast detailing how this project came about, a particularly interesting story given that he specializes in Latin America and not mid-20th century U.S. history. He also tells the enormous effort he has put forth to locate rather obscure sermons and other speeches from individuals who are not household names. The discussion about the methodological issues surrounding this project are fascinating, including commentary about how he and his colleague had to track down the survivors of the Civil Rights Movement or their children in order to get permission to publish some of these transcripts.

We then take our discussion into some of the content that Dave has uncovered. He notes how the rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement reflected a growing confidence between 1954 and 1965 (the boundaries of their study). We also review some of the common themes that crop up, including references to the books of Exodus and Amos in the Old Testament. There are other interesting observations that Dave makes, including the importance of missionary movements in Africa and how it was difficult for many pastors to preach the liberating effects of Christianity to Africans only to bring some of their leaders back to the United States and have those individual experience various forms of segregation and oppression. Dave then recounts some of his favorite sermons from his two volume collection (plus an additional one on women in the Civil Rights Movement), noting how all forms of rhetoric from anger to humor were used to make salient points to diverse audiences.

We finish the podcast with some miscelleneous thoughts about how this project dovetails with Dave’s work on Latin America. He notes the various themes of liberation that are common between the two areas of research. He also has some reflections upon Pope Francis and how all of this might be related. The interview is peppered throughout with personal stories, making this a deeply personal interview. Recorded: March 7, 2014.

Rhetoric, Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement 1954-1965, Volume 1 and Volume 2, by Davis W. Houck and David E. Dixon.

Women and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965, by Davis W. Houck and David E. Dixon.

Zarytheus, a public access journal run by David Dixon and mentioned on the podcast.

RELATED PODCASTS

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

Merisa Davis on Bill Cosby, Religion, and African American Churches.

Jon Shields on Democratic Virtues & the Christian Right

tonygill — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:00:15 +0000

Prof. Jonathan A. Shields (assistant professor of government, Claremont McKenna College) talks about about his latest book, The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right, with Tony. Whereas popular media accounts of the Christian Right during the 1980s portrayed this loosely knit movement as belligerent, Prof. Shields finds that Christian activists are often trained to press their issues in the public arena in ways that facilitate deliberative democracy. Taking the pro-life movement as his primary test case, he examines how this movement has evolved over the past four decades. Jon interestingly notes that the anti-abortion movement had its roots in Catholic progressivism and the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s. During the 1970s, evangelical Protestant Christians became increasingly involved in promoting a pro-life agenda. We examine Operation Rescue, one of the more confrontational groups within this movement and explore why it eventually fizzled out as a major organization, and what strategies and organizations played a more prominent (albeit quieter) role, including the National Right to Life Committee. Jon covers some of the strategies and training methods activists use that promote democratic norms and enhance issue deliberation. We broaden our discussion to examine the rise and decline of the Moral Majority and what groups such as the Christian Coalition have done in its place. Contrary to what one might glean from media reports over the past several decades, evangelical Christians have become more politically active in the 1990s and continue to be in the first decade of the 21st century. We finish off with some thoughts about the future of the Christian Right and the role it may be playing in the Tea Party movement. Recorded: November 2, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right by Jonathan A. Shields.

RELATED PODCASTS

David Brody on the 2010 Midterm Elections and Religious Journalism.

Corwin Smidt on Religion, Elections, and the God Gap.