By Timothy L. Wesley
In The Politics of Faith during the Civil War, Timothy L.
Wesley examines the engagement of both northern and southern preachers in
politics during the American Civil War, revealing an era of denominational,
governmental, and public scrutiny of religious leaders. Controversial ministers
risked ostracism within the local community, censure from church leaders, and
arrests by provost marshals or local police. In contested areas of the Upper
Confederacy and border Union, ministers occasionally faced deadly violence for
what they said or would not say from their pulpits. Even silence on political
issues did not guarantee a preacher s security, as both sides arrested
clergymen who defied the dictates of civil and military authorities by refusing
to declare their loyalty in sermons or to pray for the designated nation, army,
or president.
The generation that fought the Civil War lived in arguably
the most sacralized culture in the history of the United States. The
participation of church members in the public arena meant that ministers
wielded great authority. Wesley outlines the scope of that influence and
considers, conversely, the feared outcomes of its abuse. By treating ministers
as both individual men of conscience and leaders of religious communities,
Wesley reveals that the reticence of otherwise loyal ministers to bring
politics into the pulpit often grew not out of partisan concerns but out of
doctrinal, historical, and local factors.
The Politics of Faith during the Civil War sheds new light
on the political motivations of homefront clergymen during wartime, revealing
how and why the Civil War stands as the nation s first concerted campaign to
check the ministry s freedom of religious expression.
About the Author
Timothy L. Wesley
teaches history at Pennsylvania State University, where he is a fellow with the
George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center. He and his wife Linda live in
State College, Pennsylvania.
ISBN 978-0807150009, Louisiana State University Press, ©
2013, Hardcover, 320 pages, End Notes & Index. $45.00. To
purchase this book click HERE.
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