Masters & Slaves in the House of the Lord

Download or read book Masters & Slaves in the House of the Lord written by John B. Boles and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 1988-01-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much that is commonly accepted about slavery and religion in the Old South is challenged in this significant book. The eight essays included here show that throughout the antebellum period, southern whites and blacks worshipped together, heard the same sermons, took communion and were baptized together, were subject to the same church discipline, and were buried in the same cemeteries. What was the black perception of white-controlled religious ceremonies? How did whites reconcile their faith with their racism? Why did freedmen, as soon as possible after the Civil War, withdraw from the biracial churches and establish black denominations? This book is essential reading for historians of religion, the South, and the Afro-American experience.