Bill Leonard, Appalachian Mountain Christianity: the spirituality of otherness. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, 2024. ISBN: 9780820367248.
The book is a text version of a series of lectures on the topic that the author delivered at Stetson University in 2023. The book features four lectures, presented as chapters in the book. The book is arranged as follows:
- Foreword by Mitchell G. Reddish. He introduces the main speaker (the book's author).
- Preface.
- Chapter 1. Looking for Christians in Appalachia.
- Chapter 2: "A Hart Chearing and Affecting Surmond."
- Chapter 3: Revisiting the "Woman's Sphere."
- Chapter 4: Otherness on the Margins.
- Notes.
- Index.
At 96 pages, this slim volume covers a lot of terrain. The first lecture gives us an overview of the topic. We get a bit of history with a look at modern times and how modernity has affected these often small churches. Next, we get a look at their preachers and their preaching craft. It discusses some of the techniques they use to deliver sermons and move their members. This is followed by a discussion of the role of women. Women get some leeway on certain issues, but they are also severely limited. Let's be honest; there is a strong element of misogyny, and women do need to toe the line, stay in their "sphere," or risk shunning and/or expulsion. Finally we look at Pentecostal serpent handlers and the "no hellers" Primitive Baptists.
I read this book for a few reasons. One, it has local interest. Our campus is part of Appalachia. We are at the border but still in the region. Many of our students come from places described in the book. As much as I can, I tried to read books about Appalachia just to learn more. Two, as a happy heathen, I am still curious about religious practices and beliefs of others, so I read it to learn more about the beliefs the book presents. Three, every so often we get students writing about and researching religion in the region. I read this book ot see if it is one I can suggest to those students, and I can say I would suggest it.
For me reading it, the book was interesting, but it was not always an easy read. These churches have some beliefs I am not down with, to put it charitably. So be warned if you are not a Christian when reading this. That aside, the author treats the topic as an academic with a bit of detachment and plenty of citations and references. Even the work of local scholar Loyal Jones is cited often. Now this is an academic text, but it is a very easy and accessible read. I found myself reading through it at a good pace. Part of the reason I am sure is these are lectures, so the author had to keep the work accessible to a listening audience. Unlike writing articles, where academics can get seriously verbose, ou need to be clear and accessible in your material for a public lecture.
In the end, this was a pretty good read. Despite a few not so comfortable moments, I am glad I read this as I feel I learned a few things. Author has a way of humanizing these believers, and we do get a bit of a sad note as we see their way of life may be leading to extinction as they can't keep the pace of modern progress away away nor hidden from their communities. In a way, their days of being frozen in time are numbered. Personally, I would not shed a tear, but others may.
If you want to learn more on this topic, this is a good selection. Locally, this may be of interest for some General Studies and Religion classes. I do recommend it.
4 out of 5 stars.
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