Product Description

Uneasy in Babylon is based on extensive interviews with the most important Southern Baptist conservatives who have assumed control of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Known to many Americans from their appearances on national TV talk shows, such as Larry King Live and Fox News, they advocate a return to traditional values throughout the country. Hankins shows how differing cultural perceptions help explain the great chasm that developed between fundamentalists in the SBC and the moderates who preceded them as leaders of the denomination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #494658 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

From Library Journal
In examining the recent developments in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Hankins (history, Baylor Univ.) suggests how much things have changed since Rufus B. Spain wrote At Ease in Zion: A Social History of Southern Baptists, 1865-1900 (Vanderbilt Univ., 1967). While Spain discussed the close moral and political affinity between Southern Baptists and Southern culture, Hankins reveals that Southern Baptists now see themselves at odds with current American culture in all parts of the country. This has led to a hardening of positions. Hankins provides a detailed account of the recent takeover of SBC by its most conservative members, who see themselves as cultural warriors combating a decadent society. Various chapters discuss the denomination's positions on abortion, women, church and state issues, and racism. The author is sympathetic and fair, though he espouses a more moderate approach to many issues. A good look at current trends in this the largest Protestant denomination in America, this is recommended for public and academic libraries. C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, IN
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
"This richly detailed and closely narrated work is a fascinating study of key figures in the bitter struggle from 1979 to the 1990s for control of the nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention.... [It is] a unique work and essential reading for those interested in contemporary 'culture wars.' " - Paul Harvey, Religious Studies Review; "Hankins is going against the common notion that SBC conservatives are reasserting the southernness (read racism, patriarchy, and general backwardness) of the SBC. By examining the development and thinking of specific conservative leaders, such as Albert Mohler, Richard Land, and Adrian Rodgers, Hankins is able to demonstrate that important influences upon them were neither southern nor Baptist, but more broadly national and evangelical." - The Journal of Southern Religion Reviews; "This is a 'must-read' for Baptist historians. College and divinity school libraries should purchase this book. It would be a great monograph for use in a Baptist history or American religious history survey class." - Choice; "A fair and first-rate account." - Douglas Abrams, Georgia Historical Quarterly"

About the Author
Barry Hankins is Associate Professor of History and Church-State-Stadies at Baylor University.