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Protestant Fundamentalism in the Black Community, 1915-1940

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Protestant Fundamentalism in the Black Community, 1915-1940 PROTESTANT FUNDAMENTALISM IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY, 1915-1940 A Dissertation by DANIEL ROBERT BARE Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Felipe Hinojosa Co-Chair of Committee, Walter Kamphoefner Committee Members, Albert Broussard April Hatfield Robert Mackin Head of Department, David Vaught May 2018 Major Subject: History Copyright 2018 by Daniel Robert Bare ABSTRACT This dissertation illuminates and elucidates the ways that Protestant fundamentalism was manifested and applied in the African American community during the modernist-fundamentalist controversy, from 1915-1940. In contrast to the prevailing literature, which tends to view the fundamentalist movement as essentially white and entirely distinct from the context of black Protestantism, I argue that during this period many members of the African American community consciously and intentionally articulated a fundamentalist theological perspective. Yet even as certain black Protestants conveyed a theological commitment to fundamentalism that aligned closely with that expressed by their white counterparts, their particular racial context motivated them to live out these religious convictions in ways that often distinguished them from white fundamentalists. This analysis emerges from a historical-theological approach that first examines doctrinal specifics being espoused – taking theological claims and theological actors seriously on their own terms – and second situates these theological claims within their relevant historical context. This work offers several contributions to the scholarship of both fundamentalism and African American religious history. First, it identifies fundamentalist voices within black churches, thus challenging the prevailing perception that Protestant fundamentalism was an exclusively white religious project. Second, it demonstrates that the conservative theology of fundamentalism was not necessarily tied exclusively to a conservative social and political agenda, as scholars often assume; in fact, some black ii preachers overtly fought against the oppressive hand of Jim Crow by offering progressive social and political applications of their conservative fundamentalist theology. Third, by identifying black fundamentalists who used their religious platforms to combat racial injustice in a variety of ways, this work challenges the commonly assumed association between theologically conservative religion and social accommodationism/passivity within the black church. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When my journey through graduate school began nine years ago as a master’s student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I had not imagined the possibility that I might end up where I am today. I entered Southwestern’s M.Div. program intending to pursue a career in pastoral ministry; yet by the time I graduated, I realized that my newfound passion for academic scholarship – especially on the topic of religious history – was pointing me in a different direction. Ultimately that led to my doctoral work at Texas A&M, and perhaps no single person was more influential in my turn toward the historical profession than my church history professor, Miles Mullin. I am certain that I have never taken more course hours with a single professor than the 21 I took with Miles during my master’s program, and his mentorship and friendship – which have extended well beyond my time at Southwestern – were foundational in my decision to pursue the life of a historian. In fact, I can trace the seeds of this dissertation back to his American Christianity seminar, which not only introduced me to the essential historical scholarship on fundamentalism, but also to the idea of race as a major factor in the development of American religion. If my experiences in seminary provided the seeds of my dissertation, my time at Texas A&M studying under the members of my doctoral committee allowed those seeds to take root and flourish. My advisor, Felipe Hinojosa, has been steadfastly encouraging throughout the entire dissertation process, and his guidance in navigating comprehensive exams, proposals, funding applications, and the research and writing of the dissertation iv itself has been invaluable. Many hours of conversation have yielded dimensions of depth and clarity in my work that would otherwise not have appeared. Likewise, my other committee members – Albert Broussard, April Hatfield, Walter Kamphoefner, and Robert Mackin – have each in turn profoundly influenced my growth as a scholar. Not only did their classes provide me with excellent scholarly grounding in their fields of expertise, but their willingness to give generously of their own time to assist me in a multitude of situations – be it preparing for exams, planning research trips, reading and providing feedback on my work, writing recommendation letters, or simply offering an outlet to talk about life outside of work – puts me in their debt. Every time I interact with my committee members, both individually and as a unit, I reflect on how fortunate I am to have chosen Texas A&M for my doctoral studies. I also owe much to my fellow graduate students at Texas A&M, whose friendships have made my time here well worthwhile even beyond the scholarly and academic arena, and to the history department staff – especially Rita Walker and Kelly Cook – whose expertise in navigating the ins- and-outs of the administrative side of the graduate program has been tremendously helpful. Of course, a research project is only as good as its sources, and so I owe many thanks to the staff members of the archives where I did the majority of my research – the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, the Schomburg Center in New York, and the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in Nashville. I owe particular thanks to Taffey Hall, the director and head archivist of the SBHLA, who is without question one v of the kindest and most helpful people I have encountered in the course of this project, and whose assistance was indispensible during my multiple research trips to Nashville. Two other groups of people warrant special acknowledgement on a personal level. The first is my church family at West Oaks Baptist Church. The steady support, encouragement, exhortation, and prayer that I have received from them has helped sustain me during the inevitable difficult days that attend any project as long as this one. Moreover, every week I could look forward with certainty to a Sunday respite from my work, knowing full well that my pastors would unfailingly preach the gospel and boldly proclaim Christ’s lordship over every area of life. I hope that my work reflects that reality. Finally, in ways both large and small my family shares a part in this scholarly achievement. First of all, my parents introduced me from childhood to a religious faith that ultimately steered me toward religious history as a field of study. Not only that, but my ability to express myself in writing, such as it is, traces back largely to my father’s insistence that his nine-year-old boy needed to sit down and practice putting pen to paper, regardless of my childish complaints to the contrary; without the discipline that such activities instilled, this project would surely never have come to pass. My mother foresaw my academic career path long before I did, and she always believed in me even when I lacked faith in myself. My brother offered welcome hospitality to help me unwind after long days in the archives in Nashville, and he even charitably allowed me to talk his ear off about my day’s findings from time to time. And above all others, I owe a debt to my wife Silvana. Not only was her unflagging support and encouragement vi instrumental in my decision to pursue an academic career, but she has also carried much of the burden imposed by this dissertation, up to and including the multi-week research trips that have taken me away from our family. Her love, support, encouragement, companionship, and trust drive me to be a better person each day. It is to her that I dedicate this work. vii CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES Contributors This work was supervised by a dissertation committee consisting of Professors Felipe Hinojosa (advisor), Albert Broussard, April Hatfield, and Walter Kamphoefner of the Department of History, and Professor Robert Mackin of the Department of Sociology. All work for the dissertation was completed independently by the student. Funding Sources Graduate study was supported by fellowships and grants from Texas A&M University, a dissertation research grant from the Department of History, and a research grant from the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………... iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES…………………………….. viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION……………………………………………... 1 CHAPTER II THE RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL WORLDVIEW OF BLACK FUNDAMENTALISM……………………………………………… 27 “Filled to Overflowing” with Fundamentalists……………………….. 31 Characteristics of a Black Fundamentalist Worldview……………….. 40 Conclusion……………………………………………………………. 62 CHAPTER III THE FIVE FUNDAMENTALS ACROSS RACIAL LINES.... 64 A Dialectic Spectrum of Theological Inquiry………………………… 69 The Five Fundamentals: A Historical-Theological Comparison……… 71 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 96 CHAPTER IV POLEMICS FROM THE PULPIT: ANTI-MODERNIST PREACHING AND RACIAL APPLICATION…………………………........
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