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Politics and Piety
Baptist Social Reform in America, 1770–1860
Monographs in Baptist History
Foreword by Keith Harper (SM139)
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
Historians have painted a picture of nineteenth-century Baptists huddled in clapboard meetinghouses preaching sermons and singing hymns, seemingly unaware of the wider world. According to this view, Baptists were "so heavenly-minded, they were of no earthly good." Overlooked are the illustrative stories of Baptists fighting poverty, promoting abolition, petitioning Congress, and debating tax policy.
Politics and Piety is a careful look at antebellum Baptist life. It is seen in figures such as John Broadus, whose first sermon promoted temperance, David Barrow, who formed an anti-slavery association in Kentucky, and in a Savannah church that started a ministry to the homeless. Not only did Baptists promote piety for the good of their churches, but they did so for the betterment of society at large. Though they aimed to change America one soul at a time, that is only part of the story. They also engaged the political arena, forcefully and directly. Simply put, Baptists were social reformers.
Relying on the ideas of rank-and-file Baptists found in the minutes of local churches and associations, as well as the popular, parochial newspapers of the day, Politics and Piety uncovers a theologically minded and controversial movement to improve the nation. Understanding where these Baptists united and divided is a key to unlocking the differences in evangelical political engagement today.
Aaron Menikoff (PhD, Southern Seminary) is a pastor in Atlanta, Georgia. He previously served as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield.
"For decades we have been told by historians that early American evangelicals--especially Baptists--were so heavenly minded they were of no earthly good. The myth was that they were only interested in evangelism and personal piety. Aaron Menikoff has dispelled the myth and shown persuasively that Baptist leaders of 1770-1860 were anything but disengaged from their culture and its besetting sins. Social action was high on their agenda of priorities, not least because they saw reform as an entailment of the gospel of the risen Christ."
--Ben Mitchell, Union University, Tennessee
"Carefully researched and well argued, this book offers a fresh analysis of the dynamic between social reform and personal piety among Baptists in antebellum America. In telling this story, Aaron Menikoff destroys several sacred cows, including the one that equates the Baptist commitment to the separation of church and state with apathy and disregard for the environing culture. A historical study with contemporary relevance."
--Timothy George, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, Alabama
"In this richly researched and highly readable book, Menikoff belies the claim that Baptists, including Southern Baptists, are 'so heavenly minded they're no earthly good.' While underscoring their commitment to evangelism and piety, he demonstrates their far-reaching and energetic engagement with social concerns and matters of public policy--from dueling to insurrections, to abolition to temperance, to benevolence."
--Mark Coppenger, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kentucky