Methodism and the Southern Mind, 1770-1810 [Paperback]

This book looks at the role of Methodism in the Revolutionary and early national South. When the Methodists first arrived in the South, Lyerly argues, they were critics of the social order. By advocating values traditionally deemed feminine, treating white women and African Americans with considerable equality, and preaching against wealth and slavery, Methodism challenged Southern secular mores. For this reason, Methodism evoked sustained opposition, especially from elite white men. Lyerly analyzes the public denunciations, domestic assaults on Methodist women and children, and mob violence against black Methodists. These attacks, Lyerly argues, served to bind Methodists more closely to one another; they were sustained by the belief that suffering was salutary and that persecution was a mark of true faith.

Methodism and the Southern Mindexcels through close analysis of extensive primary sources. ...Methodism and the Southern Mindought to appeal to a wide audience. The prose is clear, accessible and captivating. Scholars versed in Methodist history will no doubt already be familiar with this timeless publication, but historians new to the scene would benefit from the insights gleaned from in-depth case studies of Southern Methodist figures. --Claire Cooke,Journal of Religious History, Religious History Association

Lyerly's accessible, captivating, compelling work deserves a wide hearing. --History

...she brilliantly illuminates the terms of engagement between Methodists and those discomfitted by their social presence. --The Southern Quarterly

Beautifully written, meticulously researched, and cogently argued,Methodism and the Southern Mindprovides a fascinating analysis of early Methodism in the American South....a richly nuanced account....Lyerly has given us a powerful and important account of the beginnings of one of the antebellum South's largest and most important relC