In much public Baptist discourse in the South, the biblical language of God’s will and Kingdom is superimposed upon the Confederate States of America — literally. Georgia Baptist’s Christian Index editor Samuel Boykin this week, generously intermingling the cause of Christ and Confederate patriotism, offers a vivid example of such dual imagery: Hark! The dread…
An anonymous North Carolina Confederate soldier, stationed in that state’s Camp Gatlin, writes to a Baptist newspaper, under the pen name of “Khan,” of his experience in camp this winter (such pseudonymous correspondence directed to public consumption is not uncommon during the war). Acknowledging that he and his fellow soldiers “are accused of forgetting the…
Even as Confederate soldiers and citizens celebrate the many battle successes of southern armies in this first year of the war, many Baptist soldiers are in a state of unrest, uncertain as to the ultimate success of Confederacy. Their caution stems from spiritual concerns within army ranks. The following letter from a soldier in North…