Parson Henry Renfro

The years following the Texas Revolution held even more turbulent events as diverse droves of pioneers crossed the Sabine and Red Rivers to start new lives in Texas. Early Texas society contended with religious issues, family life in a rugged environment, and the Civil War. This cultural history was clearly reflected in the life of frontier preacher Henry C. Renfro. Migrating to Texas in 1851, Renfro enrolled in the fledgling Baylor University and became a Baptist preacher. Eventually disillusioned with Baptist orthodoxy, Renfro was disenfranchised on charges of infidelity as he embraced the ideals of the Free Thought Movement, inspired by the writings of men such as Thomas Paine, Spinoza, and Robert Ingersoll. Renfro's Civil War experience was no less unusual. Serving as both soldier and chaplain, Renfro left a valuable legacy of insight into the conflict, captured in a wealth of correspondence that is in itself significant. Drawing on a vast body of letters, speeches, sermons, and oral histories that had never before been available, this chronological narrative of "The Parson's" life describes significant changes in Texas from 1850 to 1900, especially the volatile formation and growth of Baptist churches in North Central Texas. William Griggs' study yields numerous new details about the Free Thought Movement and depicts public reaction to sectarian leaders in nineteenth-century Texas. The author also describes the developing Central Texas region known as the Cross Timbers, including the personal dynamics between a frontier family and its patriarch and encompassing such issues as property conflicts, divorce, and family reconciliation. This work unlocks an enlightening, engaging scene from Texas history.

Making the Bible Belt upends notions of a longstanding, stable marriage between political religion and the American South. H.L. Mencken coined the term "the Bible Belt" in the 1920s to capture the peculiar alliance of religion and public life in the South, but the reality he described was only the closing chapter of a long historical process. Into the twentieth century, a robust anticlerical tradition still challenged religious forays into southern politics. Inside southern churches, an insular evangelical theology looked suspiciously on political meddling. Outside of the churches, a popular anticlericalism indicted activist ministers with breaching the boundaries of their proper spheres of influence, calling up historical memories of the Dark Ages and Puritan witch hunts. Through the politics of prohibition, and in the face of bitter resistance, a complex but shared commitment to expanding the power and scope of religion transformed southern evangelicals' inward-looking restraints into an aggressive, self-assertive, and unapologetic political activism. The decades-long religious crusade to close saloons and outlaw alcohol in the South absorbed the energies of southern churches and thrust religious leaders headlong into the political process--even as their forays into southern politics were challenged at every step. Early defeats impelled prohibitionist clergy to recast their campaign as a broader effort not merely to dry up the South, but to conquer anticlerical opposition and inject religion into public life. Clerical activists churned notions of history, race, gender, and religion into a powerful political movement and elevated ambitious leaders such as the pugnacious fundamentalist J. Frank Norris and Senator Morris Sheppard, the "Father of National Prohibition." Exploring the controversies surrounding the religious support of prohibition in Texas, Making the Bible Belt reconstructs the purposeful, decades-long campaign to politicize southern religion, hints at the historical origins of the religious right, and explores a compelling and transformative moment in American history.

Spinoza in English,/i is the first bibliography to document the entire 300-year record of books, monographs, dissertations and articles in English on Benedict Spinoza, as well as all translations of his works into English. Arranged alphabetically by author or editor, and internally cross-referenced in the case of anthologies and 'replies', this bibliography cites its own sources where appropriate and, in many cases, provides details on how to obtain out-of-print titles and unpublished dissertations. Additionally, it restores or corrects a good deal of earlier bibliographic detail and, beginning with titles from the mid-1800s, presents the citations in a uniform style. This second edition adds hundreds of citations, including dozens of titles hitherto overlooked, thus bringing the total to nearly 2700 on the main level (with hundreds of secondary references to later editions and reprints). It also provides an index and, occasionally, an abstract when the author's title inadequately describes the contents. As the only source of its kind, this bibliography is an indispensable reference tool for research libraries and individual scholars concerned with the life and works of Spinoza. Wayne Boucher's introduction is augmented by a preface by Professor Manfred Walther. --the most complete bibliography of works in English on Spinoza --enlarged, corrected and improved from first edition with numbered entries --uniquely comprehensive, current and authoritative --numbered entries and subject/title index for easy reference

A major reinterpretation of the Populist movement, this text argues that the Populists were modern people, rejecting the notion that Populism opposed modernity and progress.

Given in memory of Lt. Charles Britton Hudson, CSA & Sgt. William Henry Harrison Edge, CSA by Eugene Edge III.

50 year since founding the University of Texas, they have witnessed major evolutions in the world of publishing.

Volume IV: Compiled and revised by Silas Felton. 1063 pp., revised with books missed in vols. I,II, and III, regimental publications, personal narratives, biographies, campaigns and battles, Northern and Southern. Felton?s new compilation is without peer. He covers the subject from five different perspectives: Regimental Publications and Personal Narratives, Union and Confederate Biographies, General References, Armed Forces and Campaigns and Battles.And, making the work extremely useful, the last 236 pages contain a complete Index of Authors of Volumes I through IV as well as a new Index of Titles in the Revised Volume IV.Furthermore, to clear up confusion created by the multiple names often used by Confederate units during the war ? artillery batteries in particular ? which carried a state designation but were commonly known by the battery commander?s name, Felton has cited a written work with a single number designation but indexed and listed it under its common appellation to aid the researcher and eliminate confusion.