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The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family Review by Reviewer "Pastor Greg" (PA)
As a child, John R. Rice would come and preach at my church. I remember him and Jack Hyles preaching a Sword conference there. In fact, in one of Hyles' books he mentioned a story that took place while they were speaking there. During a break Rice went missing. Hyles says he found him playing hopscotch with a child down the street. While in college I lived in the "John R. Rice Hall."
The school declared a day of mourning when Rice died in 1980. The college president was one of the speakers at his funeral. I got Rice's newspaper, The Sword of the Lord for many years. I saved every one until my wife finally declared the stacks were taking up too much space. So I read this book (actually I received a .pdf early release from the author) with much anticipation. I found it fascinating, thought provoking and a little sad.
Andrew Himes is the grandson of famed evangelist John R. Rice. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, five nephews and many cousins are or were Baptist preachers. His mother was one of Rice's six daughters. He had an insider's view of the early days of independent Baptist fundamentalism and it wasn't all pretty.
As the title states this book is about the roots of fundamentalism in an American family. This isn't a biography of John R. Rice. It goes back much further than he. In fact, this book was uniquely enjoyable to me because not only does it deal with fundamentalism, but American history (particularly Civil War history) as well. He traces his family roots all the way back to Revolutionary War times. Himes does a very fine job of intertwining his personal story as he gives us a historical perspective on the roots of fundamentalism. Each of the first 26 chapters starts with some type of quote referencing the sword of the Lord (the biblical usage, not the newspaper). Some of these are from the Bible, some from sermons, some from other literary sources.
Himes comes across as being honest, about himself, his family, and his famous grandfather. If you are looking for a smear job of Rice, you won't find it here. In spite of the fact that he left fundamentalism (and I would say orthodoxy too) he loved his grandfather (and grandmother). In reference to Rice's funeral he writes, "I had always thought of him as one of the kindest, funniest and most honorable people I knew" (p. 11).
Because it is what he lived, Himes is dealing with southern fundamentalism. I trace my roots to northern fundamentalism, so I sometimes felt that fundamentalism was being painted with too broad a brush. Not everything he accused fundamentalism as being guilty of was true for all fundamentalists. He especially deals with racism among early fundamentalists (and Southern Baptists). Though disturbing, I don't doubt what he says. It was primarily this racism that drove him away from his Christian faith. He became a prodigal before finishing high school.
There is much good historical information in this book, especially concerning America's religious evolution from puritans to neo-evangelicals. Also, I never realized the magnitude of Rice's ministry. At one time, The Sword of the Lord employed over 50 people and had a mailing list of 300,000!
Himes does a fair job of explaining what fundamentalism believes and why people would espouse such a belief. In is interesting to hear a clear explanation of the gospel from someone who doesn't believe it. Although he now considers himself a Christian again, he admits it is not historic Christianity.
If you grow up in Sword style fundamentalism you will enjoy reading this book.
Disclaimer: This early release was provided by the author for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family Review by PastoralMusings "mslapastor" (Dixie)
The Sword of The Lord
Subtitled "The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family", this book deals with the historical background which gave rise to Fundamentalism, the culture of Fundamentalism, the battles of Fundamentalism, and the relationship of all of these to the Rice family.
Andrew Himes, grandson of famed evangelist John R. Rice, writes with amazing honesty about his feelings and struggles with Fundamentalism. Each chapter opens with some sort of personal anecdote before delving into the history, happenings, ideas, and personalities of Fundamentalism.
Himes deals more with Southern, Independent Baptist Fundamentalism more than any other type. That is because he is relating all of this to his family and how they functioned in the movement.
There's much that could probably be said about the relationship between the Scotch-Irish, the Appalachian people, the Civil War, and the Ku Klux Klan to the rise of Southern Fundamentalism. I don't know that I would discount anything that Himes said in that respect. I do wish that there would have been a little more acknowledgment of the northern Fundamentalists, simply because they had a relationship to , and an influence on Southern Fundamentalists. I do understand, however, that he is seeking to relate to his family and Southern Fundamentalism.
Sadly, Southern Fundamentalism has a checkered past. In fact, that can be said about the present, also. The struggles of Southern Fundamentalism were not simply doctrinal struggles, but battles for society. Often, Southern Fundamentalists were on the wrong side of the battle, or simply ignored it in the name of evangelism. Himes speaks of how this disconnect between Christianity and human kindness hurt him and caused him to abandon Christianity for a long time.
The story is told in a moving fashion. Many times my heart was stirred because of the injustices that were chronicled. My heart was also stirred with a desire to love Christ more. With all of his flaws, John R. Rice is portrayed as a great man. Himes presents what seems to be a balanced picture of his grandfather and his influence on Fundamentalism. Rice is presented as a fighter for truth, but also a lover of his family and a man of compassion.
From the northern battles of Fundamentalism (that receive scant mention) to J. Frank Norris, William Bell Riley, William Jennings Bryan, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and Jerry Falwell, Himes looks at the rise and strength of Fundamentalism. He shows us how John R. Rice and family fit into the picture. His portrait of Rice is that of any man: Rice was a man of convictions and beliefs. He was also a man who learned and grew as he aged and matured.
Himes also shows how Fundamentalism and Fundamentalists reacted to Rice and his changes. We read of the separation of Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism, the separation of Rice and Graham, and the rise of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority.
Among the saddest of things that I read was the fact that John R. Rice, the last time he spoke at a Sword of The Lord conference, was not given the opportunity to have the impact he wished to have. After speaking to the assembly about loving one another and those who disagree with us, Rice wished to have the people sing "The Family of God", a song that emphasizes the unity of God's children. Sadly, his successor as editor of the Sword of The Lord, Curtis Hutson, prevented the distribution of cards with the words to the song, thus preventing the song from being sung. Hutson did not walk in the footsteps of Rice in regard to desiring a better relationship with those with whom he had disagreements, it seems. Rice is said to have wept because this happened.
At the end of the book, Himes speaks of having conversations with his family about Fundamentalism. He, and they, have many positive things to say about what they learned. Sadly, because of the excesses of many of the Independent Fundamental Baptists, many of Rice's descendants do not claim to be Fundamentalists. Why? Because today's Fundamentalists aren't in step with what they believe about love.
I am sure that, if the folks at the Sword of The Lord get hold of this book, there will be many ways in which they find fault with it. They will probably attempt to discredit the book and the author. I only hope that many will read this book, learn the value of a Fundamentalism that holds to the Fundamentals while loving others.
I hope that the book will show people that John R. Rice was not perfect, but that he was a man to respect, and in many ways follow. He should especially be followed in holding up the Fundamentals, as well as in his willingness to change, moderate, and learn to love more. In a day in which we are having many discussions about the direction of Fundamentalism, we should certainly look at our past to see what we can learn. The voice of this book should be one that is heard in that discussion.
In concluding, I must say that there is one large negative that looms before my eyes. Himes speaks of Fundamentalism as originally being about arcane doctrines. He also speaks of needing a faith that is driven by praxis rather than arcane doctrines. The reality is that the Fundamentalists understood that there could be no right practice without right doctrine. The problem is that many of them (and probably many of us today) did not recognize the disconnect between their doctrine and their practice.
This was one of those books that, once started, is difficult to put down. I shall award this book four stars.
The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family Review by A. Riley (USA)
I was really interested in reading this book, The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family, because there is a very long religious history in this country, my own faith history stems from it, and I know little about it. While the family focused on is the John R. Rice who was an influential fundamentalist, it begins all the way back in the very immigration to this country. This is a very comprehensive and insightful history.
I was riveted by it. I was so surprised by how much there was that I had never bothered to think about, and at the same time how much sense it all made. Himes writes in a very easy relateable way, but this is quite a dense read, which is to say there is A LOT of history to absorb. It's never dry, though, and in many ways is a page turner.
Since Himes's family was fundamentalist, he has firsthand experience of many people in the movement, and a life story of how he dealt with his own personal history. He weaves his own story into the text, beginning chapters with anecdotes and scenes from his own life and then going into more history. This is very effective, because it creates a sense of curiosity about the immediate story of Himes the man, while all along you are reading the history that was the foundation of the influences in his life.
Reading The Sword of the Lord then, with its history of fundamentalist Christianity, (including how that term went out of fashion for many evangelicals) was like turning a light on a shadowed corner of my life. Seriously, I have no way of explaining it, other than to say it was a bit like unearthing and seeing some of the roots of your life for the first time. I was fascinated by the history, by the very popular use of the Bible in extremely heated ways to support ideas on both sides of The Civil War, of the different ways faith manifested itself in the lives of people, what they valued and how that continued to shape each generation.
Himes spares no punches. Which is to say he is extremely forthright about the consequences as he sees them of the kind of faith practiced. Having said that I very much feel this book is written with a great deal of respect for the people it is about. While he may not agree with how they perceived God and what it meant to follow him, I never felt like he was condemning them either. Simply trying to paint the most accurate picture he could, a fully fleshed out messy portrait of messy humanity.
I loved The Sword of the Lord and I really feel that I recommend it to anyone at all who has an interest in the history of evangelical Christianity. I think even just history in the United States might be enough as that's a huge part of it.
More Reviews...
The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family::Description
Christian fundamentalism in America emerged a century ago, the faith of generations of immigrants who had experienced war and revolution, removal and upheaval. The Scots-Irish who had settled the South inherited both an evangelical legacy of abolitionism and social reform on the one hand, and complicity in human slavery and racial oppression on the other. This book brings the story of fundamentalism to life through the generations of the Rice family--immigrants, soldiers, farmers, slaveowners, refugees, and preachers. This is a work of history, memoir, and personal testimony about the changing shape of a faith that seeks to transform the world. Foreword by Parker J. Palmer
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