(form my link)
American have long relied on their Bible to help them organize their social world and Stephen R. Haynes here returns us to the wellspring of the American South's religious rationale for slavery. Shedding light on the distinctive and creative ways in which the curse was appropriated by pro-slavery and pro-segregationist interpreters, Haynes demonstrates how this ancient biblical tale was compelling for antebellum white Southerners because it resonated with core values and beliefs regarding antiquity, tradition, domesticity, race, and sin.
Through the writings of, among others, influential Southern Presbyterian clergyman Benjamin M. Palmer, who predicted that, once freed, the black race would experience "rapid extinction before they had time to waste away through listlessness, filth, and vice," Haynes shows how Southerners would cling to these texts as a means of making sense of the South's volcanic history of secession, war, and defeat. Finally, the book presents counter-readings of Genesis 9 by abolitionists, biblical critics and literary artists who have challenged pro-slavery interpretations by articulating redemptive readings of the curse.
Tracing the continuum between racial apartheid and the southern ruling class's exaggerated sense of honor, between the curse of Noah and the Confederate flags that still wave over some state capitols, Stephen R. Haynes here makes the compelling case that the Bible is in fact one of the foundational texts of American slavery.
Friend,
As one sinner to another, let me say that God loves us both. He gave his Son that whoever places his faith in Him to save them will have everlasting life.
I placed my faith in my Savior years ago, and even though I still sin, I am counting on Him to give me everlasting life as He promised.
I don't say this to convince anyone one way or another about evolution; I never argue about that.
Just know God loves you and wants to spare all of us from hell.
SD