Out of the mouths of babes: girl evangelists in the flapper era
Robinson, Thomas A.
Ruff, Lanette D.
The 1920s marked one of the greatest cultural shifts in American life, and the risqu flapper became the icon of the period. But there was a counter image of the feminine; the decade was also the golden age for girl evangelists who defended traditional morals and traditional Christian beliefs and attitudes. The 1920s saw one of the most striking revolutions in manners and morals to havemarked North American society, affecting almost every aspect of life, from dress and drink to sex and salvation. Protestant Christianity was being torn apart by a heated controversy between traditionalists and the modernists, as theysought to determine how much their beliefs and practices should be altered byscientific study and more secular attitudes. Out of the controversy arose theFundamentalistmovement, which has become a powerful force in twentieth-century America.During this decade, hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of young girl preachers,some not even school age, joined the conservative Christian cause, proclaiming traditional values and condemning modern experiments with the new morality. Some of the girls drew crowds into the thousands. But the stage these girls gained went far beyond the revivalist platform. The girl evangelist phenomenon was recognized in the wider society as well, and the contrast to the flapper worked well for the press and thepublic. Girl evangelists stood out as the counter-type of the flapper, who had come to define the modern girl. The striking contrast these girls offered tothe racy flapper and to modern culture generally made girl evangelists a convenient and effective tool for conservative and revivalistChristianity, a tool which was used by their adherents in the clash of cultures that marked the 1920s. INDICE: 1. The Golden Age of Girl Evangelists 2. Cures for the Body and Soul 3. The Changing Face of American Religion 4. Women Preachers 5. A Revolution in Manners and Morals 6. Girl Evangelists Versus the Flappers 7. The Sexual Side of Selling Salvation 8. The Poster Child of Girl Evangelists 9. The Girlsas Children 10. The Girls as Adults 11. The Girls as Evangelists 12. Preaching as Performance 13. The Girls and the Media 14. Criticism and Decline 15. Exiting the Stage 16. Explaining the Phenomenon Appendix A: The Importance of theNewspaper Record Appendix B: Brief Biographies Appendix C: List of Girl Evangelists (1920s and 1930s) Bibliography: Newspaper and Magazine Accounts of GirlEvangelists General Bibliography
- ISBN: 978-0-19-979087-6
- Editorial: Oxford University
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 320
- Fecha Publicación: 22/12/2011
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés