Chaplain to the Confederacy: Basil Manly and Baptist Life in the Old South (Southern Biography Series)

Rating:
Summary: An Insightful Biography
Review: As a Southern Baptist minister, I have always struggled with the racist heritage and issue of slavery in my church's history. I was quite pleased when the church apologized for slavery about five years ago. A fellow pastor bought this biography of Basil Manly and recommended it to me. I enjoyed it very much because it went to the very heart of that critical period when the Southern Baptist Convention was created by men like Manly. When my friend told me that someone had (criticized) Dr. Fuller on Amazon.com, I rushed to join him in defending the author of this splendid book. It is not a book I would recommend to just anyone, but it is a very insightful biography that will be of use to many Southern Baptists as well as those who want to learn about the religious history of the South and the role the churches played in the Civil War. I learned so much about my own church's history from reading this book. And I was privileged to hear Dr. Fuller speak last year. He was very humble and gracious and, unlike many professors, he was able to connect to an audience of non-academics with a wonderful sense of humor and down-to-earth approach that won the hearts and minds of those listening to him. He was very balanced and fair in his assessments and I would encourage those reading this site to (...) buy this book. You'll find it well-written and useful. (...)

Rating:
Summary: A good biography of an important preacher
Review: This is a good biography of an important Baptist preacher. Fuller does a fine job of presenting the story of a working minister. This book will be interesting to historians and ministers who want to study how religion interacted with culture and society. I thought the best parts of the book were those that showed how Basil Manly, a white slaveowner, dealt with slaves, both his own and those in his church. I also liked the way Fuller weaved the political and social tensions of the South into the biography. I was disappointed that there was not more coverage of the Civil War itself, but I liked the book and thought it was a good biography of an important preacher who helped bring about the Civil War.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Biography of a Forgotten Man
Review: This is an excellent biography of a nearly forgotten Southern Baptist minister. Basil Manly did a lot to bring about the Civil War and I wonder if the result of the war had been different if we all wouldn't know his name? Fortunately, the Confederacy lost, but, unfortunately, we've forgotten Basil Manly and so many other important figures who helped create Southern culture and society. I first learned about this book when I heard the author speak at a conference. I was very impressed by Fuller's intelligence, humor, and humble attitude. He was very down-to-earth and I engaged him in a long conversation on not only the subject of his talk but this book and religion in the Old South. He was genuinely interested in the issues involved and, while obviously well-versed in the field, he respected my point of view. His talk, on an unrelated subject, showed him to be very balanced and open-minded. This biography is also well-balanced and open-minded, although it is clear that Fuller was a sympathetic biographer. That actually makes me respect him more, because it is often difficult to be sympathetic to someone with whom we disagree. Clearly, Fuller does not agree with Manly, but he gave him his due and placed him firmly in the context of the Old South instead of judging him from our present. This was a very readable book that answered some questions and raised more for further study and reading. I highly recommend it.