The Sword of the Lord: A Brief Review
One of the books I’ve most anticipated reading this fall has been The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family (Chiara Press, 2011). The author, Andrew Himes, is a grandson of the famous fundamentalist evangelist and publisher John R. Rice. I recently had a chance to finally read the book, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Sword of the Lord is part personal memoir, part family history, and part cultural history. It’s a truly interesting book.
My own interest in American fundamentalism dates back about a decade, to my latter years of college. As I began reading widely in the field of American religious history, I found that my favorite topic was twentieth-century fundamentalism and evangelicalism. Fast forward to 2004–2005, when I had the opportunity to index the John R. Rice Papers while serving as an archival assistant in the library at Southeastern Seminary. My longstanding interest in fundamentalism, along with unfettered access to the Rice Papers and many other valuable archival collections related to fundamentalism, ultimately gave rise to a doctoral dissertation titled “The Development of Baptist Fundamentalism in the South, 1940–1980” (SEBTS, 2007). Rice is one of the key figures in that dissertation.
All that to say, while I’m not a self-confessed fundamentalist, I have a critical appreciation of fundamentalism in general and John R. Rice in particular. That’s why I was delighted to learn that Himes had written this book. I just wish it would have been available five or six years ago!
To make a long story short, Andrew Himes was the black sheep of the Rice family—a would-be preacher boy turned atheist and radical social activist. Himes rejected the Christianity of his grandfather (and the rest of his extended family), though over time he has apparently softened somewhat to the religion of his childhood. Though he appears to be more of a mainline Protestant or progressive evangelical at this point (he keeps his cards close to the chest on this one), Himes has a great appreciation for his grandfather, though he’s less sanguine about fundamentalism itself.
Historians of American Christianity will find few new insights about fundamentalism itself. Himes draws upon the insights of the standard authors in the field (especially George Marsden), adding his own mostly impressionistic interpretations to the mix. At times, Himes seems to virtually equate fundamentalism with orthodox Protestantism, an interpretation far more common among self-confessed fundamentalists and left-wing journalists than mainstream historians. He also seems to at least suggest a close connection between fundamentalism and the early Religious Right, which is far too simplistic an interpretation. While many “moderate” fundamentalists such as Rice and Jerry Falwell were identified with the agenda of the so-called New Religious Right, this was hardly the case with the more “hard-line” fundamentalists associated with Bob Jones University and similar institutions.
Having noted the tendency toward oversimplification, The Sword of the Lord is a riveting read and helpful contribution to the literature related to John R. Rice. As one who has combed through Rice’s personal correspondence, read countless editorials and books the evangelist authored, digested several dissertations and theses, and forced myself through a couple of hagiographical biographies of the famed fundamentalist, I can attest that there are anecdotes about Rice and his family in this book that aren’t available in other sources. For readers interested in Rice in particular, this book is a helpful complement to the uncritical biographies of Robert Sumner and Viola Walden and the helpful dissertations by Farley Butler, Herman Moore, and Keith Bates.
(I appreciate Chiara Press providing me a review copy of The Sword of the Lord.)
5 Responses to “The Sword of the Lord: A Brief Review”
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Nathan A. Finn serves as Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He's a husband, father, elder, baseball enthusiast, and Broadway musical fan. He's still trying to figure out why we drive on parkways and park on driveways.
Nathan, thanks so much for this thoughtful and fair review. I wish I had been introduced to you while I was still writing the book! I would to have the opportunity to read your dissertation.
[...] Nathan Finn’s review of The Sword of the Lord by Andy Himes: The author, Andrew Himes, is a grandson of the famous fundamentalist evangelist and publisher John R. Rice. I recently had a chance to finally read the book, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Sword of the Lord is part personal memoir, part family history, and part cultural history. It’s a truly interesting book. // // [...]
Born in 1940 I had the opportunity to hear John R. Rice before he left the SBC and many times afterward. I grew up in Curtis Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia. The first time I heard Dr. Rice was in that church. With him was J.Stratton Sufelt doing the music. I can shut my eyes and still hear them both. The one song I remember from Sufelt was, “Have I Done My Best For Jesus.” I still have a copy of “Bobbed Hair and Bossy Wives and Women Preachers” and a Book on “Prayer” by Rice. It has been good to reflect on both of these men of God.I am also glad that I grew up in era of many of the pulpit giants with which the Lord blessed His people.Thanks for this post. Nathan, I have followed you for years, and give the Lord praise for young men like you. Keep it up. You are part of the glue that holds us together. Thanks.
Nathan, thanks for the review. I, too, have developed a “critical appreciation” for Rice. I read Andrew’s work a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised that Rice used his paper (Sword) to denounce the KKK as far back as 1940. Of course that is significant at several levels, but I’ll lead blog readers to read the book themselves to discover why. I say all that to say, Rice had courage. I look forward someday to reading your dissertation and looking through Rice’s papers.
I am reading the book right now, and find it fascinating. I enjoyed this review. RDM
Thanks for all the comments. Andrew, if you send me an email, I’d be happy to shoot you the dissertation. nfinn[at]sebts[dot]edu