商品簡介
The author analyzes the nature of religious language in song, prayer, preaching, teaching, and testimony at the Fellowship Independent Baptist Church near Stanley, Virginia, based on fieldwork conducted from 1975 to 1985. He aims to challenge the dominant view of Appalachia as a backward and deviant culture of poverty whose religious practices reveal disorganization and alienation in the face of modern life, showing how the Appalachian people adapt inherited traditions based on the 19th century agrarian folklife tradition emphasizing diversity, versatility, and dependence on family, friends, neighbors, and God. He discusses the history and cultural geography of the community and their way of worship in the context of historical traditions of southern folk Protestantism, then language in the worship service in general and in song, prayer, and teaching and preaching, followed by examination of church members reflective language’ about conversion and testimony, as well as the pastor’s life story, to explore how language makes sense of experience. This edition includes a new afterword about the church community in the 40 years since his project. Annotation ©2019 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)