From the Book - Research Collections
Mr. Dabbs' view of the culture of the South, both white and black, as "haunted by God" is both intriguing and debatable
two qualities he takes full advantage of in this posthumously published work. His thesis is that Southern society, attitudes and institutions are inextricably rooted in and conditioned by the all-permeating presence of Christianity. He demonstrates this influence by examining first the institutions which have given the South its enduring form: the family, slavery, and especially plantation-culture; then, through an examination of Southern spiritual values he analyzes their application at the cultural level, and the mutual impact of church and society. Dabbs, however, does not see much to praise in this symbiotic exchange:What has the church done with this haunted land? It has kept it haunted."" Without the church, he concludes, men would have forgotten Christianity
but with it, they have remembered only a distortion of Christianity. Fascinating and sometimes irritating reading for students of American history, culture, politics and religion.
