Burning Faith

Christopher B. Strain, professor of history and American studies at the Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, is the author of Pure Fire: Self-Defense as Activism in the Civil Rights Era.

A well-researched survey of the church fires of the 1990s." —Choice"The story of this chapter in American cultural history is complex and has been vastly understudied. . . . Strain makes a significant contribution . . . Those interested in the construction of racial meanings and the nature of national conversations about race in our society should study this case." —Politics and Religion"Even though racial prejudice was only one of several factors in church arsons during this era, Strain demonstrates how the image of a burned black church resonated with both black and white Americans." —Journal of African American History"Strain documents the dizzying number of black church burnings credited to arson throughout the South, and, additionally, he notes church burnings in the north in primarily white attended churches. . . . Meticulously researched." —Louisiana History"Raises many very important questions." —North Carolina Historical Review