Everyone Who Believes: Faith and Change With the Protestants of Jacksonville State University
Date
2-14-2024
Faculty Mentor
Kathryn Catlin, Chemistry & Geosciences
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Files
Submission Type
Conference Proceeding
Location
12:45-12:55pm | Houston Cole Library, 11th Floor
Description
Jacksonville State University has seen a proliferation of student ministries espousing Protestant Christian and often Evangelical viewpoints with a focus on evangelization to contemporary college students. The American South is both the most Protestant and Evangelical region in America, and especially so in Alabama, with both region and state experiencing the decline in youth religiosity and growth in nondenominationalism that have characterized American religious trends. The intersection of Southern regional identity with these religious tendencies has been under-researched, especially in the collegiate space. Using direct ethnographic research, qualitative data was assembled on the nature of several campus ministries at Jacksonville State University that was examined through both contemporary and historical data on Southern religious identity and the changes in religious practice in state and region. Perception and accessibility emerged as recurring issues to these ministries, who desired to be open to the secular world and combat negative viewpoints, while having only made minimal changes in the beliefs that have spurred negative stances. The role of women shifting and positions of authority becoming available beyond the traditional stance of male-only leadership also became a salient issue, as did clear evidence of racial divisions between overwhelmingly White ministries and a single explicitly African-American organization.
Keywords
student research, anthropology
Rights
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Disciplines
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Harvey, Nicholas, "Everyone Who Believes: Faith and Change With the Protestants of Jacksonville State University" (2024). JSU Student Symposium 2024. 20.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2024/20