For Dr. Houck, a believing Christian, the preponderance of these sermons got at what he considered a neglected aspect of civil rights history. As much as the movement fought for political rights, it also catalyzed a theological struggle about whether God wanted black people to be treated equally, as his children, or unequally in accordance with certain biblical passages condoning slavery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the extent to which Christians used the Scripture to shield their own prejudices,\u201d\u009d Dr. Houck said. \u201cThese white ministers with Ph.D.\u2019s and enormous congregations were saying, \u201d\u02dcIf you need a scriptural warrant to go on with your way of life, here it is.\u2019 That was a hard one to look in the mirror on.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
So it struck him as both revelatory and redemptive to find a white minister in quite possibly the most volatile racial setting of its time \u201d\u201d a place where townspeople routinely dismissed the reported murders as a hoax perpetrated by outside agitators to embarrass the South \u201d\u201d willing \u201cto stand up and call out the Klan.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n