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Tabernacles in the wilderness : the US Christian Commission on the Civil War battlefront / Rachel Williams

Author
Williams, Rachel, 1987-
Additional Titles
US Christian Commission on the Civil War battlefront and United States Christian Commission on the Civil War battlefront
Published
Kent, Ohio : The Kent State University Press, [2024]
Physical Description
viii, 198 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Additional Creators
Kent State University. Press

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Series
Contents
"God has commanded us to go forward" -- Christian manliness and the volunteer delegate system -- Female war work and the Christian Commission -- Evangelization and the printed word -- Preaching and praying -- Clothing the Union soldier's body -- The gospel of the loaf -- Death, salvation, and the Christian Commission -- "See what the Lord hath wrought."
Summary
"Tabernacles in the Wildcerness discusses the work of the United States Christian Commission (USCC), a civilian relief agency established by northern evangelical Protestants to minister to Union troops during the American Civil War. USCC workers saw in the Civil War not only a wrathful judgment from God for the sins of the nation but an unparalleled opportunity to save the souls of US citizens and perfect the nation. Thus, the workers set about proselytizing and distributing material aid to Union soldiers with undaunted and righteous zeal. Whether handing out religious literature, leading prayer meetings, preaching sermons, mending uniforms, drawing up tailored diets for sick men, or bearing witness to deathbed scenes, USCC workers improvised and enacted a holistic lived theology that emphasized the link between the body and soul. Making extensive use of previously neglected archival material--most notably the reports, diaries, and correspondence of the volunteer delegates who performed this ministry on the battlefront--Rachel Williams explores the proselytizing methods employed by the USCC, the problems encountered in their application, and the ideological and theological underpinnings of their work. Tabernacles in the Wilderness offers fascinating new insights into the role of civilians within army camps, the bureaucratization and professionalization of philanthropy during the Civil War and in the United States more broadly, and the emotional landscape and material culture of faith and worship"--
Subject(s)
ISBN
9781606354735 paperback
1606354736 paperback
9781631015373 electronic book
9781631015380 electronic book
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Endowment Note
Lippincott Family Memorial Libraries Endowment in Memory of David and Carolyn Lippincott and James Lippincott
View MARC record | catkey: 44270099