Abstract

In the American South, Protestantism embeds itself in every nook and cranny of society. Road signs litter the Southern terrain, projecting brief yet gripping messages: “JESUS SAVES,” “CHRIST IS ALMIGHTY,” “REPENT NOW.” One famous Alabama sign even touts the phrase “Go to Church or the Devil Will Get You.” Material culture showcases the intense form of Protestantism practiced in the South, but in reality, there is a phenomenon occurring here that goes beyond mere objects. In the South, a distinct form of Protestantism exists: one which seizes the body and forms a literal, physical connection between the practitioner and the so-called “Spirit.” Employing sources such as Dennis Covington’s Salvation on Sand Mountain (1995), Zora Neale Hurston’s You Don’t Know Us Negroes (2022), and Henry Ansgar Kelly’s The Devil, Demonology and Witchcraft (1974), the nuance and power of this distinctly American form of lived religion can be revealed. Through an examination of phenomenon such as conversion visions,“catching the Spirit,” and serpent handling, it is made clear that Southern Protestantism is the product of a unique blend of religious traditions - some of which are even derived from African diasporic rituals - that produces a form of spiritual embodiment indigenous to the region. Understanding this form of religious practice may lead to a new way of comprehending both the religious identity, and the rich culture, of the American South.

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