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The Power of Christ Compelled Her: The Intersectional Identities and Cultural Logic of Bishop Alma B. White
Kathol, Nichole Kathryn
Kathol, Nichole Kathryn
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Abstract
In a culture inhospitable to women preachers, Alma Bridwell White not only became a successful preacher, but went on to become the first female bishop in the U.S. The leader of her own religious organization, the Pillar of Fire, she simultaneously offered her proud support to the early feminist movement and the KKK. Alma White is an example of an oppressed oppressor who rhetorically maneuvers the tensions that arise amongst her various and seemingly contradictory identities. Her autobiographical work, The Story of My Life and the Pillar of Fire represents a concerted effort to not only construct a culturally palatable religious identity as divinely endorsed fundamentalist, white supremacist, feminist Christian, but to use that divinity in the service of inspiring transformation of the holy spirit and steadfast devotion in followers of her organization, the Pillar of Fire. In this project, I argue that White uses a religious pattern of thought in pursuit of her goals - demonize, forebode, self deify.
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Date
2010-04-23
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
Communication, Women's studies, Alma white, Gender, Intersectionality, Methodism, Race, White supremacy