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God's Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights
In the summer of 1964, the turmoil of the civil rights movement reached its peak in Mississippi, with activists across the political spectrum claiming that God was on their side in the struggle over racial justice. This was the summer when violence against blacks increased at an alarming rate and when the murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi resulted in national media attention. Charles Marsh takes us back to this place and time, when the lives of activists on all sides of the civil rights issue converged and their images of God clashed. He weaves their voices into a gripping a Ku Klux Klansman, for example, borrows fiery language from the Bible to link attacks on blacks to his "priestly calling"; a middle-aged woman describes how the Gospel inspired her to rally other African Americans to fight peacefully for their dignity; a SNCC worker tells of harrowing encounters with angry white mobs and his pilgrimage toward a new racial spirituality called Black Power. Through these emotionally charged stories, Marsh invites us to consider the civil rights movement anew, in terms of religion as a powerful yet protean force driving social action.
The book's central figures are Fannie Lou Hamer, who "worked for Jesus" in civil rights activism; Sam Bowers, the Imperial Wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi; William Douglas Hudgins, an influential white Baptist pastor and unofficial theologian of the "closed society"; Ed King, a white Methodist minister and Mississippi native who campaigned to integrate Protestant congregations; and Cleveland Sellers, a SNCC staff member turned black militant.
Marsh focuses on the events and religious convictions that led each person into the political upheaval of 1964. He presents an unforgettable American social landscape, one that is by turns shameful and inspiring. In conclusion, Marsh suggests that it may be possible to sift among these narratives and lay the groundwork for a new thinking about racial reconciliation and the beloved community. He maintains that the person who embraces faith's life-affirming energies will leave behind a most powerful legacy of social activism and compassion.
The book's central figures are Fannie Lou Hamer, who "worked for Jesus" in civil rights activism; Sam Bowers, the Imperial Wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi; William Douglas Hudgins, an influential white Baptist pastor and unofficial theologian of the "closed society"; Ed King, a white Methodist minister and Mississippi native who campaigned to integrate Protestant congregations; and Cleveland Sellers, a SNCC staff member turned black militant.
Marsh focuses on the events and religious convictions that led each person into the political upheaval of 1964. He presents an unforgettable American social landscape, one that is by turns shameful and inspiring. In conclusion, Marsh suggests that it may be possible to sift among these narratives and lay the groundwork for a new thinking about racial reconciliation and the beloved community. He maintains that the person who embraces faith's life-affirming energies will leave behind a most powerful legacy of social activism and compassion.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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560 people want to read
About the author
Charles Marsh
22 books23 followersMarsh is professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia and director of the research community "Project on Lived Theology." He is the author of eight books, including "God's Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights," which won the 1998 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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Librarian Note:
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May 30, 2011
Fascinating look at the role religion played in the Civil Rights movement. Marsh looks at some of the folks who played leading roles in the civil rights movement in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. All claimed to be Christians and yet the way they chose to participate in the movement or to react against the movement were all different.
Marsh begins with Fannie Lou Hamer,a poor African-American women who had no doubts that God was on the side of the poor and oppressed. Marsh explores her political awakening and the strength and resolve she showed when her family was kicked off the land and when she was arrested and beaten. In spite of this she maintained what some considered to be a simplistic faith summarized by her belief that if God showed love to all people, then she must as well, even the one's who beat her.
On the other side of the movement, Marsh looks at Sam Bowers, the head of the Mississippi KKK and the instigator of much of the violence against Civil Rights workers. Bowers based his ideas on scripture but focused on the idea of purity and of keeping Mississippi free from those who threatened the "southern way of life." Bowers had no problem resorting to violence and used the story of Elijah killing the prophets of Baal to inspire his followers.
Next on the list is Douglas Hudgins, the pastor of a large Southern Baptist congregation in Jackson, Mississippi. Presiding over a large, segregated congregation, Marsh describes how Hudgins viewed the Civil Rights movement primarily as a distraction from his goal of winning souls. Hudgin's Christianity was full of pious pronouncements but largely removed from the realities of the day. It was sugar-coated Christianity at its best. It allowed Hudgins and his parishioners to sit guilt free in their pews and at the same time actively discriminate against African Americans. Hudgins preaching focused on salvation, heaven and if he touched on social issues, it was the dangers of alcohol and gambling.
Into this setting stepped Ed King, a white minister from Methodist background. Becoming convinced that God called him to be involved in civil rights work, King soon saw himself as a prophet, daring to confront the powers of segregation. King especially focused on the white church as a bastion of segregation. To draw attention to how churches operated, King organized Sunday morning visits by interracial groups. Sometimes they were turned away, sometimes they were arrested but only rarely were they allowed in, and if they were allowed in, the minister who let them in was usually forced to resign before the next Sunday.
Marsh finishes with the story of Cleveland Sellers and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Sellers, an African-American young man gets involved in the Civil Rights movement largely as a result of his faith, nurtured in the Episcopal church. But as Sellers becomes more and more involved, and as the violence against Civil Rights workers increases, Sellers and other SNCC members develop and get involved in the Black Power movement. Sellers in particular explores the willingness to use violence as a way of achieving their goals. Marsh provides an interesting description of how SNCC moves to remove all its white staff and members at the same time Sellers is moving away from his earlier expressions of religious faith.
Marsh goes a long way towards explaining how different people can read the same Bible and come away with different interpretations and responses to the social and political questions of the day. The person who seems the most whole, Fannie Lou Hamer, is also the one, others both whites and African-Americans found to be the most simplistic and naive. Here the verse about being a "fool for Christ" comes to mind.
Marsh based much of his work on personal interviews with the people involved so I would strongly recommend reading the endnotes as well as the text.
Marsh begins with Fannie Lou Hamer,a poor African-American women who had no doubts that God was on the side of the poor and oppressed. Marsh explores her political awakening and the strength and resolve she showed when her family was kicked off the land and when she was arrested and beaten. In spite of this she maintained what some considered to be a simplistic faith summarized by her belief that if God showed love to all people, then she must as well, even the one's who beat her.
On the other side of the movement, Marsh looks at Sam Bowers, the head of the Mississippi KKK and the instigator of much of the violence against Civil Rights workers. Bowers based his ideas on scripture but focused on the idea of purity and of keeping Mississippi free from those who threatened the "southern way of life." Bowers had no problem resorting to violence and used the story of Elijah killing the prophets of Baal to inspire his followers.
Next on the list is Douglas Hudgins, the pastor of a large Southern Baptist congregation in Jackson, Mississippi. Presiding over a large, segregated congregation, Marsh describes how Hudgins viewed the Civil Rights movement primarily as a distraction from his goal of winning souls. Hudgin's Christianity was full of pious pronouncements but largely removed from the realities of the day. It was sugar-coated Christianity at its best. It allowed Hudgins and his parishioners to sit guilt free in their pews and at the same time actively discriminate against African Americans. Hudgins preaching focused on salvation, heaven and if he touched on social issues, it was the dangers of alcohol and gambling.
Into this setting stepped Ed King, a white minister from Methodist background. Becoming convinced that God called him to be involved in civil rights work, King soon saw himself as a prophet, daring to confront the powers of segregation. King especially focused on the white church as a bastion of segregation. To draw attention to how churches operated, King organized Sunday morning visits by interracial groups. Sometimes they were turned away, sometimes they were arrested but only rarely were they allowed in, and if they were allowed in, the minister who let them in was usually forced to resign before the next Sunday.
Marsh finishes with the story of Cleveland Sellers and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Sellers, an African-American young man gets involved in the Civil Rights movement largely as a result of his faith, nurtured in the Episcopal church. But as Sellers becomes more and more involved, and as the violence against Civil Rights workers increases, Sellers and other SNCC members develop and get involved in the Black Power movement. Sellers in particular explores the willingness to use violence as a way of achieving their goals. Marsh provides an interesting description of how SNCC moves to remove all its white staff and members at the same time Sellers is moving away from his earlier expressions of religious faith.
Marsh goes a long way towards explaining how different people can read the same Bible and come away with different interpretations and responses to the social and political questions of the day. The person who seems the most whole, Fannie Lou Hamer, is also the one, others both whites and African-Americans found to be the most simplistic and naive. Here the verse about being a "fool for Christ" comes to mind.
Marsh based much of his work on personal interviews with the people involved so I would strongly recommend reading the endnotes as well as the text.
November 25, 2025
5 chapters, each is a brief biography of a figure in the civil rights movement in Mississippi: Fannie Lou Hamer, Sam Bowers, Douglas Hudgins, Ed King, and Cleveland Sellers. Each biography also acts as an introduction to their school of thought/theology: Black integrationist civil rights, violent white resistance, evangelical quietism, white integrationist civil rights, and Black Power.
Born into a sharecropper family, Fannie Lou Hamer became a Black civil rights activist, organizing for civil rights and for Black people to register to vote. It was a dangerous mission; Fannie Lou Hamer was fired from her job, tortured by the police, and forcibly sterilized. Despite it all, Fannie Lou Hamer remained faithful. Just like the Israelites in Egypt, Black people needed to keep on fighting for justice and pushing to the freedom land. Fannie Lou Hamer was a sharp critic of Black ministers who were too scared to join the struggle for civil rights and of white ministers who pretended to be Christian but either encouraged violence against or ignored the struggle for Black civil rights. She never became cynical, always welcoming white people into the movement and refusing violence.
Sam Bowers, on the other hand, was a Grand Wizard of the KKK, responsible for a streak of bombings, church burnings, and murders during the 1960s. Bowers saw himself as a holy warrior, fighting to kill the heretics (Black people, Jews, civil rights activists) who were threatening segregation. All in all, Bowers was responsible for at least “nine murders, seventy-five bombings of Black churches, and three hundred assaults, bombings, and beatings.” He was eventually convicted for the triple murders of civil rights activists Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman, and for the murder of Vernon Dahmer.
Douglas Hudgins was a white pastor for a large Baptist church in Mississippi. Hudgins was a supporter of segregation and deliberately avoided discussing or preaching on politics. Hudgins is described as the high priest of the “closed society,” another word for the insular, slow-moving Mississippi society before civil rights. Here, Black people were supposed to know their place, the churches were segregated, and things didn’t change. The church was for saving souls to get to heaven and personal virtue; no discussion of justice or the evils of racism. Even the wave of Black church burnings or the murder of civil rights workers couldn’t get Douglas Hudgins to change.
Ed King was a white Methodist minister and civil rights activist. Unlike Hudgins, he believed his faith required him to fight for justice. He was responsible for many “church visits,” which involved going to all-white churches with Black people and asking to enter. He would always be refused, and often arrested, highlighting the hypocrisy of the white church that claimed to represent God's love.
Finally, Cleveland Sellers. Born in a Black Episcopalian family in South Carolina, Sellers joined the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) but later became disillusioned by the “floaters”; activists who spent more time talking about philosophy and blowing off their assignments than fighting. Sellers wanted to organize the SNCC, make it more disciplined and focused. Eventually, Sellers voted for the expulsion of white people from the SNCC and became a proponent of Black Power. Sellers represented the frustration of the Civil Rights movements, of always having to beg the white power structure for concessions. To Sellers, the only way to uplift Black people was to consolidate power, fight racism and build something of our own.
Great read, very engaging and personal. Always shocking to see how brutal the violence against civil rights was.
Quotes
Of course, both the civil rights and the anti-civil rights movements were saturated with religion; in every mass meeting, church service, and Klan rally, God’s name was invoked and his power claimed. White conservatives and civil rights activists, black militants and white liberals, black moderates and klansmen, all staked their particular claims for racial justice and social order on the premise that God was on their side.
King found no better description of his own Mississippi upbringing than Lillian Smith’s reflection on her Southern childhood: “I do not remember how or when, but by the time I had learned that God is love, that Jesus is His Son and came to give us more abundant life, that all men are brothers with a common Father, I also knew that I was better than a Negro, that all black folks have their place and must be kept in it, that a terrifying disaster would befall the South if ever I treated a Negro as my social equal.” This knowledge was absorbed by King as part of his coming of age in the closed society.
Dennis called to mind the black people murdered in the south—Emmett Till, Mack Parker, the four girls in the Birmingham church, Medgar Evers, and so many others whose memories had faded into obscurity. He pledged to the church, “I’m sick and tired of going to memorials; I’m sick and tired of going to funerals. I’ve got a bitter vengeance in my heart tonight … and I’m not going to stand here and ask anybody here not to be angry.”
Later, when Mrs. Hamer was escorted by the jailer himself to her trial, she put the question to the very man who had helped carry out her beating just a few days earlier, “Do you people ever think or wonder how you’ll feel when the time comes you’ll have to meet God?” His response was full of embarrassment and vigorous denial. “Who you talking about?” he mumbled. In fact, Mrs. Hamer knew all too well what had happened. “I hit them with the truth, and it hurts them,” she said.
Born into a sharecropper family, Fannie Lou Hamer became a Black civil rights activist, organizing for civil rights and for Black people to register to vote. It was a dangerous mission; Fannie Lou Hamer was fired from her job, tortured by the police, and forcibly sterilized. Despite it all, Fannie Lou Hamer remained faithful. Just like the Israelites in Egypt, Black people needed to keep on fighting for justice and pushing to the freedom land. Fannie Lou Hamer was a sharp critic of Black ministers who were too scared to join the struggle for civil rights and of white ministers who pretended to be Christian but either encouraged violence against or ignored the struggle for Black civil rights. She never became cynical, always welcoming white people into the movement and refusing violence.
Sam Bowers, on the other hand, was a Grand Wizard of the KKK, responsible for a streak of bombings, church burnings, and murders during the 1960s. Bowers saw himself as a holy warrior, fighting to kill the heretics (Black people, Jews, civil rights activists) who were threatening segregation. All in all, Bowers was responsible for at least “nine murders, seventy-five bombings of Black churches, and three hundred assaults, bombings, and beatings.” He was eventually convicted for the triple murders of civil rights activists Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman, and for the murder of Vernon Dahmer.
Douglas Hudgins was a white pastor for a large Baptist church in Mississippi. Hudgins was a supporter of segregation and deliberately avoided discussing or preaching on politics. Hudgins is described as the high priest of the “closed society,” another word for the insular, slow-moving Mississippi society before civil rights. Here, Black people were supposed to know their place, the churches were segregated, and things didn’t change. The church was for saving souls to get to heaven and personal virtue; no discussion of justice or the evils of racism. Even the wave of Black church burnings or the murder of civil rights workers couldn’t get Douglas Hudgins to change.
Ed King was a white Methodist minister and civil rights activist. Unlike Hudgins, he believed his faith required him to fight for justice. He was responsible for many “church visits,” which involved going to all-white churches with Black people and asking to enter. He would always be refused, and often arrested, highlighting the hypocrisy of the white church that claimed to represent God's love.
Finally, Cleveland Sellers. Born in a Black Episcopalian family in South Carolina, Sellers joined the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) but later became disillusioned by the “floaters”; activists who spent more time talking about philosophy and blowing off their assignments than fighting. Sellers wanted to organize the SNCC, make it more disciplined and focused. Eventually, Sellers voted for the expulsion of white people from the SNCC and became a proponent of Black Power. Sellers represented the frustration of the Civil Rights movements, of always having to beg the white power structure for concessions. To Sellers, the only way to uplift Black people was to consolidate power, fight racism and build something of our own.
Great read, very engaging and personal. Always shocking to see how brutal the violence against civil rights was.
Quotes
Of course, both the civil rights and the anti-civil rights movements were saturated with religion; in every mass meeting, church service, and Klan rally, God’s name was invoked and his power claimed. White conservatives and civil rights activists, black militants and white liberals, black moderates and klansmen, all staked their particular claims for racial justice and social order on the premise that God was on their side.
King found no better description of his own Mississippi upbringing than Lillian Smith’s reflection on her Southern childhood: “I do not remember how or when, but by the time I had learned that God is love, that Jesus is His Son and came to give us more abundant life, that all men are brothers with a common Father, I also knew that I was better than a Negro, that all black folks have their place and must be kept in it, that a terrifying disaster would befall the South if ever I treated a Negro as my social equal.” This knowledge was absorbed by King as part of his coming of age in the closed society.
Dennis called to mind the black people murdered in the south—Emmett Till, Mack Parker, the four girls in the Birmingham church, Medgar Evers, and so many others whose memories had faded into obscurity. He pledged to the church, “I’m sick and tired of going to memorials; I’m sick and tired of going to funerals. I’ve got a bitter vengeance in my heart tonight … and I’m not going to stand here and ask anybody here not to be angry.”
Later, when Mrs. Hamer was escorted by the jailer himself to her trial, she put the question to the very man who had helped carry out her beating just a few days earlier, “Do you people ever think or wonder how you’ll feel when the time comes you’ll have to meet God?” His response was full of embarrassment and vigorous denial. “Who you talking about?” he mumbled. In fact, Mrs. Hamer knew all too well what had happened. “I hit them with the truth, and it hurts them,” she said.
May 25, 2021
Through interviews with important figures surrounding the Civil Rights Movement’s campaign in Mississippi in 1964, Charles Marsh demonstrates how different theologies can form from the same scripture. For instance, the chapter that looks at legendary leader Fannie Lou Hammer is followed by a chapter exploring the motivations of KKK leader Sam Bowers. A great work of ethnographic writing and an important glimpse into the Summer of 1964, which still holds lessons for us today.
April 7, 2021
At times the writing is difficult, but the substance is off the charts. The character studies are dynamite and the spiritual observations are compelling.
December 29, 2021
as someone struggling with my own faith I found this an insightful book to read. it helped me see how Christianity was used as a weapon, while also seeing how it can be used as the foundation for incredible social movements. it can occasionally be boring but overall it was a good read
March 11, 2021
Marsh looks at five different theological stances of people in Mississippi during the summer of 1964. He contrasts their different beliefs and how those beliefs were fleshed out in their actions regarding civil rights. Where this book becomes provocative is seeing that the range of beliefs includes Civil Rights workers and Klansmen--both were motivated by their "Christian" beliefs.
-The chapter on Sam Bowers, President of the KKK in Mississippi at the time, felt like reading about protestors at the Capitol riots. It was very disconcerting. He considered advocating for justice for African Americans to be communistic (today they say Marxist). He believed and pushed out all kinds of conspiracy theories about how civil rights work was really being controlled by powerful corrupt authorities behind the scenes (Sound familiar?).
-The chapter on Doug Hudgins, pastor of First Baptist church in Jackson, felt like listening to Jemar Tisby's recent podcast on why he left the PCA. Hudgins refused to speak out against violent racist attacks (burning of black churches & homes, murder of black people) because he didn't consider that to be relevant to the church's primary work of saving souls. Tisby shares about verbal attacks & defamation he received for speaking on racial reconciliation while being part of the PCA & Evangelical conferences--no white Christian brothers condemned how he was treated & sadly many made space for people making racist comments.
-Fannie Lou Hamer, Ed King, and Cleveland Sellers were the three civil rights activists. They all took different approaches and Marsh did not shy away from sharing about their sins & struggles. Hamer who had the least training shines the brightest to me, though each showed passion and determination to bring about what Marsh calls the beloved community- a world where all races exist in harmony & love. Their is irony with King & Sellers in how they started versus how they finished.
Hamer wasn't necessarily as prominent as these men with organizing, she was a flame that burst onto the scene because of how she endured suffering, clinging to the Lord, believing that He would bring about change.
Overall, I thought this was an honest history that showed beauty in the midst of deep ugliness. It reveals that theology matters as does practice. And history often repeats itself--I'm hoping for God to graciously do something different in our generation to create a beloved community in this country and eliminate the ugliness of racism.
-The chapter on Sam Bowers, President of the KKK in Mississippi at the time, felt like reading about protestors at the Capitol riots. It was very disconcerting. He considered advocating for justice for African Americans to be communistic (today they say Marxist). He believed and pushed out all kinds of conspiracy theories about how civil rights work was really being controlled by powerful corrupt authorities behind the scenes (Sound familiar?).
-The chapter on Doug Hudgins, pastor of First Baptist church in Jackson, felt like listening to Jemar Tisby's recent podcast on why he left the PCA. Hudgins refused to speak out against violent racist attacks (burning of black churches & homes, murder of black people) because he didn't consider that to be relevant to the church's primary work of saving souls. Tisby shares about verbal attacks & defamation he received for speaking on racial reconciliation while being part of the PCA & Evangelical conferences--no white Christian brothers condemned how he was treated & sadly many made space for people making racist comments.
-Fannie Lou Hamer, Ed King, and Cleveland Sellers were the three civil rights activists. They all took different approaches and Marsh did not shy away from sharing about their sins & struggles. Hamer who had the least training shines the brightest to me, though each showed passion and determination to bring about what Marsh calls the beloved community- a world where all races exist in harmony & love. Their is irony with King & Sellers in how they started versus how they finished.
Hamer wasn't necessarily as prominent as these men with organizing, she was a flame that burst onto the scene because of how she endured suffering, clinging to the Lord, believing that He would bring about change.
Overall, I thought this was an honest history that showed beauty in the midst of deep ugliness. It reveals that theology matters as does practice. And history often repeats itself--I'm hoping for God to graciously do something different in our generation to create a beloved community in this country and eliminate the ugliness of racism.
January 12, 2018
This project is a provocative one in the first place, and Marsh successfully executes what could be a tricky task. Rather than dismissing religion in the civil rights movement (based off the presumption that all sides justified their actions via religion, so it mustn’t be that helpful), Marsh takes the religious convictions of various actors seriously to understand “how ordinary Southern towns [became] theaters of a complex theological drama” in the summer of 1964.
He examines the lives of Fannie Lou Hamer, a poor black women who struggled for civil rights; Sam Bowers, an Imperial Wizard of the KKK who terrorized and planned murders of African Americans; Douglas Hudgins, a Southern Baptist preacher who, wanting to maintain the Southern way of life, tried to keep his religion and politics separate; Ed King, a white campus minister whose faith drove his serious involvement in the civil rights movement; and Cleveland Sellars, a black Man whose faith was instrumentalitized in order to secure black power (though he became a Christian again after the movement).
Marsh does a great job of weaving narrative and exposition together in each chapter to help readers understand what animated the lives of each of these characters. At a couple points he loses his tone and makes sarcastic remarks about Bowers and Hudgins, which detracts from the seriousness of the book, but otherwise his prose is quite pleasant. It’s refreshing to see someone take religious convictions seriously—even that of radicals like Sam Bowers and cowards like Doug Hudgins, who (we think) are easy to dismiss. Not only is it refreshing, but it’s instructive and insightful.
He examines the lives of Fannie Lou Hamer, a poor black women who struggled for civil rights; Sam Bowers, an Imperial Wizard of the KKK who terrorized and planned murders of African Americans; Douglas Hudgins, a Southern Baptist preacher who, wanting to maintain the Southern way of life, tried to keep his religion and politics separate; Ed King, a white campus minister whose faith drove his serious involvement in the civil rights movement; and Cleveland Sellars, a black Man whose faith was instrumentalitized in order to secure black power (though he became a Christian again after the movement).
Marsh does a great job of weaving narrative and exposition together in each chapter to help readers understand what animated the lives of each of these characters. At a couple points he loses his tone and makes sarcastic remarks about Bowers and Hudgins, which detracts from the seriousness of the book, but otherwise his prose is quite pleasant. It’s refreshing to see someone take religious convictions seriously—even that of radicals like Sam Bowers and cowards like Doug Hudgins, who (we think) are easy to dismiss. Not only is it refreshing, but it’s instructive and insightful.
December 8, 2020
A great book reflecting on how people can use their faith for evil and greatness. I found it very interesting how faith made people stood against racism and segregation and how it made people be even more against integration. It goes to show that you can go to the Bible looking for what you want and get what you want from it. It reminds me to keep an open mind when going to the Bible and to always be ready for God to change my heart when reading.
This book also tells how the southern Protestant church has been shaped in its efforts against civil rights and its efforts for civil rights. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a Protestant Christian. Great book!
This book also tells how the southern Protestant church has been shaped in its efforts against civil rights and its efforts for civil rights. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a Protestant Christian. Great book!
June 23, 2021
This was a hard book to read! I doubt I’d have finished it on my own... glad to have had friends reading it with me and discussing as we went.
This book is 5 stories about 5 people and how their faith affected their perspective of the civil rights movement... from Fanny Lou Hamer to Sam Bowers of the KKK to Cleveland Sellers. It was illuminating and made me think about my stand on social justice, what I actually believe and how it makes a difference (if any) and how far I’m willing to go. Fantastic book! The history and theology is mind-boggling... but mostly, the lives of these people leave you mouth agape!
This book is 5 stories about 5 people and how their faith affected their perspective of the civil rights movement... from Fanny Lou Hamer to Sam Bowers of the KKK to Cleveland Sellers. It was illuminating and made me think about my stand on social justice, what I actually believe and how it makes a difference (if any) and how far I’m willing to go. Fantastic book! The history and theology is mind-boggling... but mostly, the lives of these people leave you mouth agape!
April 22, 2020
God's Long summer depicts the struggles of the civil rights movement in the South. Some excellent insights from those who endured the struggle. I gave it 3 stars because I felt that the story would have been more powerful with the elimination of one to two characters who didn't seem all that unique to the position they held, but rather people who capitulated to the role's requirement. Mrs. Hamer's fight is five stars.
May 21, 2020
An enlightening look at the ways in which the Christian faith influenced the actions and beliefs of some of the most influential and often overlooked contributors and opponents of the Civil Rights Movement. The ways in which religion is used to motivate political change cannot be overlooked in discussions for equality and we must be wary of the ways in which it influences proponents of racism and dissuades moderates from meaningful action.
April 9, 2020
Had learned about Fannie Lou Hamer in terms of her speech, but never a very in-depth study. She was incredible—she was a hero. Ed King (the theological prankster) was someone I learned about for the first time and he was super interesting. If you don’t want to read the book I definitely recommend just doing research on his “church visits” which were fascinating.
October 31, 2024
Fascinating and disturbing description of five individuals involved in the civil rights movement of the early 1960s: Fannie Lou Hamer, Sam Bowers (Imperial Wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan), Douglas Hudgins (pastor of First Baptist of Jackson, MI), Ed King (church visits), and Cleveland Seller (Black Power).
August 22, 2017
Very important reading focusing on a few key people (including a KKK leader) involved with the civil rights movement. the road to freedom is long and fraught with obstacles. These people had strong convictions and lived their lives accordingly.
January 2, 2021
Second time reading and it’s even better. Provides a understanding of how many Christians can claim the same faith yet be at odds around racial justice. Powerful reflection around Freedom Summer from 4 different faith perspectives (from Black Militant to KKK Leader).
November 24, 2021
Intense stories of the religious motives and aspirations of those working both for and against the civil rights movement in Mississippi and 1964. I found it illuminating and, in parts, disturbing. But well worth reading.
February 21, 2018
Wow! Stories I never knew about the characters on both sides of the fight for civil rights in the Deep South during the summer of 1964.
June 27, 2020
No review, but I do want to highly recommend this book. My son read it in college in Mississippi and I received it from him. Absolutely fascinating. Extremely well written. Pertinent.
August 27, 2020
Charles Marsh tells the story of five figures during the civil rights movement and shows how faith informed each of them.
April 22, 2022
This one hit home for me because it covers stories of individuals involved in civil rights in Mississippi. It’s a painful read but a helpful one, especially if you’re a Mississippian.
July 17, 2025
Every Christian should read this book.
Read
November 12, 2015I had to read this book for a course assignment, but I'm glad I did. It was the story of five people of faith and their roles in the civil rights movement, mostly around the summer of 1964 and in and around Alabama. Powerful subject matter and sometimes disturbing because of the violence. One chapter is about a man who is a segregationist and a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. His justification of his views, especially as a Christian, were interesting to read. I want to say he was mentally disturbed but how many believe in this way? I also found my self very upset with the pastor who believed that as a Christian he was to focus on inner peace and getting to heaven than seeing the injustices around him. It made me think of churches today that only focus on the community within their own walls and ignore the oppression and injustices right outside the door.
July 14, 2008
An interesting view on the religious convictions that drove people on both sides during the civil rights movement. This is scholarly study so Marsh does not set out to entertain. He merely presents the facts and the story tells itself.
I thought the most interesting contrast was the one Marsh presented between Fannie Lou Hamer and Sam Bower. Both were driven and drew strength from their deep religious convictions. One withstood hostility, hatred, and oppression for basic human rights. The other was hostile, hateful, and oppressive to keep those rights from other human beings. They both quoted the same verse to justify their actions.
I thought the most interesting contrast was the one Marsh presented between Fannie Lou Hamer and Sam Bower. Both were driven and drew strength from their deep religious convictions. One withstood hostility, hatred, and oppression for basic human rights. The other was hostile, hateful, and oppressive to keep those rights from other human beings. They both quoted the same verse to justify their actions.
December 4, 2009
Great book about five key figures during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Most of the stories take place in Mississippi during the year 1964. The stories of Fannie Lou Hamer, Sam Bowers, Ed King, Douglas Hudgins, and Cleveland Sellers detail how these figures incorporated religion into their actions of the time period. Whether they be for or against the movement, God seemed to play an important role in the way they thought and acted.
Truly a great read. Extremely quick read as well.
Truly a great read. Extremely quick read as well.
March 8, 2008
This book chronicles 6 people through a summer during the Civil Rights movement. Some of the people are very involved with the Civil Rights movement, one is the founder of the White Knights of the KKK, yet their belief in God motivates their actions. It's interesting to see how one religion can spur some people on to sacrifice their lives for the cause of justice, and others can use it to justify their injustice.
July 10, 2015
Just finished this book and, in light of current events, it was a fascinating read. It probes deeply into the religious beliefs fueling several keys participants in the Freedom Summer of 1964. The most interesting bits were the twisted beliefs of Sam Bowers and the lengths he had to go to in order to provide a biblical justification for white supremacy and the "head in the sand" approach of Douglas Hudgins which was indicative of mainstream white Christianity at the time.
January 8, 2020
Helped me nail down the plurality of Christianity, or the concept of “Christianities” or “versions” of Christianity. Not just in the sense of different denominations but in the sense of these different versions of the religion actually performing contradictory functions in the world.
Separately, the chapter on Sam Bowers is one of the best descriptions of modern Christian extremist ideology I’ve come across.
Separately, the chapter on Sam Bowers is one of the best descriptions of modern Christian extremist ideology I’ve come across.
June 19, 2014
Deeply convicting stories, some inspiring that show the power of faith in the struggle for social justice, and some frightening that show how easy it is to stumble into blind spots while still clinging to faith. God definitely pursues us, but we bring a whole lot of our own personality, biases, and ideas to faith.
June 25, 2007
the work that inspired the idea for my undergraduate thesis on the tradition of justice in black christianity and its impact on the modern civil rights movement. not a perfect book, by any means, but significant in terms of what it birthed in me.
February 20, 2008
Narratives of religious leaders from the Civil Rights Movement from the year of 1964. I particularly enjoyed the chapter about Sam Bowers, a former KKK splinter group leader and convicted murderer. His chapter is terrifying.
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