Southern White Protestant Men, Church-State Relations, and Prohibition in Texas, 1865–1920

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of support for prohibition in Texas between 1865 and 1920 by comparing white male Methodists and Baptists on the issue to another influential but often overlooked white Protestant denomination: Episcopalians, who more strictly observed the southern doctrine of the spirituality of the church. Regional (southern) Methodist and Baptist denominations lead the prohibition campaign in the South, yet their reform project transcended regional and denominational barriers. Episcopalians, on the other hand, were more focused on internal unity and so usually avoided controversial issues like prohibition but occasionally denounced it as counter-effective and extremist. A pulpit-pew divide showed in all denominations, usually favoring anti-prohibitionists: prominent Episcopal laymen rejected prohibition, but some white Methodist and Baptist politicians also opposed it. While some religious actors certain supported prohibition, other (including Episcopal bishops) opposed it. Rather than speaking univocally, white male Protestants ranged the spectrum on prohibition.