The 1950s and ‘60s were marked by the Civil Rights movement, as African Americans mobilized to gain the same equal rights under the law as white people enjoyed. It seems as if churches should have been on the forefront of this movement. Yet, most all-white churches would fight hard to remain segregated. The integration of these churches became one of the aims of the Civil Rights movement resulting in the church visit campaign of 1963-4. Groups of ministers and laypeople, both black and white, would attempt to enter churches for Sunday services. Although the tactic was followed throughout the south, the campaign in Jackson Mississippi was the most sustained.

In his book, Sanctuaries of Segregation, author Carter Dalton Lyon gives a fascinating and well-documented account of the church visit campaign in Jackson including its place within the larger movement, how it compared to the campaigns in other cities, and, of course, the response by the churches both at the local and denominational levels, the in-fighting it often caused as local churches defied national directives to integrate, the excuses churches found, often scripture-based, to protect segregation, and the ministers and laypeople whose commitment to the cause of desegregation never waivered despite all the obstacles thrown in their way.

Thanks to Netgalley and the University Press of Mississippi for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that the church would be made one. In this book, we get a picture of what that looks like in practicality.
That the church wasn’t always at the forefront of the civil rights discussion is a bewilderment. For that reason, this story is cautionary. Can the same spirit if division that caused members of churches to turn away their black brothers and sisters still be present today? Do we still divide ourselves with no regard to loving our neighbor?
The undercurrent of this story is an entire people group who had every right to result to physical force to garner what should have been theirs already. They didn’t, however. They chose to follow a path of faith, and there are precious few fights that follow that path. There is more to be learned here than history. There is the true, unifying, alternative way of our Savior.

This book is amazing!!!! Full of so much information and engrossing. What this amazing, strong group of people had to endure and still persevered is empowering. Another must read for all. I stayed up late into the night even though I had to go to work the next morning, I could not put it down. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.