Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
From the Outside, In: A Study of the Effects of Internal Colonization on Christianity in Central Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Christianity is heavily influenced by those who practice it, often with political and social mores holding sway over theology and theological practices. While Christianity has been written about since near its inception, other than Elder John Sparks’ work The Roots of Appalachian Christianity: The Life and Legacy of Elder Shubal Stearns (Religion in the South), there has been relatively little scholarship on the evolution of Christianity in Appalachia, particularly that of the Central Region. This paper considers Christianity in Central Appalachia, and how colonial-esque situations unique to such periphery regions might affect faith and religion. Through the analysis of historical studies, pastors’ reflections, and Helen M. Lewis’s work on internal colonization theory featured in Colonialism in Modern America: The Appalachian Case, Christianity in Appalachia will be explored not only as a product of the region, but also as a product of the outside influences facing the region’s inhabitants. Looking at the effects of internal colonization through the extraction of resources and the inculcation of an outside influence by way of company culture, one might see that Christianity stands as a safe hold of the original inhabitants of the region. I argue that internal colonization has not only pushed Christian groups to become deeply embedded within the community, but has also placed pressure on it to become independent of the prescribed culture, ultimately resulting in fundamentalism, extremism, and an outreach to something other-worldly and strictly defined through and literal reading of scripture, offering an escape from current socioeconomic and geographic situations.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
The Reverend Kimberly Gibson is a commissioned minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and is currently residing in Lexington, Kentucky. She originates from Eastern Kentucky, where she has seen first-hand the consequences of outside corporations extracting resources from the mountainous terrain, at a detriment to both people and landscape. Gibson attended Morehead State University in Morehead, KY for her undergraduate degree in History and Appalachian Studies, and has pursued further studies at Lexington Theological Seminary, where she has completed a graduate certificate in Pastoral Ministry as is currently working toward completion of a Masters in Divinity ultimately culminating in the rite of Ordination to Christian Ministry, anticipated in 2018.
From the Outside, In: A Study of the Effects of Internal Colonization on Christianity in Central Appalachia
Christianity is heavily influenced by those who practice it, often with political and social mores holding sway over theology and theological practices. While Christianity has been written about since near its inception, other than Elder John Sparks’ work The Roots of Appalachian Christianity: The Life and Legacy of Elder Shubal Stearns (Religion in the South), there has been relatively little scholarship on the evolution of Christianity in Appalachia, particularly that of the Central Region. This paper considers Christianity in Central Appalachia, and how colonial-esque situations unique to such periphery regions might affect faith and religion. Through the analysis of historical studies, pastors’ reflections, and Helen M. Lewis’s work on internal colonization theory featured in Colonialism in Modern America: The Appalachian Case, Christianity in Appalachia will be explored not only as a product of the region, but also as a product of the outside influences facing the region’s inhabitants. Looking at the effects of internal colonization through the extraction of resources and the inculcation of an outside influence by way of company culture, one might see that Christianity stands as a safe hold of the original inhabitants of the region. I argue that internal colonization has not only pushed Christian groups to become deeply embedded within the community, but has also placed pressure on it to become independent of the prescribed culture, ultimately resulting in fundamentalism, extremism, and an outreach to something other-worldly and strictly defined through and literal reading of scripture, offering an escape from current socioeconomic and geographic situations.
