Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-25-2026
Abstract
This presentation is grounded in Theodore Roosevelt’s notion of the “bully pulpit,” defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a “public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with the opportunity to speak out and be listened to on any issue” (in this context, “bully” is used in its 19th-century sense of “very good” or “excellent,” not in its modern sense of someone who likes to intimidate, threaten, or actually harm others).
Roosevelt used the term metaphorically, but my presentation will focus on literal pulpits, specifically those occupied by ministers whose sermons challenge the prevailing orthodoxies of a majority Protestant and Republican state. I will offer examples from all 3 Abrahamic faiths: a self-described queer Quaker who often preached on LGBTQ issues and recorded a kind of anti-eulogy for Charlie Kirk; a rabbi who defended reproductive rights and argued that abortion is permissible under Jewish law; and a Black imam who spoke out against what he saw as the racism and intellectual bankruptcy that characterizes much of American Christianity.
Recommended Citation
Ellison, Robert H. “West Virginia Bully Pulpits: Three Faith Leaders Speak Their Truths.” Power of a Place, Power of Its People, Appalachian Studies Association, 20 March 2026, Huntington, WV. Conference Presentation.
Included in
Appalachian Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Islamic Studies Commons, Jewish Studies Commons
Comments
Copyright 2026 Ellison