Abilene, TX — After the fire came a sound of sheer silence. When the civil rights movement shook the United States, Churches of Christ largely remained silent. Only a few brave voices dared to speak out. Historian Wes Crawford, drawing inspiration from the prophet Elijah’s discovery of God’s presence in the “sheer silence,” invites readers to explore this era and the largely overlooked stories of a handful of ministers who risked everything to challenge racism within the church.
Crawford’s groundbreaking work begins with twentieth-century church leaders who openly supported White supremacy or turned a blind eye. Under their watchful guidance, they carefully managed the cultural engagement of Churches of Christ through colleges, journals, and lectureship gatherings. He then highlights the lesser-known heroes, like Carl Spain, John Allen Chalk, Walter Burch, Dwain Evans, and Bud Stumbaugh, who spoke out against the establishment at high personal and professional costs. Their sacrifices and bravery offer lessons that resonate with this day.
“Courage in the Sheer Silence” is a tour de force, an eye-opening journey into the powers that maintain racial inequality and injustice and the deep costs paid by those who choose to resist. This book reveals in stunning detail how the evil principality of racial injustice is no respecter of race. White leaders who speak against it will be silenced, shunned, pushed out, and defrocked. Wes Crawford gives voice to those forgotten for doing what is right, and in so doing, he gives us direction and courage to do what is right today.”—Dr. Michael O. Emerson, Chavanne Fellow in Religion and Public Policy, the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, and coauthor of Divided by Faith and The Religion of Whiteness
Wes Crawford serves as Associate Professor of Church History at Abilene Christian University, where he also leads the Center for Restoration Studies and holds the position of Vice Provost. Before transitioning to academia, Wes spent two decades in ministry, preaching at the Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock and the Glenwood Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas. His academic work focuses on American religious history, particularly the intersection of race and religion, a topic he explores in depth in his book Shattering the Illusion. Wes and his wife, Kim, have been married for over twenty years and are the proud parents of four children.
Courage in the Sheer Silence
By Wes Crawford
May 2025, Softcover
208 Pages, $22.99
ISBN: 9781684260133
Media Contact: Kaylin Graves, publicity@leafwoodpublishers.
