Gerald Burton Winrod: Defender of Christianity and democracy in the United States
Abstract
This research attempted to uncover the effects,
if any, that the pronouncements of Gerald Burton Winrod,
an evangelist from Wichita, Kansas, had upon President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, and the American
people. To understand the rationale of Winrod, a complete
study of his life was made. Included in this study
was Winrod's success as a crusader for the fundamentalists
during the religious controversies of the 1920s. This
investigation revealed that Winrod came from a simple,
small town background, and he viewed change of any
kind as dangerous and unholy. Throughout his life,
Winrod opposed liberal thinkers and innovative ideas
even if the results would have been beneficial to the
American people.
Diligent study revealed that Winrod did little
to effect change during his lifetime. The solution
to what he believed were the problems of the 1930s
were not only prayer and salvation but the condemnation
of liberal thinkers and their ideas. Winrod was a
voice for those who were disenchanted with the Roosevelt
administration and a beacon to those bent on racism
and bigotry.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)-- Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History