William Henry King began war service in 1862 in Louisiana and ended it in 1865 in Camden; Arkansas. During this period he chronicled action in the Trans-Mississippi theater; producing a diary that yields one of the most important accounts from a Confederate enlisted man. No Pardons to Ask; Nor Apologies to Make is a gritty look into the life of a soldier; with no romantic gloss. While most journals record the mundane day-to-dayroutine; King's consistently detailed entries-notable for their literary style; King's venomous wit; and his colorful descriptions-cover a wide array of matters pertaining to the Confederate experience in the West. King's observations about his superiors; the Confederacy; contraband; and the underreported Trans-Mississippi campaign are especially striking. Though his long service demonstrates a certain loyalty to the Confederate cause; he writes sharp criticisms of his superiors; of military discipline; and of contemporaneous social and class conditions. His discontent is rooted within a fiery sense of independence that conflicts with centralized authority; whether it takes the form of military; government; or class control. Few published diaries capture the tension and turmoil that existed in the Southern ranks or the class resentment that festered in some quarters of the Confederacy. No Pardons to Ask; Nor Apologies to Make makes an important contribution to understanding how class functioned in the Confederate command and also provides a much-needed account of action in the Trans-Mississippi theater; where the primary sources are extremely slim.
#303496 in Books 1996-09-20 1996-09-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .65 x 6.13l; 1.05 #File Name: 1570750599266 pagesmissionscrosscultural
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Exit West; Enter AfricaBy CustomerEntitled "The Transmission of Christian Faith;" his first section deals with a historical overview of missions. In six essays he posits that missiological expansion was really only an episode in Christian history; a blip on the screen. But instead of downplaying its importance; Walls conversely highlights both the diversity and universality of Christianity as expressed in this movement. In one of the essays; the process is displayed in six phases moving from the apostle Paul to Europe and then on to Africa. He deals largely with the interaction between the spread of the gospel and how it transforms culture; so he hints at Africa's importance in this section. In the second section he makes a transition to a clear emphasis on Africa. He interacts with the primal religions of Africa as well as with African Christianity in this section. He identifies exponential growth patterns and charismatic cultural tendencies that now characterize the African Christian Church. However; most interesting is his insistence in making a distinction between the history of the African Church and the history of Christian missions there. Whereas missions in Africa was historically led by Europeans; Walls argues that the evangelical revival in the African church was truly indigenous. Part three sets the stage for missiology. Walls believes there is a new era in Christian theology that is largely due to the demographic shift in global Christianity. He sees theology being shaped more by southern Christians than western ones. Issues like non-western art; scholarship; medicine and organizational methodology highlight the generational and gradual shift in values in southern countries. Walls believes that "Christians outside Africa will have to make some responses to the questions raised in the African arena" (146). A more thorough review is available on buckburch(dot)blogspot(dot)com2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Imporstant new perspectivesBy James A. BergquistThese essays ought to be required reading for all who want to be aware of one of the great movements in Western history. The emergence of the new center of Christian faith and churches in Africa; Asia; Latin America; and the Pacific has become a remarkable development of which too few even educated Westerners are fully aware.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy dipGood