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Tales from the West Texas Dust

© Coy Holley

COWBOYS, JUDAISM, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT--THE CHANGING FACE OF TEXAS RELIGION--AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY

Texas as a state since its discovery by Spanish explorers has been highly influenced by the spread of Christianity within its boundaries. During its domination by the Spaniards and later the Mexicans, the Catholic Church established a firm grip on the peoples that the Spaniards conquered--and that grip is still in place to this day, especially amongst the Hispanic population.

However, Texas has not been immune to the spread of Protestantism. To the contrary, one of the forces that led to Texas independence and then later annexation to the Union was the growing number of Protestant preacherds and lay members that moved from Kentucky, Tennessee, and the rest of the Deep South to resettle in what would soon be the nation (and then later the state) of Texas.

Even today, the state still bears marks of its massive Protestant influence. Southern Baptist and Methodists in particular have made such inroads in this state's development that they can probably be safely considered the predominant denominations within the state. Major educational institutions such as Baylor and Southern Methodist University were created as a result of these denominational efforts. And it is not uncommon to see within most of its towns members of these churches having a major influence on its political, economic, and social development. Big businessmen, politicians, and prominent figures claim as part of their heritage a deep abiding religious faith stemming from the churches they attended in their childhood.

Texas has been (and still is) a place where evangelicalism has been given almost a free hand to impact the everyday lives of its citizens. For instance, until the State of Texas established the lottery in the past decade, Texas Baptists were were a major force in holding back any initiative dealing with making any form of gambling legal within the state. These religious groups for many years were also responsible until the '70s for maintaining Texas's famous "blue laws" prohibiting sales of certain items on Sunday.

But this state has also served as a major base of operations for groups outside the realm of traditional orthodox Christianity. That fact was very apparent in the Branch Davidian standoff near Waco. It was also seen in the face of Spur native Marshall Applewhite who was responsible for the development of the Heaven's Gate UFO cult in California. Around Abilene and Odessa, the House of Yahweh sect has been the source of intense media scrutiny and controversy. And even before its massive doctrinal shift to orthodoxy in 1994, my own church (the Worldwide Church of God) as well as related splinter groups [(Ex.) Church of God, International; Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association] found Texas to be an appropriate major center of operations.