Foreword by Elmer Kelton.

A writer once denounced the Lone Star State as "where the Godly could battle 'the devil' on his own ground." Circuit riders and other early preachers confronted dangerous outlaws, Indians, wild animals, and Texas' unpredictable weather. Their stories chronicle bringing one element of civilization to early explorers and settlers. Some fought for Texas independence with a Bible in one hand and a rifle in the other; others worked as drovers and preached along the cattle trails. One served as a deputy sheriff; others, as fort chaplains. European immigrant ministers and Negro preachers formed an unlikely mix in East Texas. The frontier lured them into all the danger, adventure, and challenge of others who faced the "devil in Texas." Circuit riders had preached to all regions of Texas before they "hung up their spurs and went to the camp meeting in the sky."

**Winner of the 2021 Texas Institute of Letters Carr P. Collins’ Award for Best Book of Nonfiction** One part Columbine, one part God Save Texas, Joe Holley's riveting, compassionate book examines the 2017 mass shooting at a church in a small Texas town, revealing the struggles and triumphs of these fellow Texans long after the satellite news trucks have gone. Sutherland Springs was the last place anyone would have expected to be victimized by our modern-day scourge of mass shootings. Founded in the 1850s along historic Cibolo Creek, the tiny community, named for the designated physician during the siege of the Alamo, was once a vibrant destination for wealthy tourists looking to soak up the "cures" of its namesake mineral springs. By November 5, 2017, however, the day a former Air Force enlistee opened fire in the town's First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs was a shadow of its former self. Twenty-six people died that Sunday morning, in the worst mass shooting in a place of worship in American history. Holley, who roams the Lone Star State as the "Native Texan" columnist for the Houston Chronicle and earned a Pulitzer- Prize nomination for his editorials about guns, spent more than a year embedded in the community. Long after most journalists had left, he stayed with his fellow Texans, getting to know a close-knit group of people - victims, heroes, and survivors. Holley shows how they work to come to terms with their loss and to rebuild shattered lives, marked by their deep faith in God and in guns. He also uses Sutherland Springs' unique history and its decades-long decline as a prism for understanding how an act of unspeakable violence reflects the complicated realities of Texas and America in the twenty-first century.

For more information including sample entries, full contents listing, and more, visit the Encyclopedia of Protestantism web site. Routledge is proud to announce the publication of a new major reference work from world-renowned scholar Hans J. Hillerbrand. The Encyclopedia of Protestantism is the definitive reference to the history and beliefs that continue to exert a profound influence on Western thought. Featuring entries written by an international team of specialists and scholars, the encyclopedia traces the course of Protestantism from its beginnings prior to 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral, to the vital and diverse international scene of the present day.

Swedish immigrate settlers in Williamson County met together in homes for worship services as early as 1884. In 1891 this congregation was organized in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sven Peterson by 21 charter members, known as Brushy Evangelical Free Church. The congregation built a sanctuary in 1892 on land southeast of Georgetown donated by C. J. Gustafson. This Georgetown site was acquired in 1960, and a new sanctuary was dedicated in 1963. This church has been part of Williamson County history for nearly a century. (1988)

Two Page Murdock Westerns From Spur Award-Winning Author Loren D. Estleman! Cape Hell Page Murdock is ordered to Cape Hell, Mexico, to verify a report that former Confederate Captain Oscar Childress is raising an army to take over Mexico City--and turn north to rekindle the Civil War. Unable to talk himself out of the mission, Murdock heads south on a steam train named El Espanto--The Ghost. The Book of Murdock Murdock dons a clerical collar to worm his way into the confidences of the wary residents of Owen, Texas. Seems a gang of ruthless bandits is terrorizing the Texas panhandle and all evidence points to the dusty cattle town as their base of operations. Murdock aims to unmask the gang, provided he can pass himself off as a preacher long enough to stay alive. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.