In the Bible, Titus 2:3-5 says, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” According to these scriptures, women are to be obedient to their husband, teach their children and stay at home. Many women abided by these rules until the idea of evangelicalism ultimately changed the South’s entire view on religious matters. It dismantled the idea and beliefs that Southerners had held on to for so many years prior. Southern evangelical whites modeled their churches and lifestyles around the primitive Christian communities of the New Testament, fellowship, godly discipline and self-abasement. Evangelical Christianity gave …show more content…
The evangelical movement was not only a religious movement, but also a social movement. For the most part, Americans lived their lives within hierarchal ordered institutions. Men were seen mostly out in society, while women on the other hand were expected to stay at home and tend to house chores and family matters. Fathers often guided their daughters into marrying a suitable husband and once a suitable husband was found, the women were under the husband’s control. After the nineteenth century, when evangelicalism broke loose, this hierarchy became a thing of the past. Women now felt more empowered than ever before. Many southerners felt that evangelical teaching under minded the integrity of white households and distorted the southern idea of family. This led to many complications not only within families, but also within society and especially within