In the Hands of a Happy God: The "No-Hellers" of Central Appalachia

Very informative albeit a slow start. It doesn't delve deeply into PBU theology until halfway through the book. The first half is mainly the regional history of the the church.Still worth picking up!

This is a great book and is very well written. Dorgan gives an in depth view into a little known group of Baptists found in Appalachia. Fantastic read.

Great historical info.

Not an overstatement. If you have so much as a passing interest in Appalachian culture, do yourself and solid and read this book-- it brings to light a church that is usually overlooked in Appalachia, even by those who live there. To say it is interesting is to make a great, great error of judgement. It is riveting!Of course, I am assuming going in that you are interested in Appalachian Studies and Culture. If not-- this probably isn't the book for you. But also, you probably didn't navigate to this page if you're not interested in Appalachian culture.Dr. Dorgan takes an academic subject and writes it in a way that is accessible to the average joe. His book is thoroughly researched and well written, including plenty of one-on-one interviews. It's priceless that Dr. Dorgan succeeded in recording this facet of Appalachian culture.

In the Hands of a Happy God is a superb introduction to a kinder view of religion and especially of the doctrine of atonement. Dr. Dorgan, in an easy-to-read but quite scholarly way, shows how the notion of universal salvation enlivens a religious view that can be rather dreadful. He shows how it works in the very real lives of people who live in the Appalachian culture.This is a must-read for anyone who has an interest in culture and religion.

This book collects most of the written material available and includes actual person-to-person contact to document the Primitive Baptist Universalist church in Central Appalachia. Well-researched and well-written, this book describes a religious group that is remarkable for its openness and extreme forgiveness in a region traditionally viewed as fundamentalist, crude, and harsh. Readers must wade through excessive detail at times but if they persevere, the detail helps to color in the shades of this unique group.

The internet had just started getting popular. Not everyone had access to it. Now, with all the free books and online tools available, knowledge of the Bible and its Doctrines and Church History is much easier. The growth possible since then is greater than when the printing press was invented. This 1997 snapshot of the various Baptists groups would be much different today, 2020. I would love to see an updated version. More Christians no longer support the 501c3 churches, since they are gagged by the Government and the IRS. While the slow to change mainline denominations are shrinking, the informal home churches are expanding. The book is a valuable baseline for future studies.