General Howard’s Seattle Revival
The Civil War general takes the pulpit to debate the 'infidelity' of the American West.
The story, cleaned up
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General O.O. Howard addressed a full house at the Congregational Church. The General, a Christian and a soldier of his country, spoke on his travels through the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, and other parts of the West, where he found an alarming amount of infidelity, with many openly declaring they did not accept the Bible as the revealed word of God. He attributed this to the unnatural gloom exhibited by Christians, which led some to believe they could not enjoy life within the pale of the church. He argued that Christianity should be a joy and that eternal life begins here, making this world a heaven.
“He believed that Christianity should be a joy and that eternal life begins here, making this world a heaven and life a joy.”
O.O. Howard, a central figure in the post-Civil War military and a founder of Howard University, was a frequent visitor to the Pacific Northwest while overseeing the Department of the Columbia. His lament about the 'infidelity' of the frontier reflects the tension between traditional religious structures and the fiercely independent, secular streak that has characterized the Pacific Northwest since its earliest territorial days.
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