Heroes Of The Fiery Cross
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''Heroes of the Fiery Cross'' is a book published in 1928 by Protestant Bishop Alma Bridwell White, in which she praises and portrays the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
as a heroic force while "sounding the alarm about imagined threats to Protestant Americans from
Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
", according to author Peter Knight. In the book she asks rhetorically, "Who are the enemies of the Klan? They are the bootleggers, law-breakers, corrupt politicians, weak-kneed Protestant church members, white slavers, toe-kissers, wafer-worshippers, and every spineless character who takes the path of least resistance." White frequently uses the Klan's racist and anti-Catholic talking points, such as arguing for the idea that Catholics were attempting to remove the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
from public schools. Another topic is her stance towards the United States presidential election of 1928, in which
Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...
, a Catholic, was running for president.


History

White was the author of more than 35 books published by the Pillar of Fire Church. In her writings and sermons her political views consisted of a mixture of
women's equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
,
anti-catholicism Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics and opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and its adherents. Scholars have identified four categories of anti-Catholicism: constitutional-national, theological, popular and socio-cul ...
,
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
,
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
, nativism and
white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
. The book is a compendium of essays written by White and of illustrations by Reverend Branford Clarke that were originally published in the pro-
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
political periodical '' The Good Citizen'', one of the numerous periodicals published by the Pillar of Fire Church at their communal headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The book contains an introductory letter of commendation from Hiram Wesley Evans, the then Imperial Wizard of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
. ''Heroes'' is the final work in a series of three books White published to promote the Klan. The other books were '' The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy'' in 1925, and '' Klansmen: Guardians of Liberty'', in 1926. White republished her Klan books as a three-volume set in 1943, three years before her death and 21 years after her initial association with the Klan, under the title '' Guardians of Liberty''. The book include essays with titles such as ''Roman Catholic-Hebrew Alliance''; ''Mussolini, Rome, and Reds''; and ''Immigration and White Supremacy''.


White supremacy

Alma White emphatically expresses her sympathy for former slaveowners since they were not compensated for their loss of "property" following the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. She expresses her fear and distress toward ongoing
racial mixing Miscegenation ( ) is marriage or admixture between people who are members of different races or ethnicities. It has occurred many times throughout history, in many places. It has occasionally been controversial or illegal. Adjectives describin ...
and uses biblical citations as divine justification for
white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
.


External links


Cartoon illustrations in ''Heroes of the Fiery Cross''
on Flickr.


Further reading

*Kristin E. Kandt, "Historical Essay: In the Name of God; An American Story of Feminism, Racism, and Religious Intolerance: The Story of Alma Bridwell White," in ''The American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law'' 8.3 (2000): 753-794 *Lynn S. Neal, "Christianizing the Klan: Alma White, Branford Clarke, and the Art of Religious Intolerance," in ''Church History'' 78.2 (June 2009): 350-378. * * * *


References

{{Authority control Books about the Ku Klux Klan Anti-Catholicism in the United States Pillar of Fire International 1928 non-fiction books Anti-black racism in the United States Political books White supremacy in the United States Anti-Catholic publications