In this provocative new book, David Chappell examines the role of religion and religious thought in the Civil Rights movement. By focusing on the intellectual and religious underpinnings of both the activists and their segregationist rivals, he makes a persuasive argument that the struggle should best be understood as a prophetic religious movement, rather than as a social movement or as the triumph of a liberal consensus. Scrutinizing religion allows Chappell to shift the historiographical debate away from protests and violence to the role of ideas, principles, and faith.