147 Because his views ran contrary to Presbyterian doctrine of his day, he was convicted of heresy by the Presbytery of Ouachita in 1908. Promptly withdrawing from the Prebyterian church, he moved down the street and formed the First Congregational Church. He took this action with the urging and support of fully three-fourths of his members who joined him in a new church. He remained their pastor until his retirement twenty-nine years later. Maddox, of course, was an exception. Most southerners, and probably most Americans, espoused the fundamentalist doctrines and attitudes held by those who brought charges and convicted Maddox. Though an exception, Maddox is significant because he realized that forces deeply rooted in the South and the nation were bringing a new world view of material progress. The orgin and influence of the new idea of progress among civic and political leaders of one southern town, most of whom were heirs of a tradition of military defeat, humiliation, and suffering alien to a world of success and prosperity, can be seen by studying the extent to which religious ideas both helped form and were transformed by the idea of progress, for organized religion was keenly important to the people of the South in 1908. Two of the forces Maddox reflected which aided this new emphasis on material progress were Progressivism and the New South. Encompassing political reforms such as the direct election of senators, economic changes such as government regulation or dismantling of corporate trusts, and social justice crusades, Progressivism aimed at making the new industrial society more democratic, humane, and efficient. Recent studies have emphasized the diversity of both Progressivism's achivements and its adherents. Socio-economic characteristics of Progressivism elsewhere in the nation aptly describe supporters of Maddox who can be legitimately labeled "Progressives (2)." ___________________ 2. Peter G. Filene, "An Obituary for 'The Progressive Movement'," American Quarterly, XXII (Spring 1970), 33; David P. Thelen, "Social Tensions and the Origins of Progressivism," Journal of American History, LVI (September 1969), 323-341; Samuel P. Hays, "The Politics of Reform in Municipal Government in the Progressive Era," Pacific Northwest Quarterly, LV (October 1964), 157-169.         Contents  Words  Study Questions  Related Sites  Next Page