This study examines the development of Marshall Keeble’s work during the early and middle parts of the twentieth century in the Church of Christ. The purpose of this study is to examine the direction taken by Keeble in his work and determine whether he was a submissive Tom used by whites to accomplish their goals among blacks, or to determine if he was pursuing his own grand strategy to defuse racial tension in the Church of Christ. Conclusions of this research denote that Marshall Keeble was following a grand strategy, or a decisive course of action designed to erase the color line in the Church of Christ without the negative effects of creating further division in the church. The final analysis demonstrates that the strategy of Marshall Keeble was effective, whereas the strategy of Keeble’s contemporaries was impotent.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Religion)--Vanderbilt University, Aug. 2008. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.