About

Welcome! I'm the author of The Sword of the Lord: The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family (Chiara Press, May 2011). I was born into one of the leading fundamentalist families of the 20^th century. My grandfather was John R. Rice, dean of American fundamentalists for decades until his death in 1980, and mentor to many younger Baptist preachers including Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell, as well as founding editor of The Sword of the Lord newspaper.  My great-grandfather, Will Rice, was a preacher, a Texas State senator, and a member of the Ku Klux Klan. By the time I was four, I had been saved; by the time I was 20, I’d turned his back on the career expected of the oldest son, grandson and great-grandson of Baptist preachers, becoming  instead an activist in the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 60s.   Only later in life did I begin a spiritual journey to reconnect with and redefine my family’s spiritual heritage.   I was co-founder of the international movement, “Poets Against the War,” in 2003 and producer of the acclaimed 2005 documentary, Voices in Wartime, an exploration of the trauma of war through the lens of poetry. I am also the founder and president of Voices, a web site dedicated to amplifying the voices of veterans and civilian witnesses to war, in order to heal the wounds of war and lay the basis for a more peaceful world In April of 2011, I was selected as an Ambassador for the Charter for Compassion.  Finally, I am a member of the Total Experience Gospel Choir!

Andrew Himes