Why mountain people live (and worship) near rivers

Stop and think, folks. But floods are not the only threats that these churches face

I thought the Google Maps website could provide me with crucial information for this post. Alas, that was not the case.

I thought that I could call up a map of Burnsville, North Carolina, and then, after enlarging it, I would be able to count all the Baptist churches between I-26 near Mars Hill and Burnsville on U.S. Highway 19 — but very few of them showed up. I would say there’s at least seven, eight or nine on that highway or are visible from it, in a mere 18 miles. Two of those Baptist churches are on the same corner, separated by a two-late road and, one must assume, doctrinal nuances.

Basically, you will find one or two Baptist congregations (in a variety of Baptist “traditions”) wherever the road crosses a creek or comes really close to one. Eventually you reach the Cane River and Burnsville.

Why do I bring this up, attached to a weekend think piece?

In the week-plus since the Hurricane Helene disaster began — stress on the word “began” — I have had a few people outside this region ask me why so many mountain people live along creeks and rivers. Don’t the folks in the mountains know that they are asking for trouble?

In this week’s “Crossroads” post, I put it this way:

Faith is a major force in a region in which almost all of the essential two-lane roads are next to rivers (since the rivers cut through the mountains), all the towns are next to the roads and most of the Baptist churches (there are hundreds) are next to rivers that are often used in baptism rites.

Life in the Southern Highlands is, for the most part, squeezed into the water-cut folds in these granite and basalt mountains, which are among the most ancient in the world. Building roads on the sides or the ridges of these mountains is almost impossible, which is why the Blue Ridge Parkway (parts of it wrecked by Helene and closed indefinitely) is so spectacular.

Visitors will find churches all over the place in these mountains, but a high percentage of the small Baptist sanctuaries are within walking distance of rivers and creeks — for logical reasons. How many of these churches will survive the flood? How many of them will survive the modern world?