There is a spectrum

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 01.21.2010 / 1:55 PM PST

It should go without saying, but not all Nixa residents think alike. Though most are politically conservative, there is a spectrum of opinion. This ideological diversity is apparent on many issues. Here are just a few examples:
Census 2010: A letter in the Springfield News-Leader complains, “Knowing that you are a very liberal paper, it does not surprise me that […]

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Conservative Populism on the March

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 12.29.2009 / 1:44 AM PST

The passage of the health care bill by the United States Senate is evoking strong reactions in the Evangelical Epicenters. One of the loudest protests comes in the form of a YouTube video by former Branson performer Ray Stevens. Entitled “We the People,” the video features Stevens in a variety of costumes, including a Revolutionary War uniform, complete with […]

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“They Are Me”: Going Rogue in the Ozarks

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 12.03.2009 / 2:31 PM PST

More than any politician in America, Sarah Palin embodies the tradition of conservative populism.  Like Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater before her, she speaks for a segment of middle America that defines itself over against a liberal establishment of bicoastal elites.
Last night Palin took her populist roadshow to the College of the Ozarks, praising the “example it […]

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Rachel Maddow Ridicules Ozarks School

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 10.23.2009 / 4:23 PM PDT

On December 2nd, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will speak to a capacity crowd at the College of the Ozarks, just 30 miles south of Nixa.  According to an October 20th press release, “The ticket line quickly filled, consuming all tickets available to the public.”
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow wasted no time in ridiculing a place […]

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Paranoia and Common Sense in the Evangelical Ozarks

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 10.05.2009 / 3:21 PM PDT

Paranoia and common sense were present in equal measure last week in the Missouri Ozarks.
On the one hand, public discourse reached a new low with the showing of a “birther” infomercial on Springfield’s KSPR TV.  Alleging that Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen, the commercial asserted that his presidency is illegal.  Produced by the evangelical group LivePrayer.com, it took […]

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A More Civil Conservatism

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 09.21.2009 / 4:29 PM PDT

In the wake of Joe Wilson’s recent outburst, it is easy to forget about a kinder, gentler tradition in conservative politics.  Rooted in a philosophy of limited government and conservative morality, this tradition emphasizes the importance of civility and courtesy in political argument.  Think William F. Buckley, not WorldNet Daily.
Republican Congressman Roy Blunt exemplified such civility in […]

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Nixa is Complicated

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 09.08.2009 / 2:52 PM PDT

Dante Chinni’s latest piece (”Why schools in Nixa, Mo., won’t show Obama’s speech“) has sparked a lively debate about politics in the Ozarks, with some readers accusing Nixa of harboring “racists” and “nutcases.”  More than one Nixa resident was offended by these labels.  One person took “issue with many of the comments  (’racist,’ not a ‘normal human being,’ ‘crazy,’ ‘unreliable,’ […]

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Booing McCaskill in the Ozarks

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 09.01.2009 / 12:55 PM PDT

Near the end of her tenth and final town hall meeting, Senator Claire McCaskill admonished a heckler: “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.” Despite the Bible Belt setting, the audience was in no mood for the words of Jesus.  
Belligerent from the start, some in the crowd booed McCaskill before she even opened her mouth.  Adding […]

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Going Green in Nixa

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 08.21.2009 / 5:41 PM PDT

Last year my son’s elementary school began the semester with a patriotic extravaganza, complete with a visit from the Missouri National Guard, three Humvees, and a Huey helicopter.  It was all part of the 2008-2009 theme: “Espy Elementary: An All-American School.”
This year Espy is going green, led by newly-hired Principal Michelle Wilkerson.  Gone are the bulletin board […]

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Uncertain About Obama’s Birth

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 07.31.2009 / 5:44 PM PDT

A recent poll reports that just 77 percent of the country believes that Barack Obama is American born.  The same poll found that opinion on the matter is divided by region.  Only 47 percent of Southerners are sure that Obama was born in the USA, compared to 90 percent of Midwesterners.  How do Ozarkers feel about the matter?  Because the […]

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Cap and trade bill could really hurt Midwest

Posted by Ryan Bowling | 07.24.2009 / 11:37 AM PDT

This week I wrote an article for the Xpress about the federal cap and trade bill, also known as the Waxman-Markey House bill, that could really put a damper on the whole “go green” effort. Well, unless by green they actually mean the color of money.
In a memo recently shared with city leaders by the […]

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Sam’s Club and the Vanishing Ozarks

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 07.23.2009 / 3:10 PM PDT

This morning I attended the grand opening of the area’s latest Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart’s membership-only warehouse store.  Down the road from Nixa in nearby Springfield, the brand new big box sits across from local favorite Andy’s Frozen Custard  (see “My Ozarks Heart Attack“) and the sprawling Library Center.  Since Nixa has no public library, residents often pay to use […]

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God, Country, and Service

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 07.04.2009 / 5:47 PM PDT

Yesterday we attended the massive “I Love America” celebration sponsored by James River Assembly.  We were not alone.  According to the Springfield News-Leader, this year’s event broke all records, attracting over 120,000 spectators.  The fact that the Ozarks’ largest fireworks show was put on by a mega-church reflects the close connections between God and country in this […]

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Common Ground on Sex Education?

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 06.16.2009 / 1:58 PM PDT

Last weekend we visited my in-laws in Kansas.  During our visit, the Wichita Eagle ran another front page story on the May 31st murder of Dr. George Tiller, the late-term abortionist who made Kansas an epicenter for the American anti-abortion movement. 
Sharing the front page was a piece on the 150th anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s  raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.  Visitors […]

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Gun Culture in the Evangelical Epicenters

Posted by John Schmalzbauer | 06.02.2009 / 2:11 PM PDT

The high profile shooting of Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller is likely to revive the national debate over guns.  Proponents of gun control will use this incident to make a case for further restrictions.  Such rhetoric will further heighten the fears of Ozarks gun owners and sportsmen.
Even before Sunday’s shooting, some Ozarkers worried that President Barack Obama would […]

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Evangelical Epicenters

Evangelical Epicenters

Nixa, MO

Briskly growing small and midsize towns with family age populations; middle income with some affluent and poor; low incidence of mainline Protestant and Catholic churchgoers, higher incidence of evangelical adherents, particularly in the South and border states; Mormons in the West; some minority presence, chiefly blacks (in the South) and Latinos (in the West).

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About Christian County, MO

Home of Nixa

"This small city in the Ozarks, just five minutes from Springfield, is not a picture of Norman Rockwell America. For one, it lacks the quintessential main street. And chats among neighbors are more likely to take place at the McDonald's on Highway 160 than at the local coffee shop..."

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Population, income, and education
Population (2006) 70,283
Median household income (per year) $39,809
Median age 43.3
Families in poverty (%)7.1%
High school graduates (%) 85.9%
Bachelors degree (%) 20.9%
Ethnicity (percent listed for all below)
White 96.8%
Black 0.6%
Latino 2.3%
Native American 0.6%
Bi-racial 1.5%
Asian-Pacific 0.5%
Employment (percent listed for all below)
Military 0.3%
Government 11.2%
Agriculture 2.2%
Professional 6.5%
Trade and services 32.4%

Local community bloggers

Ryan Bowling

Ryan Bowling

Nixa, MO

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Ryan Bowling is the editor of the weekly Nixa XPress newspaper in Nixa, Mo. He has been honored with awards for his feature writing and coverage of young people. Mr. Bowling holds BAs in journalism and writing from Drury University in Springfield, Mo. He has lived in southwest Missouri for 13 years while his wife Dallas is a life-long resident of the region.

John Schmalzbauer

John Schmalzbauer

Nixa, MO

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Sociologist John Schmalzbauer teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at Missouri State University where he holds the Blanche Gorman Strong Chair in Protestant Studies. A Minnesota native, he has lived in Nixa since 2004. His research and teaching focus on American evangelicalism, religious forms of popular culture, and the Bible Belt religion of the Missouri Ozarks. His book People of Faith: Religious Conviction in American Journalism and Higher Education (Cornell University Press) explores the role of religion in the careers of 40 prominent journalists and scholars, including Cokie Roberts, Fred Barnes, and Cal Thomas. He holds a doctorate in sociology from Princeton University and a bachelor's degree in political science from Wheaton College (Illinois), the alma mater of Billy Graham and Wes Craven (the creator of The Nightmare on Elm Street films).

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