Black Gods of the Metropolis

by Fauset, Arthur Huff; Savage, Barbara Dianne; Szwed, John

• ISBN13: 9780812210019
• ISBN10: 0812210018
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1970-12-15
• Publisher: Ingram Publisher Services, Inc.

Summary

Stemming from his anthropological field work among black religious groups in Philadelphia in the early 1940s, Arthur Huff Fauset believed it was possible to determine the likely direction that mainstream black religious leadership would take in the future, a direction that later indeed manifested itself in the civil rights movement. The American black church, according to Fauset and other contemporary researchers, provided the one place where blacks could experiment without hindrance in activities such as business, politics, social reform, and social expression. With detailed primary accounts of these early spiritual movements and their beliefs and practices,Black Gods of the Metropolisreveals the fascinating origins of such significant modern African American religious groups as the Nation of Islam as well as the role of lesser known and even forgotten churches in the history of the black community. In her new foreword, historian Barbara Dianne Savage discusses the relationship between black intellectuals and black religion, in particular the relationship between black social scientists and black religious practices during Fauset's time. She then explores the complexities of that relationship and its impact on the intellectual and political history of African American religion in general.

Author Biography

Arthur Huff Fauset (1899-1983) was a civil rights activist, educator, folklorist, and author of several works, including Sojourner Truth, a biography. Barbara Dianne Savage is Associate Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She is author of Broadcasting Freedom: Radio, War, and the Politics of Race, 1938-1948.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Introduction	p. xvii
Author's Note	p. xxiii
Negro Religious Cults in the Urban North	p. 1
Mt. Sinai Holy Church of America, Inc.	p. 13
United House of Prayer for All People (Bishop Grace)	p. 22
Church of God (Black Jews)	p. 31
Moorish Science Temple of America	p. 41
Father Divine Peace Mission Movement	p. 52
Comparative Study	p. 68
Why the Cults Attract	p. 76
The Cult as a Functional Institution	p. 87
The Negro and His Religion	p. 96
Summary of Findings	p. 107
Appendices	p. 111
Bibliography	p. 123
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.