Books in the Religion, Race, and Ethnicity series

Explores the role of African Americans in the Pentecostal Church from 1906-2006

An expansive introduction to the development of African American religion and theology. From the time of slavery up to modern day, the text addresses a broad diversity of African American religion and traces their transition to various forms of Christianity.

Is New York a post-secular city? From Italian Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, and Russian Jews to Zen Buddhists, Rastafarians, and Pentecostal Latinas, this book captures the richness of religious life in New York City and provides an important foundation for our understanding of the current and future shape of religion in America.

This work shows the role that religion and myth have played in the creation of the categories of "race" and "ethnicity". It introduces readers to the social construction of race and ethnicity and the ways in which these concepts are shaped by religious narratives.

This text offers a sweeping view of urban religion in response to the transformations of de-industrialized large cities. Focusing on Chicago, it explores the ways in which religious organizations both reflect and contribute to changes in American pluralism.

Redraws old definitions of what it means to be religious and Asian American.

A glimpse into the diverse stories of Black Jews in the United States What makes a Jew? This book traces the history of Jews of African descent in America and the counter-narratives they have put forward as they stake their claims to Jewishness. The Soul of Judaism offers the first exploration of the full diversity of Black Jews, including bi-racial Jews of both matrilineal and patrilineal descent; adoptees; black converts to Judaism; and Black Hebrews and Israelites, who trace their Jewish roots to Africa and challenge the dominant western paradigm of Jews as white and of European descent.Blending historical analysis and oral history, Haynes showcases the lives of Black Jews within the Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstruction and Reform movements, as well as the religious approaches that push the boundaries of the common forms of Judaism we know today. He illuminates how in the quest to claim whiteness, American Jews of European descent gained the freedom to express their identity fluidly while African Americans have continued to be seen as a fixed racial group. This book demonstrates that racial ascription has been shaping Jewish selfhood for centuries. Pushing us to reassess the boundaries between race and ethnicity, it offers insight into how Black Jewish individuals strive to assert their dual identities and find acceptance within their respective communities. Putting to rest the simplistic notion that Jews are white and that Black Jews are therefore a contradiction, the volume argues that we can no longer pigeonhole Black Hebrews and Israelites as exotic, militant, and nationalistic sects outside the boundaries of mainstream Jewish thought and community life. The volume spurs us to consider the significance of the growing population of self-identified Black Jews and its implications for the future of American Jewry.

Redraws old definitions of what it means to be religious and Asian American.

From 1925 to 1941, African American clergymen teamed up with leading record labels such as Columbia, Paramount, Victor-RCA to record and sell their sermons on wax. These phonograph preachers significantly shaped the development of black religion during the interwar period. This book offers a religious history of the phonograph industry.

Beyond Christianity draws on ethnographic work in a Religious Science church in Oakland, California, to illuminate the ways a group of African Americans has adapted a religion typically thought of as white to fit their needs and circumstances.

An illustrated history of an important cultural institute in NYC - not just religiously influential.

Focuses on the efforts among the Southern and Northern Methodist churches to create a unified national Methodist church, and how their plan for unification came to institutionalize racism and segregation in unprecedented ways.

Womanist approaches to the study of religion and society have contributed much to our understanding of Black religious life, activism, and women's liberation. This volume explores the achievements of this movement, and evaluates some of the leading voices and different perspectives within this field.

Explores the role of African Americans in the Pentecostal Church from 1906-2006

Offers an introduction to the syncretic religions that have developed in the region. From Vodou, Santeria, Regla de Palo, the Abakua Secret Society, and Obeah to Quimbois and Espiritismo, this volume traces the historical-cultural origins of the major Creole religions, as well as the newer traditions such as Pocomania and Rastafarianism.

Offers a rare full-scale look at an African immigrant congregation, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in New York (PCGNY)

Do televangelists proclaim the message of the gospel or a message of greed? Do they represent the 'authentic' voice of the black church or is it the Christian Right in blackface? This book delves into the messages and aesthetic styles of African American televangelists, and evaluates their ethical implications.

Taking a contemporary look at the religiosity of black women, this work explores what is behind black women's intense loyalty to the church. It illuminates the spiritual sustenance the church provides black women, uncovers their critical assessment of the church's ministry, and interprets the consequences of their limited collective activism.

This volume, meant specifically for those new to the field, brings together an ensemble of prominent scholars and illuminates the role religious myths have played in shaping those social boundaries that we call "races" and "ethnicities".

An expansive introduction to the development of African American religion and theology. From the time of slavery up to modern day, the text addresses a broad diversity of African American religion and traces their transition to various forms of Christianity.

This text offers a sweeping view of urban religion in response to the transformations of de-industrialized large cities. Focusing on Chicago, it explores the ways in which religious organizations both reflect and contribute to changes in American pluralism.

Explores how Islamic ideals of racial harmony and equality create hopeful possibilities in an American society that remains challenged by race and class inequalities

"God in Chinatown" is a study of the largest contemporary wave of new immigrants to Chinatown. Since the 1980s, tens of thousands of mostly rural Chinese have migrated from Fuzhou, on China's southeastern coast, to New York's Chinatown.

Offers both a religious history of the House of Prayer as an institution and an intellectual history of its colourful and enigmatic leader

Gathers together for the first time the best research on religion in contemporary New York City

Black theology tends to be a theology about no-body. This title examines theological thinking about race, gender, and sexuality. It investigates the traditional source materials for black theology, such as spirituals and slave narratives, seeking to link them to materials like photography that highlight the theological importance of the body.