The Spirit in Black and White: Early Twentieth-Century Pentecostals and Race Relations, 1905-1945

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dc.contributor.advisorBoles, John B.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberMatusow, Allen J.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberPinn, Anthony B.
dc.creatorHamilton, Blaine
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-11T15:40:16Z
dc.date.available2014-12-01T06:10:04Z
dc.date.created2014-05
dc.date.issued2013-12-03
dc.date.submittedMay 2014
dc.date.updated2014-09-11T15:40:16Z
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation is a study of the influence of American racial ideology upon the formation of several Pentecostal organizations in the early twentieth century. While America’s major denominations were racially segregated just after the Civil War, these Pentecostal groups emerged at a moment in which American society was still deciding how to address the contact and conflict between different races. Racial segregation was not a settled issue at the turn of the century and Pentecostals were forced to choose whether they would accept the principles of segregation or resist by forming interracial religious communities. The project examines four different organizations, the Apostolic Faith Movement, the Azusa Street Mission, the Church of God in Christ and the Assemblies of God, which stretch from Tennessee to California, exploring their response to racial segregation and white supremacy. Each of these Pentecostal groups developed their own unique response to racial segregation. These reactions to segregation reflected the racial makeup of the organization, the surrounding society’s endorsement of segregation, and the willingness of the leadership to confront racial inequalities. Whereas previous scholarship on Pentecostalism focused primarily on denominational records and religious periodicals, resources concerned with mainly doctrinal and theological issues, this study examines newspapers and public documents from across the United States to uncover the public perception of these organizations. These sources frequently reflected on the interracial cooperation and racial ideology of these organizations, information that was absent from the denominational materials. In some instances, Pentecostals challenged the trend towards racial segregation by conducting racially integrated revivals and Bible schools or incorporating racial diversity into their denominational leadership. On other occasions, Pentecostals chose social acceptance and respectability over integration, establishing racially segregated institutions. This project provides new insights into the development of racial segregation in American society and the role of religious organizations in its development, both in resisting and acquiescing to the principles of segregation.
dc.embargo.terms2014-12-01
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationHamilton, Blaine. "The Spirit in Black and White: Early Twentieth-Century Pentecostals and Race Relations, 1905-1945." (2013) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/77157">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/77157</a>.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/77157
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectAmerican history
dc.subjectReligious history
dc.subjectAfrican American studies
dc.subjectPentecostal
dc.subjectRace relations
dc.subjectAzusa Street
dc.subjectChurch of God in Christ
dc.subjectAssemblies of God
dc.subjectCharles Parham
dc.subjectWilliam Seymour
dc.subjectCharles Mason
dc.subjectAzusa Street
dc.subjectSegregation
dc.titleThe Spirit in Black and White: Early Twentieth-Century Pentecostals and Race Relations, 1905-1945
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentHistory
thesis.degree.disciplineHumanities
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy
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