Beyond Christianity: African Americans in a New Thought Church

193 Pages·2005·0.991 MB·English

by  Darnise C. Martin

Beyond Christianity
religion, race, and ethnicity
General Editor:Peter J.Paris
Public Religion and Urban Transformation:
Faith in the City
Edited by Lowell W.Livezey
Down by the Riverside:
Readings in African American Religion
Edited by Larry G.Murphy
New York Glory:
Religions in the City
Edited by Tony Carnes and Anna Karpathakis
Religion and the Creation ofRace and Ethnicity:
An Introduction
Edited by Craig R.Prentiss
God in Chinatown:
Religion and Survival in New York’s Evolving Immigrant Community
Kenneth J.Guest
Creole Religions ofthe Caribbean:
An Introduction from Vodou and Santería to Obeah and Espiritismo
Margarite Fernández Olmos and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert
The History ofthe Riverside Church in the City ofNew York
Peter J.Paris,John Wesley Cook,James Hadnut-Beumler,
Lawrence H.Mamiya,Leonora Tubbs Tisdale,and Judith Weisenfeld
Foreword by Martin E.Marty
Righteous Content:
Black Women’s Perspectives ofChurch and Faith
Daphne C.Wiggins
Beyond Christianity:
African Americans in a New Thought Church
Darnise C.Martin
Beyond Christianity
African Americans in a New Thought Church
Darnise C. Martin
a
New York University Press
new york and london
new york university press
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
© 2005by New York University
All rights reserved
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Martin,Darnise C.
Beyond Christianity :African Americans in a
New Thought church / Darnise C.Martin.
p.cm.— (Religion,race,and ethnicity)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0–8147–5693–X (cloth :alk.paper)
1. East Bay Church ofReligious Science (Oakland,Calif.)
2. African Americans—California—Oakland—Religion.
I. Title. II. Series.
BP605.U53M37 2005
299'.93—dc22 2004019292
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my mother,Catherine,who always set the bar high;
my grandmother Jessie,who allowed me to just be;
my two fathers;
and all my uncles,aunts,and cousins
who make up a family

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 What Is Religious Science? 8
2 Historical Intersections and
New Religious Adaptations 37
3 Westward Migration:African American
Communities in the San Francisco Bay Area 60
4 East Bay Church ofReligious Science in Perspective 76
5 Methodological Intersections and Conclusions 107
6 Implications for the Future 142
Appendix 160
Notes 165
Index 179
About the Author 182
vii

Acknowledgments
I thank my family, friends, and colleagues, who have lent
support in more ways than I can list.I also thank the teach-
ers and professors who encouraged me along the way.
I thank my editor, Jennifer Hammer, whose foresight
brought this book to fruition.
I also acknowledge the ancestors upon whose shoulders I
now stand.
ix