The Church of God in Christ (COGIC), an African American Pentecostal denomination founded in 1896, has become the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States today. In this first major study of the church, Anthea Butler examines the religious and social lives of the women in the COGIC Women's Department from its founding in 1911 through the mid-1960s. She finds that the sanctification, or spiritual purity, that these women sought earned them social power both in the church and in the black community.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"[Butler] never forgets her larger purpose of explaining how certain beliefs empowered women. . . . The biographies of these women constitute one of the book's significant contributions."
— Religious Studies Review
"A creative denominational history skillfully framed in the context of African American religious and social history. . . . A welcomed addition to the growing literature on African American Pentecostal traditions, and it promises to be a staple for years to come."
— Journal of Southern History
"Aptly demonstrat[ed]. . . . Anthea Butler examines female leadership in the Women's Department of the Church of God in Christ and the significance of church mothers in the historically African American denomination."
— The Journal of Southern Religion
"Probing, insightful, and highly informative, and provides multifaceted portrayals of the roles and perspectives of COGIC women. . . . An excellent scholarly resource, and will likely serve as the foundation for a number of other related studies."
—Pneuma
"Butler's enlightening narrative of [black 'church mothers'] deserves wide reading."
— Journal of the American Academy of Religion
"Recommended."
— CHOICE
"Butler's book is an indispensable read. . . .[A] well-written and closely argued volume."
— Florida Historical Quarterly
"Expertly presents the tales of these leaders. . . . Rich in scholarly detail, yet accessible to a wide audience, Butler's book refines and furthers not one, but many pertinent discussions surrounding the various groups in this admirable study."
— H-Net
"Butler narrates a complex story . . . with economy and focus. . . . [She] commands her subject."
— Journal of American History
This is a pathbreaking work.
—Albert Raboteau, author of Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South
Women in the Church of God in Christ has rich stories to tell about a group that has received far less attention than it deserves, and Butler is quite adept at bringing the characters to life in clear and lively prose.
&3151;R. Marie Griffith, author of Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity
— Religious Studies Review
"A creative denominational history skillfully framed in the context of African American religious and social history. . . . A welcomed addition to the growing literature on African American Pentecostal traditions, and it promises to be a staple for years to come."
— Journal of Southern History
"Aptly demonstrat[ed]. . . . Anthea Butler examines female leadership in the Women's Department of the Church of God in Christ and the significance of church mothers in the historically African American denomination."
— The Journal of Southern Religion
"Probing, insightful, and highly informative, and provides multifaceted portrayals of the roles and perspectives of COGIC women. . . . An excellent scholarly resource, and will likely serve as the foundation for a number of other related studies."
—Pneuma
"Butler's enlightening narrative of [black 'church mothers'] deserves wide reading."
— Journal of the American Academy of Religion
"Recommended."
— CHOICE
"Butler's book is an indispensable read. . . .[A] well-written and closely argued volume."
— Florida Historical Quarterly
"Expertly presents the tales of these leaders. . . . Rich in scholarly detail, yet accessible to a wide audience, Butler's book refines and furthers not one, but many pertinent discussions surrounding the various groups in this admirable study."
— H-Net
"Butler narrates a complex story . . . with economy and focus. . . . [She] commands her subject."
— Journal of American History
This is a pathbreaking work.
—Albert Raboteau, author of Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South
Women in the Church of God in Christ has rich stories to tell about a group that has received far less attention than it deserves, and Butler is quite adept at bringing the characters to life in clear and lively prose.
&3151;R. Marie Griffith, author of Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity
About the Author
Anthea D. Butler is assistant professor of religion at the University of Rochester.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
COGIC Women: Making a Sanctified World,
By C. Alvin Hughes (Clarksville, Tn. USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making a Sanctified World (Paperback)
Professor Anthea Butler's Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making a Sanctified World is a must read for all who are interested in the value of staying focused on an established mission. This book clearly demonstrates how a clear mission to sanctify the world deteriorated into an internal mission of sanctifying a denoninational church called the Church of God in Christ. From the founding of the Church of God in Christ with the support of Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, Mother Lizzie Woods Robinson and Mother Lillian Brooks Coffey created a standard for both personal sanctification and in extending the influence of the Church in the world through active participation in civic activities to elevate the quality of life for all. They followed the lifting as we climb strategy into social prominence and respectability in the community at-large. The emphasis in the Church went from dressing to look holy to dressing to reflect your status in the Church organization and in civic afairs. This book also addressed the unresolved issue of what to do with and about women of influence in the ministry and in the Church's organizational structure especially as they out-distanced the male leaders under whom they are supposed to serve. Unfortunately for women in the Church of God in Christ, it seems that their role in the second half of the twentieth century declined as the Church went through a period of turmoil after the death of the founder and the nation as a whole experienced the civil rights movement and the resurgence of the feminist movement in the 1970s which forced Church women to retreat to more traditional subservient roles. This is a marvelous study of the rise and decline of women power in the Church of God in Christ which also coincides with the decline in the Church's influence in cvic affairs.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Anxiously awaiting Butler's next book!,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making a Sanctified World (Paperback)
As someone who grew up in the COGIC, with an academic background in women's studies and political science,I found this both a personal and intellectual pleasure to read. Her balanced approach to the shortcomings and hidden strengths of the church's history as it relates to women's voice and agency is honest and revelatory. For anyone interested in some of the little known history of this faith, this book reveals the origin of some of the traditions and mores of this faith to even the "un-churched" reader. It also entertains even the non-academic reader. I can't wait until Butler produces her next book!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Book,
This review is from: Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making a Sanctified World (Paperback)
This book is wonderful and full of interesting facts. I recommmend that every women that is involved in ministry to read this book.
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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sewing circle, sanctified women, sanctified living, purity class, sanctified life, sanctified world, fictive family, becometh holiness, national supervisor Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Women's Department, African American, Mother Robinson, Bible Band, Holy Spirit, Saints School, Los Angeles, Church of God, Lizzie Robinson, Saints Industrial School, Bishop Mason, Holy Ghost, Lillian Brooks Coffey, The Whole Truth, Arden Park, Arenia Mallory, Joanna Moore, Jim Crow, Moral Re-Armament, Pine Bluff, United States, Courtesy Glenda Goodson Collection, Women's Convention, World War, Lillian Coffey Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
sewing circle, sanctified women, sanctified living, purity class, sanctified life, sanctified world, fictive family, becometh holiness, national supervisor Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Women's Department, African American, Mother Robinson, Bible Band, Holy Spirit, Saints School, Los Angeles, Church of God, Lizzie Robinson, Saints Industrial School, Bishop Mason, Holy Ghost, Lillian Brooks Coffey, The Whole Truth, Arden Park, Arenia Mallory, Joanna Moore, Jim Crow, Moral Re-Armament, Pine Bluff, United States, Courtesy Glenda Goodson Collection, Women's Convention, World War, Lillian Coffey Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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