James K. Humphrey and the Sabbath-Day Adventists (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "November 2, 1929, was a historic day for James Kemuel Humphrey and the members of the First Harlem Seventh-day Adventist church..." (more)
Key Phrases: world church leaders, new religious body, telephone conversation with the author, Seventh-day Adventist, African Americans, Sabbath-Day Adventists (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In James K. Humphrey and the Sabbath-Day Adventists, R. Clifford Jones tells the story of this important black religious figure and his attempt to bring about self-determination for twentieth-century blacks in New York City.

Humphrey was a Baptist minister who joined the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church shortly after arriving in New York City from Jamaica at the turn of the twentieth century. A leader of uncommon competency and charisma, Humphrey functioned as an SDA minister in Harlem during the time the community became the black capital of the United States. Though he led his congregation to a position of prominence within the SDA denomination, Humphrey came to believe the black experience in Adventism was one of disenfranchisement. When he refused to alter his plans for a utopian community for blacks in the face of dissent from SDA church leaders, Humphrey’s ministerial credentials were revoked and his congregation dissolved. Subsequently, Humphrey established an independent black religious organization, the United Sabbath-Day Adventists.

This book rescues the Sabbath-Day Adventists from obscurity. Humphrey’s break with the Seventh-day Adventists provides clues to the state of black-white relationships in the denomination at the time. It set the stage for the creation of the separate administrative structure for blacks established by the SDA church in 1945. This history of a minister and his church demonstrates the struggles of small, independent, black congregations in the urban community during the twentieth century.

From the Publisher

This story of an African American minister who broke from the Seventh-day Adventist church at the peak of the Harlem Renaissance

--- Describes the emergence of the Sabbath-Day Adventists in detail

--- Presents a compelling picture of Humphrey, whose struggles were comparable to other notable African American religious figures

--- Links the struggles of the Sabbath-Day Adventists within their religious community to similar racial issues in society at large

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (October 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578068916
• ISBN-13: 978-1578068913
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,874,745 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Noble Venture, June 28, 2008

By	Karl S. Wagner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Seventh-day Adventist, I am humbled by James Humphrey's expereince. While he sought to carry the message of Adventism to those in Harlem, he found he could not do it within the framework of the organization due to the prejudice of the day. The church he founded still stands as a testimony to his character. We are also reminded to ask ourselves if such reasons still exist for this church to remain outside the family of churches of the Seventh-day Advenist Church. While this church points others to the Adventist church, let us pray for their continued success as God's children and members of God's one true universal Chruch. May we be truly one.