Power in the Pews : Contesting the Pulpit in the Early Twentieth-Century Black Church

Uses the life of a notorious early twentieth century Black evangelist to shed light on a transformative era for Black religious leadership and its perceived authority

Power in the Pews explores one man's meteoric rise to religious fame to illuminate how Black ministers' power in urban Black life came to be contested in early 20th century America. Before the massive popularity of figures like Father Divine and "Sweet Daddy" Grace, traveling evangelist George Wilson Becton was the first of the charismatic African American religious leaders to enthrall the Black masses in cities across the nation.

"The first known cult leader of Harlem," whose life is now largely forgotten, was a central focus of criticism of Black ministers within the Black Press, especially due to ongoing debates regarding his marital life, sexuality, alleged womanizing, and the likelihood that he was a swindler. George Wilson Becton became emblematic of larger concerns about the authority — and the presumed morality — of Black ministers and the institution of the Black Church.

This microhistory uses Becton's life and that of his wife, Josephine Bufford Becton, to illuminate a number of core issues swirling around Black churches of the time, from debates about the legitimacy of the call to preach versus formal religious education, to changing ideas about the authority of clergy versus congregational authority, to the acceptance of female ministers and concerns about ministers' sexuality morality. The case of this famous and controversial figure illustrates how Black churches evolved into spaces of contention, empowering everyday Black people to define what constituted legitimate religious authority.

At once compelling and insightful, Power in the Pews draws on Becton's ministry to reconsider the role of the Black Church as not merely a refuge of faith and space for personal transformation, but as a site of cultural and social struggle between ministers and Black communities.