Sylvester A. Johnson

Down in the Valley

History & Biography

“This extraordinary treatment of African American religions introduces pivotal themes in the historical formation of African American religions. Down in the Valley elucidates a sweeping range of religious movements while attending to the larger context of social structures at work in the United States. Through skillful interpretation and a creative display of scholarly knowledge, Julius Bailey has written an exceptional book that transcends the restrictive paradigm of the Black Church to examine Black religions up to the twenty-first century. Bailey's path-breaking volume will reshape the way students and scholars understand African American religions.”

Varieties of African American Religious Experience

Theology

“Anthony Pinn has bequeathed to a world of readers a rarified introduction to African American religions that is distinguished by its unparalleled engagement with both the history and the theological imagination that have constituted multiple formations of Black religion. This new edition of Varieties of African American Experience extends the unique insights of Pinn to foreground the diversity and render the theological structures that Black religious communities have embraced and created. This book will remain wonderfully essential to understanding the breadth and dynamism of African American religions.”