PDF Jewish Thought and Scientific Discovery in Early Modern Europe by David B. Ruderman in History

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Charles Manuel “Sweet Daddy” Grace founded the United House of Prayer for All People in Wareham; Massachusetts; in 1919. This charismatic church has been regarded as one of the most extreme Pentecostal sects in the country. In addition to attention-getting maneuvers such as wearing purple suits with glitzy jewelry; purchasing high profile real estate; and conducting baptisms in city streets with a fire hose; the flamboyant Grace reputedly accepted massive donations from his poverty-stricken followers and used the money to live lavishly. It was assumed by many that Grace was the charismatic glue that held his church together; and that once he was gone the institution would disintegrate. Instead; following his 1960 death there was a period of confusion; restructuring; and streamlining. Today the House of Prayer remains an active church with a national membership in the tens of thousands.Daddy Grace: A Celebrity Preacher and His House of Prayer seriously examines the religious nature of the House of Prayer; the dimensions of Grace’s leadership strategies; and the connections between his often ostentatious acts and the intentional infrastructure of the House of Prayer. Furthermore; woven through the text are analyses of the race; class; and gender issues manifest in the House of Prayer structure under Grace’s aegis.Marie W. Dallam here offers both a religious history of the House of Prayer as an institution and an intellectual history of its colorful and enigmatic leader.