Faith in Their Own Color - (Religion and American Culture) by Craig Townsend (Paperback)

About the Book

Craig D. Townsend tells the remarkable story of St. Philip's, the first African American Episcopal church in New York City, and its struggle for autonomy and independence.

Book Synopsis

On a September afternoon in 1853, three African American men from St. Philip's Church walked into the Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and took their seats among five hundred wealthy and powerful white church leaders. Ultimately, and with great reluctance, the Convention had acceded to the men's request: official recognition for St. Philip's, the first African American Episcopal church in New York City. In Faith in Their Own Color, Craig D. Townsend tells the remarkable story of St. Philip's and its struggle to create an autonomous and independent church. His work unearths a forgotten chapter in the history of New York City and African Americans and sheds new light on the ways religious faith can both reinforce and overcome racial boundaries.

Founded in 1809, St. Philip's had endured a fire; a riot by anti-abolitionists that nearly destroyed the church; and more than forty years of discrimination by the Episcopalian hierarchy. In contrast to the majority of African Americans, who were flocking to evangelical denominations, the congregation of St. Philip's sought to define itself within an overwhelmingly white hierarchical structure. Their efforts reflected the tension between their desire for self-determination, on the one hand, and acceptance by a white denomination, on the other.

The history of St. Philip's Church also illustrates the racism and extraordinary difficulties African Americans confronted in antebellum New York City, where full abolition did not occur until 1827. Townsend describes the constant and complex negotiation of the divide between black and white New Yorkers. He also recounts the fascinating stories of historically overlooked individuals who built and fought for St. Philip's, including Rev. Peter Williams, the second African American ordained in the Episcopal Church; Dr. James McCune Smith, the first African American to earn an M.D.; pickling magnate Henry Scott; the combative priest Alexander Crummell; and John Jay II, the grandson of the first chief justice of the Supreme Court and an ardent abolitionist, who helped secure acceptance of St. Philip's.

Review Quotes

Faith in Their Own Color represents an incredibly detailed story of the trials and tribulations of a single black parish in antebellum New York, one historians of race and religion will surely find useful.--John Garrison Marks "New York History"

Faith in Their Own Color will be of interest to all historians of the antebellum North and deserves a wide readership.--David Brown "Ecclesiastical History"

[An] important contribution to our understanding of a neglected chapter of New York City religious history.--Kenneth A. Scherzer "H-Net Reviews"

A fascinating encounter with the dynamics of social and religious change impating African Americans in antebellum New York.--A.J. Williams-Myers "Multicultural Review"

Craig Townsend's superb work, Faith in Their Own Color, has made a significant impact on readers through the years. The book's exploration of the interaction of race and religion is needed now more than ever, and I hope it will continue to reach as many people as possible.--The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

I highly recommend this very useful text.--Sandy Dwayne Martin "Church History"

The story of St. Philip's church in New York is not the story of one congregation but of the intersection of key issues of religion and race in antebellum America. It is an intriguing and gripping story and Townsend has told it well. This is an illuminating book and fills an important gap in our understanding of the dynamics of African American participation in Euro-American churches.--Robert Bruce Mullin, General Theological Seminary, author of The Puritan as Yankee: A Life of Horace Bushnell

This study of the second-oldest black Episcopal congregation in the United States takes religious ideas no less seriously than the political and social realities of racism that permeated the Protestant Episcopal Church during the first half of the nineteenth century. Townsend deftly peels back the layers of obfuscation, divergent strategies, and political maneuverings that intersected with a passion for the unity of the denomination evidenced by virtually all parties in dispute over the admission of St. Philip's Church to the diocesan convention. Simultaneously, the author opens a window onto the life and inner workings of this prominent African American parish, providing a view that is as rare as it is fascinating.--Randall K. Burkett, curator of African American Collections, Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University

Townsend's book is invaluable to any scholar... and has wide application for students of religion and race.--Graham Russel Gao Hodges "The Journal of American History"

About the Author

The Rev. Dr. Craig D. Townsend is historian in residence for racial justice for the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and director of its Uncovering Parish Histories project. An Episcopal priest, he received his PhD from Harvard University.