The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman is a multivolume; chronologically arranged documentary edition spanning the long and productive career of the Reverend Howard Thurman; one of the most significant leaders in the intellectual and religious life of United States in the mid-twentieth century. The first to lead a delegation of African Americans to meet with Mahatma Gandhi in 1936; Thurman later became one of the principal architects of the modern nonviolent civil rights movement and a key mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King; Jr. and others involved in the movement. In 1953 Life magazine named Thurman one of the twelve greatest preachers of the century.In volume 3 (September 1943–May 1949); Walter Earl Fluker documents Thurman’s founding and leadership of the Fellowship Church for All Peoples in San Francisco; California―the nation’s first major interracial; interfaith church. The war years showed Thurman new possibilities and strains in American culture. He felt the war had led to a moral coarsening as evidenced by a willingness to accept things that had been intolerable in peacetime; an emphasis on destroying enemies―real and imagined―and the conviction that the only way to solve problems was through the use of force; a conviction that became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Amid the uncertainty of this period; Thurman embarked on his great interfaith experiment as pastor to a small group of dedicated and courageous people who were primarily middle class; with at least as many white as black people; in a city that in 1940s America was far from the mainstream of black life. His letters; essays; and sermons show Thurman struggling to define and maintain the interracial character and practice of Fellowship Church; building its programs and membership while constantly wrestling with financial and location problems and preserving its separation from other organizations; most notably the Communist Party and its adult education program; the California Labor School. Thurman was also becoming more of a national figure; partly a result of the attention given to the Fellowship Church in publications such as Time magazine; but also because he had begun to publish regularly. From his first book; The Greatest of These; it was only three years until his Ingersoll lecture at Harvard; “The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death;†was offered by Harper. Two years later Thurman published what has proven his most enduring work; Jesus and the Disinherited; arguing that the key to understanding the religion of Jesus was his lack of Roman citizenship; a condition Thurman compared to the lives of southern black people; who; like Jesus; were effectively disinherited.
#1510668 in Books The History Press 2012-04-24 2012-04-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .31 x 6.00l; .50 #File Name: 1609493028144 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent read for the casual reader or the studentBy IcyoneAs a young child growing up in Western Massachusetts I was given original copies of Mary P Wells Smith's "Young Puritans" books -- books which originally belonged to my distant cousins. I lived; breathed; and acted out those chapters; and to this day I can vividly recall the illustration of the boy hero "John" on a Sabbath morning errand encountering the frightening "Mysterious Stranger" (Judge Goffe) on the staircase; shortly before the "Stranger" reappeared as the "Angel of Hadley". Later on I learned more about the tale; and the history behind the Regicides and the history of England from which they fled. I therefore welcomed the chance which this book brought to learn more; both about the historical background in England and what is known; surmised; or embellished about the subsequent lives of the fugitives.Mr. Pagliuco is not a professional historian; but clearly a gifted amateur who has researched this subject well and written a book which is accessible both to the serious reader and to the "hobbyist" and/or "local" wanting to learn more about both the background of the "Regicides" and the current state of knowledge about their subsequent life in the colonies. While Goffe's later life and exploits were well-known (and perhaps mythologised) in Smith's day; as the local surroundings changed or were destroyed; interest in the early Puritan era seems to have waned; and the story of the "Angel of Hadley" was debunked. More recently; the "debunking" itself has been criticised on the grounds that the lack of specific detailed accounts of an actual raid is not proof positive that these events did not occur. (My own view is that it is quite likely that there WAS an Indian raid; but on a much smaller scale than the legendary story describes -- possibly just a few marauders -- a scale upon which a single figure like Goffe could really have rallied the surprised and ill-trained locals to act).This book is a well-written description of a piece of New England history which has unfortunately faded from view; as well as containing updates of the current landscape. History is never entirely "finished" -- it is possible that more information may be discovered; perhaps confirming the truth of the "myth" -- even on a more modest scale; as I have suggested. My thanks to Mr. Pagliuco for this account; and may it spur others to not only revisit this history but perhaps uncover further knowlege as well.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating Read!By Martin GlasserIn The Great Escape; author Chris Pagliuco provides the first detailed account of two heroes of Puritan New England; Edward Whalley and William Goffe. Their adventure; which at one time was known throughout the country; is carefully documented in a historical narrative that reads smoothly and briskly. Of particular interest is that fact that the lives of Whalley and Goffe provide an interesting way of learning about the larger context of their times; most importantly the English Civil Wars and the founding of the New England colonies. Pagliuco simplifies and clarifies this complex history for a popular audience without sacrificing historical accuracy. In all; a pleasant; fun and informative read0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy b phoenixGreat book
