Calvin White’s recent book, Rise to Respectability, has garnered yet more praise—this time from The Journal of Southern History.
The Rise to Respectability documents the history of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) and examines its cultural and religious impact on African Americans and on the history of the South.
Julius H. Bailey, writing in The Journal of Southern History in February 2014, says that:
White provides a thoughtful, well-researched, and engaging narrative that moves COGIC from the margins to the center of African American religious history. In doing so, he highlights the contributions and influence of the denomination and its leaders on key aspects of black religious life, including its roots in slavery, the impact of rural migrants on the growth and survival of institutions during the Great Migration, and the diversity of perspectives regarding civil rights issues.
Other praise for Rise to Respectability:
“A valuable history of the Church of God in Christ.”
—Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Autumn 2013
“Calvin White Jr. provides an engaging treatment of COGIC’s development under Charles Harrison Mason and Charles Price Jones, and a superb review of the scholarship on Pentecostal studies ….contributes significantly to American religious history and should be on undergraduate syllabi everywhere.”
—Jonathan L. Walton in the Journal of American History
“An indispensable work in African American religious history.”
—Choice