"This history, co-authored by a black minister and a black theologian, provides an overview of the shape and history of major black religious bodies: Methodist, Baptist, and Pentecostal. With photos, timelines, profiles, and additional readings, Pinn and Pinn ably explain the evolution of black Christianity into the groups we know today. A final chapter sketches the state of black Christian church bodies and their ongoing contributions to a more just American society.

The Pinns's book will help a new generation of black Americans assess the religious legacy of the black churches and the larger society to gauge their social import."--BOOK JACKET.