The Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the first major denomination to spring from the fires of the Azusa Street revival, profoundly affected the history of the black church. Its tremendous influence can be traced to the dynamic spiritual life of its founder, Charles Harrison Mason. The son of a slave and a leader in the holiness movement of his day, Mason traveled to Azusa Street in 1907 where he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Returning home, he discovered that visions, spontaneous healing and deliverance followed him. A new power accompanied his preaching, and he experienced freedom from former limitations. Mason’s vibrant spiritual life enabled him to lead a fledgling movement from its infancy to a powerful, prophetic community over the next fifty years. Beginning in the rural South in the decades following the Reconstruction Era, the denomination gradually moved into urban areas during the 1900’s. No matter where its ministers, however, the COGIC Church holds in tension the dynamics of holiness, spiritual encounter and prophetic Christian social consciousness. Facing the challenges of our generation, the COGIC Church desires to maintain the legacy of its founder as it prepares for another century of work and witness. "Our younger generations need to know the rich legacy bequeathed to them by the pioneers of the Church of God in Christ." Presiding Bishop Chandler D. Owens "Every pastor in our denomination and beyond should have a worn and well­ read copy of this book." Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. "This valuable book should be in the hands of every member of the Church of God in Christ." Bishop C. L. Anderson "God gave Bishop C. H. Mason an anointing to preach powerfully, to heal the sick, and to sing out in spontaneous worship. May we covet the same anointing that transformed thousands in his day." Bishop J. Neaul Haynes "We are the descendants of a mighty move of God that began at Azusa Street. This book will help us to pass on an equally dynamic spiritual life to our successors, taking the Church of God in Christ into the next century." Bishop P. A. Brooks "Church leaders would do well to emulate the dynamic spiritual life of our founder; Bishop C. H. Mason." Bishop O. T. Jones, Jr. "Bishop Clemmons reminds us that our denomination was forged in the fires of a pentecostal revival that continues to impact our society today." Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson "Our roots establish our legacy and provide the springboard for the future. This documentation is a must for this generation and the generations to come." Mother Emma F. Crouch, Supervisor, Women's Department, Church of God in Christ, President, International Women's Convention "This is must reading for every seminary student preparing to minister in the Church of God in Christ. This will be extremely valuable to students of church history regardless of denomination." Dr. H. Vinson Synan, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Divinity, Regent University "Finally, a documentary written by a black historian/theologian and a lifelong member of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Clemmons' perspective is in­sightful, informative, and refreshing." Dr. William C. Turner, Ph.D., Professor of Theology, Duke Divinity School, Duke University "Allow Bishop C. H. Mason's vision to grip you, to challenge you, and to change you." Raymond C. Pierce, J.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

The Church of God in Christ, the first major denomination to spring from the fires of the Azusa Street revival, profoundly affected the history of the black church. Its tremendous influence can be traced to the dynamic spiritual life of its founder, Charles Harrison Mason. Bishop Mason led a fledgling movement from its infancy to a powerful, prophetic community over the next fifty years. The Church of God in Christ holds in tension the dynamics of holiness, spiritual encounter, and a prophetic Christian social consciousness.

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the first major denomination to spring from the fires of the Azusa Street revival, profoundly affected the history of the church. Its tremendous influence can be traced to the dynamic spiritual life of its founder, Charles Harrison Mason. The son of a slave and a leader in the holiness movement of his day, Mason traveled to Azusa Street in 1907 where he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. His vibrant spiritual life enabled him to lead a fledgling movement from its infancy to a powerful, prophetic community over the next fifty years. Today, the COGIC church has 6.5 million members and 12,000 congregations; it can be found in every U.S. state and in 87 countries around the globe. The COGIC Church holds in tension the dynamics of holiness, spiritual encounter and prophetic Christian social consciousness. Facing the challenges of our generation, the COGIC Church desires to maintain the legacy of its founder as it prepares for another century of work and witness. "Every pastor in our denomination and beyond should have a worn and well­-read copy of this book." - Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. "This is must reading for students of church history regardless of denomination." -Dr. H. Vinson, Synan, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Divinity, Regent University "Finally, a documentary written by a COGIC historian and theologian. His perspective is insightful, informative and refreshing." -Dr. William C. Turner, Ph.D., Professor of Theology, Duke University Divinity School "Our younger generations need to know the rich legacy bequeathed to them by the pioneers of the Church of God in Christ." -Bishop Chandler D. Owens "Bishop Clemmons reminds us that our denomination was forged in the fires of a Pentecostal revival that continues to impact our society today." -Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson "This valuable book should be in the hands of every member of the Church of God in Christ." -Bishop C. L. Anderson "God gave Bishop C. H. Mason an anointing to preach powerfully, to heal the sick, and to sing out in spontaneous worship. May we covet the same anointing that transformed thousands in his day." -Bishop J. Neaul Haynes "We are the descendants of a mighty move of God that began at Azusa Street. This book will help us to pass on an equally dynamic spiritual life to our succes­sors, taking the Church of God in Christ into the next century." -Bishop P. A. Brooks "Church leaders would do well to emulate the dynamic spiritual life of our founder; Bishop C. H. Mason." -Bishop O. T. Jones, Jr. "Bishop C. H. Mason knew that a dynamic encounter with God propelled him into effective ministry. May we also pursue God wholeheartedly, believing Him to empower us for service." -Bishop Roy L. H. Winbush "May God grant us a return to Azusa Street where barriers of color, race, sex, and social status were demolished by the power of the Holy Spirit and may the Church of God in Christ lead the way." -Bishop Samuel L. Green, Jr. "Allow Bishop Mason's vision to grip you, to challenge you and to change you." -Raymond C. Pierce, J.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

Bishop Charles H. Mason in the Age of Jim Crow profiles the life and career of Charles Harrison Mason. Mason was the founder of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), which from its Memphis roots, grew into the most significant black Pentecostal denomination in the United States, with profound theological and political ramifications for poor and working-class black Memphians. Bishop Charles H. Mason in the Age of Jim Crow is grounded in the history of the Jim Crow era. The book traces the origins of COGIC in Memphis; it reveals just how Mason’s new black Pentecostal denomination grew, gained social and political power, and earned a permanent place in Memphis’s black religious pantheon. This book tells how a son of slaves transformed a rural migrant movement into an urban phenomenon, how unusual religious demonstrations exemplified infrapolitical religious protests, and how these rituals of resistance changed black lives and helped strengthen and sustain blacks fighting for freedom in segregated Memphis. The author reveals why Charles H. Mason was an important pre-civil rights religious leader who laid the groundwork for integrated churches.

Without a doubt, Frank Avant vs. C. H. Mason is the most critical juncture in the entire history of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). The Pentecostal-Holiness Movement of the early twentieth century began with an aggressive legal confrontation between two of the movement's leading African-American pastors and their adherents. Charles P. Jones and Charles H. Mason's up-close and personal relationship was torn apart over their fundamental differences of the baptism in the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues. Up until the Azusa Street Revival, Jones and Mason shared an extraordinary profundity for each other; and their relationship was maximized when Jones united Mason and Lelia Washington in marriage in 1905. In 1907, Jones filed a lawsuit in Memphis against Mason after leading the way in having Mason excommunicated from the General Ministerial Council of Holiness Churches and Meetings for proliferating speaking in tongues. Jones and Mason founded the organization in 1897 after both of them were expelled from the Baptist denomination for teaching holiness. When Mason lost the case in Memphis Chancery Court, it was merely an opportunity to lead the Jones faction to the―Red Sea. Mason and his attorney, Elder Robert E. Hart, appealed the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court in Jackson, where the judges decided in their favor, devastating the Jones faction and their attorney, Benjamin F. Booth.

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC), an African American Pentecostal denomination founded in 1896, has become the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States today. In this first major study of the church, Anthea Butler examines the religious and social lives of the women in the COGIC Women's Department from its founding in 1911 through the mid-1960s. She finds that the sanctification, or spiritual purity, that these women sought earned them social power both in the church and in the black community. Offering rich, lively accounts of the activities of the Women's Department founders and other members, Butler shows that the COGIC women of the early decades were able to challenge gender roles and to transcend the limited responsibilities that otherwise would have been assigned to them both by churchmen and by white-dominated society. The Great Depression, World War II, and the civil rights movement brought increased social and political involvement, and the Women's Department worked to make the "sanctified world" of the church interact with the broader American society. More than just a community of church mothers, says Butler, COGIC women utilized their spiritual authority, power, and agency to further their contestation and negotiation of gender roles in the church and beyond.

Born to ex-slaves in Reconstruction-era Tennessee, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason had a vision for the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) that thrives today in an international Pentecostal church with more than five million members. With Signs Following: The Life and Ministry of Charles Harrison Mason examines the social, cultural, and religious aspects of Bishop Mason's leadership and creative genius in establishing COGIC as a distinct Black Church tradition. With Signs Following shares four decades of research from leading scholars that addresses the sociological, theological, psychological, social-ethical, and historical perspectives of COGIC and Mason's ministry. Contributors: Christopher Brennan Ithiel Clemmons David D. Daniels III Glenda Williams Goodson Robert R. Owens Craig Scandrett-Leatherman Raynard D. Smith Frederick L. Ware