Tulsa's Black Pentecostal community has a rich history. As Tulsa's black population thrived along side the development of the Greenwood District known as "Black Wall Street," Pentecost also took hold with at least two Church of God in Christ Churches by 1921 with over 100 members each. In doing research for my book, Pentecost in … Continue reading Notable COGIC Women from the Tulsa Area
Tulsa Race Massacre
Pentecost and the End of the KKK in Bixby
When my family moved to Bixby, Oklahoma in 1985, it was a tiny town of only 5,000 people and didn't have a single fast food restaurant. Today it is over 20,000 people and it is hard to tell where Bixby ends and Tulsa begins. But in the early years, it was a small town on … Continue reading Pentecost and the End of the KKK in Bixby
New Book: Pentecost in Tulsa
I am excited to announce that my new book, Pentecost in Tulsa, is out today from Seymour Press. Tulsa has become an important epicenter of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in the United States. In its earliest days, revivals helped establish important churches. Later, well-known launched worldwide ministries from Tulsa that impacted millions around the globe. … Continue reading New Book: Pentecost in Tulsa
Pentecost in Greenwood
Back in April of this year, I was invited to present at the Tulsa City-County Library Unite Tulsa symposium commemorating the Centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. I was one of a dozen presentations on various themes that spark conversations about race and society. I presented on "Pentecost in Greenwood: The Black Pentecostal Churches … Continue reading Pentecost in Greenwood
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and the Pentecostal Origins of Desegregation
In 1954, the Supreme Court decided the famous Civil Rights case, Brown Vs. Board of Education, which argued that segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. This led the way for the 1964 decision to permanently desegregate schools in America. What many people do not know is that a … Continue reading Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and the Pentecostal Origins of Desegregation