Father Divine (c. 1880 – September 10, 1965), was an African-American spiritual leader from about 1907 until his death. His full self-given name was Reverend General Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "the Messenger" and George Baker early in his life. He founded the International Peace Mission movement, formulated its doctrine, and oversaw its growth from a small and predominantly black congr ...

Including:

• Father Divine - Early life and original name
• Father Divine - Preaching as God: 1912-1965
• Father Divine - In the South: 1912-1914
• Father Divine - Brooklyn and marriage to Peninniah: 1914-1919
• Father Divine - Sayville New York: 1919-1931
• Father Divine - Sayville arrests trial notoriety and prison: 1931-1932
• Father Divine - Harlem: 1932-1942
• Father Divine - Pennsylvania: 1942-death
• Father Divine - Physical characteristics and preaching style
• Father Divine - Civil rights legacy
• Father Divine - Religious legacy

Read more here: » Father Divine: Encyclopedia - Father Divine

Little is definitively known about Father Divine's early life, or even his real given name. Father Divine and the Peace Movement he started were not good record keepers. Father Divine himself declined several offers to biography his life saying that the history of God would not be useful in mortal terms. He also refused to acknowledge relationship to any family. Newspapers in the 1930s had to dig up his probable given name: George Baker. His childhood remains a contentious point. Some, especially earlier researchers, suppose that Fath ...

See also:

Father Divine, Father Divine - Early life and original name, Father Divine - Preaching as God: 1912-1965, Father Divine - In the South: 1912-1914, Father Divine - Brooklyn and marriage to Peninniah: 1914-1919, Father Divine - Sayville New York: 1919-1931, Father Divine - Sayville arrests trial notoriety and prison: 1931-1932, Father Divine - Harlem: 1932-1942, Father Divine - Pennsylvania: 1942-death, Father Divine - Physical characteristics and preaching style, Father Divine - Civil rights legacy, Father Divine - Religious legacy

Read more here: » Father Divine: Encyclopedia II - Father Divine - Early life and original name

Father Divine - In the South: 1912-1914. The Messenger traveled south. He preached extensively in Georgia. In 1913, conflicts with local ministers got him sentenced to 60 days in a chain gang. While serving his sentence, several prison inspectors were injured in an auto accident, which The Messenger viewed as the direct result of their disbelief. Upon release, The Messenger attracted a following of mostly black women in Valdosta, Georgia. He taught celibacy and the rejection of gender categorizations, which was liberating doctrine f ...

See also:

Father Divine, Father Divine - Early life and original name, Father Divine - Preaching as God: 1912-1965, Father Divine - In the South: 1912-1914, Father Divine - Brooklyn and marriage to Peninniah: 1914-1919, Father Divine - Sayville New York: 1919-1931, Father Divine - Sayville arrests trial notoriety and prison: 1931-1932, Father Divine - Harlem: 1932-1942, Father Divine - Pennsylvania: 1942-death, Father Divine - Physical characteristics and preaching style, Father Divine - Civil rights legacy, Father Divine - Religious legacy

Read more here: » Father Divine: Encyclopedia II - Father Divine - Preaching as God: 1912-1965

Father Divine was a lightly-built African American man at a diminutive 5 foot, 2 inches (1.57 m). Through most of his life he maintained a moustache which he kept well groomed. His hair was invariably combed, and since his days in Sayville, New York he almost always wore a suit in public. Like many religious or cult leaders, Father Divine was said to be very charismatic. His sermons were emotionally moving and freely associated between topics. His speech was often peppered with words of his own invention like "physicalating" and "tang ...

See also:

Father Divine, Father Divine - Early life and original name, Father Divine - Preaching as God: 1912-1965, Father Divine - In the South: 1912-1914, Father Divine - Brooklyn and marriage to Peninniah: 1914-1919, Father Divine - Sayville New York: 1919-1931, Father Divine - Sayville arrests trial notoriety and prison: 1931-1932, Father Divine - Harlem: 1932-1942, Father Divine - Pennsylvania: 1942-death, Father Divine - Physical characteristics and preaching style, Father Divine - Civil rights legacy, Father Divine - Religious legacy

Read more here: » Father Divine: Encyclopedia II - Father Divine - Physical characteristics and preaching style

Some biographers such as Robert Weisbrot suppose that Father Divine was a forerunner to the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s, heavily influenced by his upbringing in the segregated South. Others, such as Jill Watts reject not only this characterization, but also the theory Father Divine grew up in the Deep South. Watts subscribes to the Rockville, Maryland theory of his upbringing and asserts that Rockville was less oppressive than the south or even Baltimore, Maryland. Watts believes his civil rights positions are unintelligible without evalua ...

See also:

Father Divine, Father Divine - Early life and original name, Father Divine - Preaching as God: 1912-1965, Father Divine - In the South: 1912-1914, Father Divine - Brooklyn and marriage to Peninniah: 1914-1919, Father Divine - Sayville New York: 1919-1931, Father Divine - Sayville arrests trial notoriety and prison: 1931-1932, Father Divine - Harlem: 1932-1942, Father Divine - Pennsylvania: 1942-death, Father Divine - Physical characteristics and preaching style, Father Divine - Civil rights legacy, Father Divine - Religious legacy

Read more here: » Father Divine: Encyclopedia II - Father Divine - Civil rights legacy