Dr. Elton H. Weaver III’s biography of Bishop Charles H. Mason is genuinely groundbreaking. In this must-read work, Dr. Weaver thoroughly demonstrates his eminence as the foremost scholar on Bishop Mason and the history of the COGIC Church. At once intense and informative, Bishop Charles H. Mason in the Age of Jim Crow iswritten with sincere devotion and a profound sense of mission. It is sure to be an inspiration to anyone who seeks hope and direction, as well as understanding and insight in these troubled times. We are all indebted to Dr. Weaver.

David Patterson, University of Texas at Dallas

Bishop Charles H. Mason in the Age of Jim Crow is a vital contribution to the history of African Americans, the US South, and American religion. As the largest black Pentecostal denomination in the United States, the Church of God and Christ deserves an explanation for its rise and appeal. Combining biography and institutional history, Dr. Weaver has written this history with skill and insight.

Aram Goudsouzian, University of Memphis

In this deeply sourced and contextualized synthetic overview of Bishop Charles H. Mason’s life and role as the founder of the COGIC archipelago of churches, Elton H. Weaver III revises the scholarship that downplays the intellectuality and political acumen of this charismatic leader. A vital contribution to COGIC church history, to African American history, to the history of Memphis, and to the power of Holiness Pentecostalism as a transformative force, Weaver’s book makes an essential contribution on multiple fronts.

Jonathan Judaken, Rhodes College

Exploring an abundance of rare archival material and consulting with Mason’s descendants such as Lelia Mason Byas and Julia Mason Atkins, Weaver offers new details and fresh insight into Mason’s life and ministerial career and masterfully places him in the context of the American South and the Jim Crow era. Weaver beautifully grapples with race, class, and gender dynamics in Mason’s ministry... [This] book enhances appreciation for Mason’s faith and witness, which reverberates in the cogic and Black churches in the 21st century.

Pneuma