American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation (edition 2019)

An insightful book tracking a perverse streak in American religious history. The book tells the stories of The Person Formerly Known as Jemima Wilkinson and then moves up through less well known 19th and early 20 century leaders and movements that syncretized Christianity, spiritualism, socialism, and communitarianism (living communally), and trying to build a new humanity. Although I've learned about many of these phenomena over the years, Morris has a keen eye for picking out the interesting stuff, and filling out the stories that I know only a little something about. I found the chapter on Father Divine particularly interesting, and was unaware of the tortured links that Jim Jones tried to establish with that group. ( )