Rebecca's Revival Book Summary

Rebecca’s Revival Book Critique

In a culture where even white women were generally looked down upon within the male dominated society in which they lived, the unique story of one “mulatto” women’s journey through slavery and religious faith in America in the eighteenth century stands out, and provides a look into the origins of the black church itself. Rebecca’s Revival: Creating Black Christianity in the Atlantic World by Jon F. Sensbach aims to tell the story of Rebecca Protten, a freed slave turned evangelist, whom being neither illiterate nor invisible as many free slaves were thought to have been, traveled around sharing the love of Jesus and converting slaves from all over St. Thomas, ultimately assisting in the establishment of the

earliest black Protestant church. Despite the unusual nature of written testimony from any black women during Rebecca’s time, Sensbach uses Rebecca’s few surviving letters, the biographical fragments of her life, and the surprising array of manuscripts about Rebecca’s life and travels, in order to share the story and impact of a women who may have otherwise been lost in history as an enigma. Published in 2006, Rebecca’s Revival attempts to go beyond a typical biography and the boundaries of the academic world in order to reach a wider audience.
Sensbach’s main contention can be found in the thesis of the book in which he states, “Though hardly anyone knows her name today, Rebecca helped ignite the fires of a new kind of religion that in subsequent centuries has given spiritual sustenance to millions.” Sensbach supports this claim throughout the book through the use of multiple examples of ways in which Rebecca pioneered this new religion. Two such examples, occurred within the same year and include Rebecca’s gradual commission of taking charge of the entire female half of the women’s ministry movement in the early months of 1737, which was followed by her confirmation and admission to Communion. Rebecca also became one of the first black women to be ordained in western Christianity. Additionally, Sensbach discusses the high regard in which European Brethren held Rebecca in calling her only by her first name as a sign of respect.
Sensbach utilizes a variety of sources throughout his work including manuscripts and published primary source documents from around the world in order to accurately tell Rebecca’s story. Among the primary source documents are even a few letters written by Rebecca herself. Sensbach relies heavily on the works of a few authors and elaborates upon and supplements the information of these works with American, Danish, German, and West Indian archival manuscripts in order to fill in missing pieces of Rebecca’s story. When organizing the sources, Sensbach divides the manuscripts into categories based on the country from which they came. Both the country names and the manuscripts listed under each country name are in alphabetical order. The primary source documents are organized in their own alphabetical list following the manuscripts.
Rebecca’s Revival provides a biographical account of a little known historical figure in a way that is both interesting and exciting. The book combines a variety of manuscripts, print, and visual sources to reconstruct Rebecca Protten’s life while also shedding new light on a religion and people group characterized by trials and struggles. In doing so, Sensbach reveals the complexity surrounding issues such as slavery, religion, and identity during Rebecca’s time. The book also provides information about the slave trade itself and the connection the slave trade created among those within the Atlantic world. However, due to the lack of first-hand information and fragmentary nature of the sources used to piece Rebecca’s story together, there is a great deal of speculation within the text, and Sensbach often uses words such as “may” or “might” when discussing Rebecca’s life. For example, in discussing how Rebecca earned her freedom Sensbach says, “There is no clue whether she actually lobbied or cajoled the van Beverhouts to emancipate her; she may have done nothing of the sort, and the family's decision might have been of their own initiative.” Additionally, though it is argued greatly in the prologue of the book, Sensbach does not show a direct connection between Rebecca’s role in St. Thomas and the development and rise of the black Protestant church in America.
By sharing Rebecca’s story, the book not only changes how one sees Rebecca, but it also sheds new light on the development of the first black church and provides a new depiction of African American women as a whole.

This book causes the reader to learn more about an otherwise relatively unknown woman in history, and the tenacity she showed in order to obtain rights that many Americans so often take for granted. Not only did Rebecca gain her freedom from slavery, rise in the religious ranks of the Moravian church, and achieve monumental religious status, as she was among the first women to be ordained as a deaconess, be administered Communion, and become ordained in western Christianity, she was also willing to face the consequences of sharing her beliefs knowing full well the extent of her decision. Sensbach also shares information about how the Protestant church developed as a result of Christianity being blended with African American religions and cultures. Although Sensbach does not make a direct connection between Rebecca and the development of the first black church, through Rebecca’s trials one is able to get a glimpse at what African Americans may have faced as a result of their faith. Additionally, her efforts and willingness to risk her freedom helps to show just how far people were willing to go for their religious liberty. Lastly, Rebecca set a precedent not only for African American women, but for African Americans and women in general as her efforts helped to inspire others and change the way that African Americans and women were viewed in the religious

setting.
Overall I was persuaded by Sensbach’s argument that Rebecca played an integral part in spreading her religion throughout St. Thomas. Although I do believe that there was some speculation in terms of the details and specifics surrounding Rebecca’s life, I also believe that she was a very influential figure in African American Protestant history and that she did achieve some exceptional religious feats during her lifetime. I think one of the strongest points was the examples the Sensbach shared in support of his argument. Of these, one of the examples that I found most persuasive was Rebecca’s willingness to an arranged marriage as part of her devotion to God and her religious duties.
Regardless of ones opinions or criticisms of the author and his writing, Sensbach shared an inspiring biography of a women whose impact and influence may have gone otherwise unknown. Piecing together fragments of Rebecca’s story could not have been an easy undertaking, however, Sensbach’s dedication to the task and to maintaining the certainty of the evidence and information he gathered can be seen throughout the book. Although Sensbach did not provide a clear account as to how Rebecca was tied to the first Protestant church, by sharing the religious and racial uncertainties surrounding Rebecca’s church and religious experience, Sensbach sheds a new light on the development of the Protestant church and the resilience of its members.