Published in 1906 by Rev. Horace Talbert, some fifty years after slavery ended, AME church history comes to life through profiles of 122 men-faithful devotees, or spiritual "sons" of Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Founded in 1816, the AME church was the first organized African American denomination in the United States. These sterling portraits of the "sons of Allen," mostly AME pastors, but also leading black men from other areas of industry, awaken the dreamer within... In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the AME church, the descendants of the author have reissued this remarkable book, which includes a "Sketch" by Rev. Talbert about his beloved alma mater Wilberforce University. This edition also has new material from Talbert's family members: a preface from Mrs. Suesetta Talbert McCree, a granddaughter of Rev. Talbert, believed to be the last surviving member of her generation; and a foreword by Rev. Malcolm Hassan Stephens, an Itinerant Elder of the AME Church and a great-great grandson of Rev. Talbert. The Sons of Allen is excellent primary source material for those interested in AME Church history, African American history, American history and genealogy. All readers will be inspired by the lives these men set forth to live, encouraged by the AME motto: "God our Father, Christ our redeemer, the Holy Spirit our comforter, Humankind our family."

How did the penitentiary get its name? Why did the English impose long prison sentences? Did class and economic conflict really lie at the heart of their correctional system? In a groundbreaking study that challenges the assumptions of modern criminal justice scholarship, Laurie Throness answers many questions like these by exposing the deep theological roots of the judicial institutions of eighteenth-century Britain. The book offers a scholarly account of the passage of the Penitentiary Act of 1779, combining meticulous attention to detail with a sweeping theological overview of the century prior to the Act. But it is not just an intellectual history. It tells a fascinating story of a broader religious movement, and the people and beliefs that motivated them to create a new institution. The work is original because it relies so completely on original sources. It is mystical because it mingles heavenly with earthly justice. It is authoritative because of its explanatory power. Its anecdotes and insights, poetry and song, provide intriguing glimpses into another era strangely familiar to our own. Of special interest to social and legal historians, criminologists, and theologians, this work will also appeal to a wider audience of those who are interested in Christianity's impact on Western culture and institutions.