The righteous remnant: The House of David - Hardcover

Fogarty, Robert S

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 087338251X ISBN 13: 9780873382519

Publisher: Kent State University Press, 1981

Synopsis

In this first in depth study of the House of David, Fogarty places the sect in the Anglo-Israelite millennial traditions that goes back to seventeenth-century sects in England, Australia, and America. Their reading of the Book of Revelations promised the saving of a "righteous remnant" of humanity who would gather in one place to await the millennium. Itinerant evangelist Benjamin Purnell became the seventh prophet in the line of this tradition and, with his wife Mary, established a community for the elect in the port city of Benton Harbor -- the House of David. It was a celibate, communal society, ruled by the inspiration of the Purnells and attracting members who exchanged their worldly goods for the security of salvation. At its height he community had over 700 members and prospered by running farms, a canning company, an amusement park, and popular touring bands and baseball teams. But there were defectors, and from them came rumors of oppressive conditions within the closed society, sexual misconduct on the part of the Prophet himself, group marriages, and financial malpractice. Finally in 1923 a series of allegations and civil suits drove Purnell into hiding and the State of Michigan into action against the colony. By examining its religious roots, the staunch testimony of its members in the face of demonstrated charges, the social relations within the colony, we can begin to understand the attraction such "social contracts" can exert. The House of David is now a remnant itself, but other sects exist and continue to bind members to them in the same ways.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kent State University Press
• Publication date: 1981
• ISBN 10: 087338251X
• ISBN 13: 9780873382519
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 195