A collection of essays which considers Peoples Temple as a black religious organization rather than as a new religious movement will be published by Indiana University Press in early 2004. This new book takes into account issues of race and racism, politics, and the historical and cultural milieu of the development of Peoples Temple.

The collection, entitled Peoples Temple and Black Religion in America, may be ordered through the university’s website (www.indiana.edu/~iupress/) and such online bookstores as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

The book is edited by Anthony B. Pinn of Macalester College, Mary R. Sawyer of Iowa State University, and Rebecca Moore of San Diego State University. Original articles for the collection include essays by Dr. Duchess Harris and Adam Waterman of Macalester College, Milmon Harrison of University of California at Davis, Tanya Hollis of the California Historical Society, and Rev. J. Alfred Smith of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland. The book also includes three important essays by black scholars writing in 1979 and 1980.