Alphonso F. Saville, IV, assistant professor of American Religious History at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, delivered a talk on Feb. 18 titled “John Marrant’s Gospel: Reimagining Christianity in Colonial America.” Hosted by McGill’s Department of History and Classical Studies, the talk centred around research from Saville’s book, The Gospel of John Marrant: Conjuring Christianity in the Black Atlantic. The book is the first full-length study of Marrant, who was America’s first Black ordained minister.
During the talk, Saville described Marrant’s life, writings, and missionary work, examining how he engaged with Christianity as both a tool for survival and a means of resistance. Saville also challenged conventional narratives surrounding early African-American religious history. Through literary and historical readings of Marrant’s autobiography, Saville drew connections between Marrant’s life story and its intersection between African and Protestant-European spiritual traditions and mythologies. Central to Saville’s argument was the notion of Conjure, a magico-religious tradition established by enslaved Africans in colonial North America. Saville explained that the pervasiveness of Conjure practices in early African-American religion exemplifies traditional African religions’ influences on early Black Christianity.
“Early Black Christianity was shaped less by the doctrinal systems of Euro-American Protestantism and more by the rich and cosmological religions of west and central-west Africa,” Saville explained. “This African-rooted foundation is evident in the performative aspects of early Black worship, where prayer, song, and dance sermonizing often carried the cadence and intent of conjure rituals. Through these practices, congregants evoked spiritual powers to heal wounds, resist systemic violence, and enact justice.”
He cautioned against the tendency to approach transatlantic religious history primarily through Eurocentric frameworks. In doing so, he warned, one risks overlooking African American spiritual and social autonomy, as well as the profound African contributions to the religious development of the Americas.
“America’s religious history is not a monolith,” Saville said. “It is a tapestry, woven from many traditions, stories, and perspectives. Including these diverse voices enriches our understanding of the past and equips us to address the challenges with the present.”
As he concluded, Saville reflected on the lessons that can be drawn from Marrant’s gospel.
“[Marrant’s] story is not just a historical artifact,” Saville said. “It is a mirror, reflecting the ongoing struggle for justice and the creative ways people of faith continue to fight for their dignity and humanity.”
