Roy Kerridge

The Spiritual Baptist Church Roy Kerridge

This book is as important as a piece of socio-cultural documentation as it is an endearing slice of humanity. The Spiritual Baptist faith is a syncretic Afro-American religion which combines elements of traditional African religion with Christianity. Despite the African influences, Spiritual Baptists consider themselves to be Christians. The Baptist faith was brought to Trinidad by the "Merikens", former American slaves who were recruited by the British to fight, as the Corps of Colonial Marines, against the Americans during the War of 1812. After the end of the war, these ex-slaves were settled in Trinidad. In the 1940s and '50s, large numbers of West Indians emigrated to Europe, and Spiritual Baptists brought their church with them. Author Roy Kerridge spent time with members of these churches to produce this peculiar, but heartwarming book.