front cover of A Godsend to His People
A Godsend to His People
The Essential Writings and Speeches of Marshall Keeble
Robinson, Edward J.
University of Tennessee Press, 2008
Marshall Keeble (1878-1968) stands as one of the Church of Christ's most influential and celebrated African American evangelists.  His impact was felt throughout the South and well beyond as he helped establish over two hundred churches and baptized approximately forty thousand individuals during his nearly seventy years of ministry.  His charismatic and dynamic speaking style earned him a devoted following.

Despite his impact on the religious culture of the South, there has been scant information available about this extraordinary individual-until now.  With the his new book, A Godsend to His People, Edward J. Robinson brings to light over forty years of Keeble's writings.

This collection shows the human side of Keeble, revealing his concern for the souls of his faithful followers and the pragmatic way in which he ran his ministry.  The sermons and other writings give great insight into the struggles of a prominent African American trying to navigate his way through the challenges of conducting his ministry in the segregated world of the Jim Crow South.

Robinson draws on a variety of sources in which Keeble was published, including the Gospel Advocate and the Christian Echo, as well as lectures Keeble gave to students at Abilene Christian College.    Through these pages, the reader will learn more about this articulate, passionate, and intelligent man.

A Godsend to His People is the first scholarly treatment of this evangelist and will appeal to those interested in the history of the Church of Christ and religious studies.

Edward J. Robinson is assistant professor of history and biblical studies at Abilene Christian University. He is the editor of To Lift Up My Race: The Essential Writings of Samuel Robert Cassius and author of To Save My Race from Abuse: The Life of Samuel Robert Cassius.
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front cover of Show Us How You Do It
Show Us How You Do It
Marshall Keeble and the Rise of Black Churches of Christ in the United States, 1914-1968
Edward J. Robinson
University of Alabama Press, 2008
Marshall Keeble (1878–1968) was the premier evangelist in black Churches of Christ from 1931 until his death in 1968. Born and reared in middle Tennessee, Keeble came under the influence of Preston Taylor, Samuel Womack, and Alexander Campbell, as well as the social influence of Booker T. Washington. In 1914, Keeble committed himself to full-time evangelism and by the 1920s had established himself as a noteworthy preacher. By the time of his death, he reportedly had baptized 40,000 people and had established more than 200 congregations, some of which still flourish today. Show Us How You Do It is the first critical study of Keeble and his evangelical career.
 
Based on primary sources, Edward Robinson reconstructs the life, public ministry, missionary activities, and the reception of Keeble among Churches of Christ. He also explores Keeble’s relationship with white businessmen and how he secured white support in establishing a large fellowship of African American Churches of Christ in the South. Show Us How You Do It details Keeble’s theology, ethos, and polemics toward other churches. Robinson demonstrates Keeble’s legacy in the labor of his African American co-workers and of the students who attended Nashville Christian Institute.
 
Of the approximately 2.5 million members of the Churches of Christ in the U.S., an estimated 10 percent are African-Americans, and many in this fellowship can trace their affiliation to Keeble and to those whom he trained.
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