"Brilliant and powerful!" —Cornel West

"Clearly one of the most important books written on the Black Church and African American religion since the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. . . . Moreover, it advances the conversation among black and womanist theologians and black pastors concerning the present and future directions of the black church."             –Lewis V. Baldwin

T.D. Jakes is a pastor and entrepreneur who presides over a vast megachurch and business operation. He has turned the gospel into his own successful brand—particularly through product lines such as "Woman Thou Art Loosed."

According to author Paula McGee, Jakes is representative of a rising phenomenon, the New Black Church, a new form of prosperity gospel that signifies what she calls the "Wal-Martization" of religion. Her ideological critique is a vital tool for all who wish to understand the relation between religion and culture—especially those committed to the transformative power of the Gospel.

Paula L. McGee is assistant professor of African American church studies at Memphis Theological Seminary. An ordained Baptist preacher, she was a rising figure in the megachurch network before undertaking doctoral studies at Claremont Graduate University.