High Points in the Higher Life
[Fort Lauderdale, Fl.]: 1943. 77pp. Original green pebbled cloth, gilt titles on front cover. Minor spotting to boards. Ownership signatures on pastedowns, occasional minor thumb-soiling to text. Very good. Item #3626
An uncommon work of the nature of the Christian religion by a noted African-American preacher from Florida. In his Preface, Dr. Thomas decries the "maze of flux" inherent in the modern world, and the literati who "have been announcing and flaunting catchy theories of the origin and laws of life and things without demonstrating a single proof of the theories they propound." At the conclusion of his Preface, Dr. Thomas lays out his motive for the present work: "High Points in the Higher Life purports to embrace the outline the salient points in God's whole plan of human development and salvation. By touching only the high points in graphic style and brief scope, we trust we have here a terse compendium of the moral code that may be readily comprehended and easily retained." This is followed by a few pages of laudatory recommendations from Thomas's fellow pastors and religious leaders, one of whom praises Dr. Thomas as "a ripe scholar, able teacher, forceful preacher and a Christian in word and need." Dr. Thomas then writes in learned detail on various aspects of the Christian faith, such as the nature of man, the character of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God, the relationship of the "State" to religion, the sanctity of the Sabbath, the will, word, and church of God, and more. In his conclusion, Dr. Thomas stresses the importance of the individual nature of man: "Every man belongs to society and should always be found in the community's mass-actions, yet he must never get lost in society. He must maintain and should magnify his individuality. God never loses sight of him, so he must never lose sight of himself."
Among his many credits, Thomas is identified here as the Pastor of the Piney Grove Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale. According to the chapter entitled, "Introductory Paragraphs," Thomas was apparently being forced out of this position by "some non-progressive and designing members" who did not appreciate their progressive minister. Earlier in his life, when he lived in Savannah, Georgia, Thomas wrote a book called The First African Baptist Church in North America, located in that city. OCLC reports copies at just four institutions: New York Public, Howard, the University of Illinois, and the Library of Congress.
Price: $850.00