ABSTRACT
We have already seen how slave revolts and uprisings were often linked to religious movements. In Jamaica, many of the rebellions were led by Christian preachers (e.g., Sam Sharpe, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon). Many slaves, after they were freed, joined the non-conformist Church congregations-such as the Baptists and Methodists-because they recognised that these churches had played an important part in the fight for Abolition. The non-conformist Churches also appealed to the former slaves because the services had much in common with traditional African forms of worship. The Baptist Church, in particular, is informal. As well as singing hymns, members of the congregation often dance and shout and sometimes “speak in tongues”. And there is a good deal of rapport-of two-way conversation-between the preacher and his flock.
