Spiritual Baptist

The Spiritual Baptist faith is a religion created by persons of African ancestry in the plantations they came
to in the former British West Indies countries predominantly in the islands of a Grenada, Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines, Tobago and the Virgin Islands. It is syncretic Afro-Caribbean religion that combines
elements of the many varied traditional African religions brought by the enslaved populations combined
with Christianity. Spiritual Baptists consider themselves to be Christians.

The Baptist faith has a different beginning in the nation of Trinidad, as unlike the spiritual baptist tradition
in the other countries where the religion developed in the plantations where the enslaved were sent, the
religion in Trinidad was brought into the country by the Merikins, 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, to the east of the Mission of
Savannah Grande (now known as Princes Town) in six villages, since then called the Company
Villages.[1][2]

These American settlers brought with them the Baptist faith of the Second Great Awakening combined
with, in the case of those from Georgia, the Gullah culture. With the coming of missionaries of the Baptist
Missionary Society from Great Britain, the Baptist faith in the Company Villages was much affected, but
despite the ensuing schism between the so-called London Baptists and the rest, the Baptist congregations of
the Company Villages, even including those with Gullah origins, retained so little visible African influence
in their practice that John Hackshaw was able to give a different view of the Baptists in the north of the
country:

"While those that settled in the 'Company Villages' were exposed to the Baptist Missionary
Society's influence, those that settled in the North practiced their beliefs as brought from
America with the inclusion of African religious practice and beliefs joined by those they met
here which blossomed into the group now known as 'Spiritual Baptists'."[2]

The faith expanded to Barbados in 1957 as the Sons of God Apostolic Spiritual Baptists movement.[3] It
now ranks as one of two indigenous religions in the country, the other being the Rastafari religion.[4]
Archbishop Granville Williams, who was born in Barbados, lived for 16 years in Trinidad and Tobago,
where he witnessed the local Spiritual Baptists. Becoming enthusiastic about the Trinidadian movement, he
asserted that he had seen a vision and heard the voice of God. Upon returning to Barbados he held the first
open-air meeting in Oistins, Christ Church. Due to a well received response in Barbados, he quickly
established the Jerusalem Apostolic Spiritual Baptist Church in Ealing Grove. This church was quickly
followed by Zion at Richmond Gap. As of 1999 the following in Barbados had reached around 1,900 and
the Jerusalem church had been rebuilt to seat 3,000.

Name
The local name of the Spiritual Baptist in Trinidad are called the Shouters which derives from the
characteristic practice of the religion. Followers are very vocal in singing, praying, and preaching.
However, shouter is seen as a derogatory term and the term spiritual is preferred due to the practice of
invoking the Holy Spirit during worship.
 Spiritual Baptists in St Vincent are locally called the shakers due to their practice of
invoking the Holy Spirit during their praise and worship. Vincentian Baptists are also known
colloquially as 'Converted', speaking to them being converted to Christianity during slavery.

Religious focus
The activities of the Spiritual Baptists in Trinidad and Tobago were prohibited in 1917 by the Shouter
Prohibition Ordinance, which was eventually repealed in 1951. The late opposition parliamentarian
Ashford Sinanan moved to repeal the ordinance under the PNM government and was successful. Today
Spiritual Baptists can practise their religion freely. The United National Congress granted them a national
holiday and also gave them land on which to establish their headquarters.

Typical attire
The colours of the headdress or clothes vary and represent the 'spiritual cities', the saints with which the
individual most relates, or various qualities of belief.[5]

Males

Men can wear a headwrap however the very top of the head is usually left uncovered. Men tend to wear a
gown or short cassocks. Persons of higher rank (Shepherds, Reverends, Bishops, etc.) can wear a surplice
over the gown.

Females
Headtie – As mentioned in the Bible at 1 Corinthians 11:13 (https://bible.oremus.org/?passa
ge=1%20Corinthians%2011:13&version=nrsv), the dress, the apron, and cords, sashes, and
or a belt as given in the Faith and are revealed as the individual increases knowledge along
their spiritual journey.

Holiday
In 1996 the Government of Trinidad and Tobago granted a public holiday to the Spiritual Baptist faith, to
be celebrated on 30 March, called Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day, in memory of the struggle and
in recognition of the repeal of the prohibition law.[6] Trinidad and Tobago is the only country that celebrates
a public holiday for the Spiritual Baptist faith.

Shango Baptists
Shango Baptists was created in Trinidad and only practiced in Trinidad. It has no relation to the spiritual
baptist religion. Shango is the practice of the Trinidad Orisha religion. In Trinidad, Orisha is also called
Shango, and the term "Shango Baptist" is sometimes used to describe worshipers who are involved with
both Spiritual Baptism and Orisha/Shango. The term "Shango Baptist" has come to have negative
connotations for some worshippers of both Spiritual Baptism and Orisha/Shango, who argue that those
who say "Shango Baptist" conflate the two religions, when in fact they are completely separate religions.
As some have said, "There is no thing as Shango Baptist. Shango is Shango. Baptist is Baptist".[7] Others
say that Shango Baptists simply "wear two hats"; their mixture of "Baptist and Orisha practices" is a result
of similar oppression by colonial authorities in Trinidad.[8]
In practice, the Trinidad Orisha religion is not connected with the Spiritual Baptisms. Orisha worship
services are not similar to and not held at the same locations as Spiritual Baptist churches.[9]

Places of worship of Spiritual Baptist

Grenada
Children Of The Light Spiritual Baptist International Archdiocese Inc. (La Sagesse St.
David's)
Mt. Paran S.B. Church (Grand Anse Vally)
Faith Deliverance S.B. Church (Woodlands)
Mt. Calvary S.B. Church (River Road)
Mt. Olive S.B. Church (Prospect)
Mt. Zion S.B. Church (Mt. Rodney)
Rock In The Weary Land S.B. Church (Coals Gap)
St Ann's Mystical Healing Chapel (Marigot, St John)

Barbados
The Cathedral Church of Jerusalem – Ealing Grove, Christ Church
Beulah Temple – Bishops, St. Lucy
Zion Apostolic Temple – Richmond Gap, St. Michael
Jeremiah Spiritual Baptist Church, Enterprise Main Road, Christ Church

Canada
Sacred Heart Spiritual Baptist Church in Montreal, Quebec
The Shouters National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith International Centre (NESBF) in
Toronto, Ontario
St. Theresa's Well of Life Spiritual Baptist Tabernacle Inc
The Council of Spiritual Baptist Elders of Canada

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Mt. Olivet S.B. Church, (Layou)
St, Bethel S.B. Church, (Mt. Carmel)
St. Joseph S.B. Church
St. Mary's S.B. Church

Trinidad and Tobago

Mt Prizgar Spiritual Baptist Church, Lp#1103 E.M.Rd, Manzanilla
Holy Faith Spiritual Baptist Tabernacle
Faith International Baptist Convention
 St. Benedict Baptist Church, La Romaine
St. Peter's House of Prayer, Morvan
Mt Prizgar Spiritual Baptist Angels of God Archdiocese, Manzanilla

United States
Ark of the Covenant Spiritual Baptist Church – Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts
Angels of the New Jerusalem S.B.C. – Baltimore, Maryland
Bethlehem Church – Brooklyn, New York City, New York
House of Esther Divine Ministries S.B.C; Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Spirit Divine House of Melchizedek International S.C.Inc. Brooklyn New York
Mt. Pisgah S.B.C – Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts
Pillar of Fire Church – Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts
Sacred Heart of Jesus International S.B.C. – Washington, D.C.
Scarlet Cord Cathedral – New Bedford, Massachusetts
St. John's S.B.C – Brooklyn, New York City, New York
St. Catherine #2 S.B.C. – Brooklyn, New York City, New York
United Congregation El Behel – Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Zion Apostolic S.B.C – Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Rock of Ages Spiritual Baptist Church(Lithonia Georgia)Panola Road

United Kingdom
Mt Moriah S.B.C. London (UK)
Melchisedec S.B.C. London (UK)

See also
Orisha
Pentecostalism#Baptism with the Holy Spirit
Religion in Trinidad and Tobago

References
1. Weiss, John McNish (2002). The Merikens: Free Black American Settlers in Trinidad, 1815–
16.
2. Hackshaw, John M. n.d. (c. 1991). The Baptist Denomination: A Concise History
Commemorating One Hundred and Seventy-Five Years (1816–1991) of the Establishment
of the ‘Company Villages’ and the BAPTIST FAITH in Trinidad and Tobago. Amphy and
Bashana Jackson Memorial Society.
3. Barbadians (http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Afghanistan-to-Bosnia-Herzegovina/Barbadian
s.html), Countries and Their Cultures.
4. Rastafarianism in Barbados (http://www.barbados.org/rasta.htm)
5. Staff writer (2016). "The Spiritual Baptists, an integral part of Crop Over" (https://web.archive.
org/web/20160313035746/http://cropoverbarbados.com/spiritual-baptists-integral-part-crop-
over). National Cultural Foundation of Barbados. Archived from the original (http://www.crop
overbarbados.com/spiritual-baptists-integral-part-crop-over) on 13 March 2016. Retrieved
29 November 2019. "Members wear colourful gowns, each colour symbolising a quality, with
white for purity; cream for spirituality; blue for holiness; gold for royalty; green for strength;
brown for happiness; silver-grey for overcoming; pink for success, and red for strength as
well as symbolising the Blood of Christ."
6. Spiritual Baptists (http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Research/SubjectGuide/SpiritualShouterBaptistLib
erationDay/tabid/98/Default.aspx), National Library and Information System of Trinidad and
Tobago
7. Lum, Kenneth Ant (2000). Praising His Name in the Dance: Spirit Possession in the Spiritual
Baptist Faith and Orisha Work, Trinidad, West Indies. Psychology Press. p. 292.
8. Ashby, Glenville (28 June 2011). "Mahaba's Message" (http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/20
11/06/29/mahaba-s-message-ifa-priest-slams-infighting-among-shouter-baptists-and-orisha
-). Trinidad & Tobago Guardian.
9. Bazinet, Ryan (2012). "Shango Dances Across the Water: Music and the Re-Construction of
Trinidadian Orisha in New York City". In Kamille Gentles-Peart; Maurice L. Hall (eds.). Re-
Constructing Place and Space: Media, Culture, Discourse and the Constitution of Caribbean
Diasporas (https://web.archive.org/web/20130911065338/http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/Re-Co
nstructing-Place-and-Space--Media--Culture--Discourse-And-the-Constitution-of-a-Caribbea
n-Diasp1-4438-3453-X.htm). Cambridge Scholars Press. Archived from the original (http://w
ww.c-s-p.org/flyers/Re-Constructing-Place-and-Space--Media--Culture--Discourse-And-the-
Constitution-of-a-Caribbean-Diasp1-4438-3453-X.htm) on 2013-09-11. Retrieved
2012-10-30.

Further reading
Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day (https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091319/https://www.n
alis.gov.tt/Research/Subject-Guide/Baptist-Liberation-Day), Trinidad and Tobago National
Library and Information System Authority (NALIS).
Glazier, Stephen D. (ed.), Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions (https://bo
oks.google.com/books?id=pF6MxGrqdUwC&dq=Spiritual+Baptists&pg=PA42), Routledge,
2001.
Shepherd, King. 5 Aug 2014. The Rituals & Rudiments of the Spiritual Baptist Church - The
Apostle of Faith (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ItVZuEMk0g), Interview, Youtube.com
Duncan, Carol B. This Spot of Ground: the Spiritual Baptists in Toronto. Wilfrid Laurier
University Press, 2008.
Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 2 - Americas.
Cleveland, Ohio: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pp. 76–77.
Glazier, Stephen D. Marching the Pilgrims Home: Leadership and Decision-Making in an
Afro Baptist Faith Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983.
Glazier, Stephen D. 1999. "The Noise of Astonishment: Spiritual Baptist Music in Context",
in John W. Pulis (ed.), Religion, Diaspora, and Cultural Identity: A Reader in the Anglophone
Caribbean, New York and Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach, pp. 277–294.
Glazier, Stephen D. 1996. "Changes in the Spiritual Baptist Religion, 1976-1990", in
Manfred Kremser (ed.), Ay BoBo: Afro-Caribbean Cults: Identity and Resistance. Teil 1:
Kulte. Wien: Institut fur Volkerkunde der Universitat Wien, pp. 107–114.
Glazier, Stephen D. 1993. "Responding to the Anthropologist: When the Spiritual Baptists of
Trinidad Read What I Write About Them", in Caroline B. Brettell (ed.), When They Read
What We Write: The Politics of Ethnography. New York: Bergin and Garvey, pp. 37–48.
 Keeney, Bradford. Shakers of St. Vincent. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Ringing Rocks
Press, 2002.
Scott, Caroline 1999. Insight Guide Barbados. Discovery Channel and Insight Guides; fourth
edition, Singapore, p. 85, ISBN 0-88729-033-7.
Zane, Wallace W. 1999. Journeys to the Spiritual Lands: the Natural History of a West Indian
Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

External links
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Saint-Vincent-and-th
e-Grenadines.html)
West Indian United Spiritual Baptist Sacred Order (http://www.wiusbsoinc.org/)
Spiritual Baptist Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (https://web.archive.org/web/201102100
43314/http://spiritualbaptistfoundationtt.com/)
Spiritual Baptists in Trinidad and Tobago (http://www.raceandhistory.com/historicalviews/afri
canspirit.htm)
Cult Music of Trinidad - a 1961 album of music by the Shango and Spiritual Baptist followers
in Trinidad. Free downloadable liner notes and music clips (http://www.folkways.si.edu/cult-
music-of-trinidad/caribbean-sacred-world/album/smithsonian)
Spiritual Baptist Music of Trinidad 1981 - album and free downloadable liner notes and
music clips (http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW04234.pdf)

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