*The son of Rev. Ike has penned a book about his impact on the Blach church titled “Reverend Ike: An Extraordinary Life of Influence” with the motivational speaker Mark Victor Hansen.
Religious News reports that Rev. Ike described himself as “the first Black man in America to preach positive self-image psychology to the Black masses within a church setting.”
Reverend Ike’s son, Xavier Eikerenkoetter, started writing the book several years after his father passed in 2009. It delves into how the reverend’s early years in Southern Baptist Black churches influenced his theological perspective.
“His story needed to be told, and people who love him, and were his followers, and were inspired by him really wanted to get his full life story,” Eikerenkoetter said, Religious News reports.
The book gives readers “an inside look at the extraordinary life of the biggest Black minister of his time, woven through both of their unique perspectives,” per the tome’s website.
“He had a certain pride being a Black person who had transcended the white-touted stereotypes about Black people,” said Eikerenkoetter.
Every Sunday, Reverend Ike (born Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II) delivered messages of prosperity to a predominantly Black congregation of 5,000 from the pulpit of the United Palace Theater in Harlem, New York. He formulated the concept of the “science of living,” encouraging Black Americans to embrace their inner divine selves to surpass negative stereotypes about their community.
As Religious News reports, during his prime, Rev. Ike’s sermons were broadcast nationwide on over 1,700 radio stations.
Eikerenkoetter’s book illuminates his father’s perspective on race and his ideas for improving the living conditions of Black people in America.
“He had a certain pride being a Black person who had transcended the white-touted stereotypes about Black people,” said Eikerenkoetter.
Reverend Ike passed away in Los Angeles on July 28, 2009, following ongoing complications from a stroke he suffered in 2007.
You can order the book here.
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