This is a study of the transplantation of a creed devised by and for African Americans--the African Methodist Episcopal Church--that was appropriated and transformed in a variety of South African contexts. Focusing on a transatlantic institution like the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the book studies the complex human and intellectual traffic that has bound African American and South African experience. It explores the development and growth of the African Methodist Episcopal Church both in South Africa and America, and the interaction between the two churches. This is a highly innovative work of comparative and religious history. Its linking of the United States and African black religious experiences is unique and makes it appealing to readers interested in religious history and black experience in both the United States and South Africa.

Songs of Zion is an a cappella hymnal designed for congregational singing. The hymnal contains songs from Primitive Baptist heritage that may not be found in modern published hymnals.However, the book primarily consists of contemporary hymns, most of which were composed by active Primitive Baptist church members.

Musicians and congregations can join in the worship of our great God through the music of Saints of Zion. The Saints of Zion Songbook features fourteen hymns from the album arranged for piano and SATB choir as well as eleven shorter hymnal arrangements that are suitable for congregational singing or family worship.

'Hymns are the poems of the people.' John Betjeman