"Prosperity Meets the Poor: the Mission of Charleszetta 'Mother' Waddles in Urban America"

"Mother Charleszetta Waddles (1912-2001) was an independent African-American Christian minister who operated the Perpetual Mission for Saving All Souls in Detroit, Michigan. What made Mother Waddles unique among Christian religious leaders in urban America during the middle decades of the 20th century was that she sought to reshape and repurpose the spiritual language of New Thought theology, especially the concept of "positive thinking," for her daily practice as a home missionary and for others living in similar circumstances."

Vaughn A. Booker, Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies and Religion, has a new article published in Faithfully Magazine.  Booker spotlights the life, work, poetry and reflective writings of Charleszetta Waddles, Mother Waddles, in 1970's Detroit.  Booker highlights how Mother Waddles empowered and redefined Black women and Black prosperity and theology in a time of great hardship and poverty.

"Mother Waddles urged Black women to conceive of themselves as divine 'co-creators,' capable of serving others and equipped for social survival by remaining resourceful with limited material means."

"Through her theology and conception of social action, Mother Waddles stressed the need to inspire people to do more with less, to learn how to be resourceful enough to exceed one's own expectations:..."

Booker, V. (2020, October). "Prosperity Meets the Poor: the Mission of Charleszetta 'Mother' Waddles in Urban America" Faithfully Magazine. https://faithfullymagazine.com/mother-waddles-prosperity-poor/