The House of David Salvation, Scandal, and Survival in a Modern American Commune

Free Download The House of David: Salvation, Scandal, and Survival in a Modern American Commune by Evelyn Sterne
English | September 5, 2025 | ISBN: 0197792332 | True EPUB/PDF | 288 pages | 33.5/28.5 MB
In 1903, after seven years traveling the country as itinerant preachers, Benjamin and Mary Purnell moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where they founded a commune. Their settlement soon blossomed into a vibrant religious colony and booming business enterprise. They called it the House of David, and its members-hailing from across the United States and around the world-were Christian Israelites, members of a millennialist faith who seek to assemble the remnants of the lost tribes of Israel in a new Jerusalem. Once gathered, they believed, this community of 144,000 would never die. Over the next six decades about two thousand believers moved to Benton Harbor. They accepted stringent rules that included relinquishing all assets, practicing celibacy, and renouncing meat, hair-cutting, and traditional family ties-all in exchange for community, economic security, and the promise of immortality. Working in the commune's multiple business enterprises, they sought refuge from the abuses of industrial capitalism at a time of widespread social and economic upheaval, even as they brilliantly seized on the opportunities the modern economy had to offer. They also eagerly embraced popular culture by running a successful amusement park, performing in touring musical groups, and playing on barnstorming baseball teams that were the delight of audiences nationwide. The House of David thrived into the 1960s and lingers on as a tiny remnant today despite early decades characterized by a steady stream of financial and sexual scandals, a torrent of litigation, and obsessive coverage in the press.