INTERNATIONAL PEACE MISSION MOVEMENT
American religious movement founded by Father Divine based on his claims to divine incarnation, known for racially integrated communes, economic cooperatives, and the belief that heaven could be achieved on Earth through righteous living.
The International Peace Mission Movement emerged in the 1920s around the teachings of Father Divine (born George Baker Jr.), who claimed to be God incarnate and established communities based on racial integration, economic cooperation, and spiritual perfectionism. The movement grew from small gatherings in Brooklyn to a network of communes and businesses across the United States and internationally.
Father Divine's revolutionary approach to race relations made the movement notable during the Jim Crow era, as his communes welcomed both Black and white members as equals at a time when racial segregation was legally enforced throughout much of America. The movement's restaurants, hotels, and other businesses operated on integrated principles decades before the Civil Rights Movement achieved legal desegregation.
The organization developed a distinctive economic system based on communal ownership, with members contributing their assets to the movement and receiving housing, food, and employment through Father Divine's businesses. The Peace Mission operated farms, restaurants, hotels, and various enterprises that provided both economic sustainability and practical demonstration of their cooperative principles.
Central to the movement's theology was Father Divine's claim to be the physical incarnation of God, teaching that followers could achieve perfect health, prosperity, and righteousness through faith in his divine nature. Members were expected to live according to strict moral codes including celibacy, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, and complete honesty in all dealings.
After Father Divine's death in 1965, his widow Edna Rose Ritchings (known as Mother Divine) continued leading the movement, though membership declined significantly. The organization maintained properties and continued religious services into the 21st century, officially ceasing operations in 2017. The movement remains significant as an early example of successful racial integration and alternative economic organization in American religious history.
Bibliography:
- Weisbrot 'Father Divine'
- Washington Post obituaries
- IRS records
- Movement property documentation
— encyclopedia-conspirica