“[Filled with the Spirit] makes a significant contribution to scholarship on African American religion as well as religion and sexuality. . . .Written in an accessible style, the book is also exemplary in the way the author narrates her own experiences during the research and performs self-reflexivity with respect to her position as a white secular Jewish anthropologist who “never expected to study religion.””

Reading Religion

"It is a sign of the excellence of Filled with the Spirit that readers like me are prompted by it to ask more questions. . . .The book is an invaluable contribution, putting detailed ethnographic readings in expansive historical and analytical contexts. It will likely spark many, varied, and rich conversations."

American Religion

“Filled with the Spirit opens up a space to rethink how we theorize black homosexuality in the context of religion. Lewin complicates traditional views of black sexuality and spirituality by focusing on an institution that is steeped in the worship rituals of the traditional black church but whose “radical inclusivity” promotes an affirmation of homosexual identity (as well as other stigmatized identities) rather than a disavowal of it. This volume makes an enormous contribution to a number of different fields, including, but not limited to, anthropology, religious studies, queer studies, and black studies.”

E. Patrick Johnson, Northwestern University

"Lewin sheds light on an important, and until now ignored (in scholarship), religious community of predominately Black LGBT Christians...Lewin’s study...prompts us to think critically about the convergence of faith practices, politics, and identity while keeping them in balance. Scholars of gender and sexuality would be well-advised to heed Lewin’s call."

Judith Casselberry | Pneuma