The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century America

A freed slave named Isabella Van Wagenen introduced Matthews to Pierson in 1832. The authors present Pierson as weak-willed and gullible, while Matthews is portrayed as domineering and opportunistic. When Matthews realized that Pierson was wealthy and easily influenced, Matthews convinced Pierson of Matthews’s ability to inspire Pierson. He claimed that Pierson’s “prophethood” depended on Matthews’s decision to commission Pierson to the role of prophet; consequently, Matthews was Pierson’s guide to God's truth. Pierson believed Matthews and, convinced that Matthews was God’s prophet, turned his pulpit over to him and never preached again. Matthews moved in with Sylvester Mills, an associate of Pierson's, and conducted fire-and-brimstone sermons from that point on.

At peak membership, the Kingdom’s congregation had about fifty followers. Matthews’s evangelical sermons were misogynist in both tone and content. He also damned the enemies of the Jews, including "Christian devils" like the Finneyites. He claimed to exist in the Spirit of Truth and that he had lived for thousands of years in various incarnations, including Adam, Abraham, and Jesus Christ. As the prophet Matthias, Matthews sought to  “establish that Reign of Truth and redeem the world from devils, prophesying women and beaten men” (92).