African American Church Essay

Kelly Brown Douglas begins by posing a series of questions, including, “Who is the Black Christ?” and “Is the Black Christ Enough?” (6-7) For Douglas, the Black Christ, “…represents God’s urgent movement in human history to set Black captives free from the demons of White racism” (3). The question of “Who is the Black Christ?” is addressed in Chapter 3. The question of “Is the Black Christ enough?” is addressed in Chapters 4 and 5, as Douglas critically examines the relationship of the Black Christ to the Black community and ends with addressing what womanist theology is and why there is a need for it in understanding the Black Christ.

“Roll, Jordan, Roll”, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Had”, “Go Down, Moses”, and “Wade in the Water” are the titles of only a handful of what were called “Negro Spirituals”, which originated during the reign of slavery in the United States (Frey). Such spirituals used call-and-response, a method of communication that was popular with slaves who brought African traditions to America, and gave way to the gospel music and unique form of preaching characteristic to the Black Church. The history of the Black Church, which began during the slave era, demonstrates the way that African Americans found refuge in Christianity, where the church became the center for African American communities (Baer). Born out of struggle and oppression, the Black Church not only became the focus for the religious practices of African American communities, but also worked to “re-member” the community through rituals such as that of call-and-response, a core element of the Black Church which served as a powerful tool for the African American community in the fight for the exercise of true freedom in America.

Black religion was no longer regarded as exemplary or special. During a time of growing segregation and violence, some black leaders attempted to counter this perspective seen by whites by embracing the romantic racialist notions that “blacks possessed peculiar gifts.” These gifts being directly connected to the importance of black churches in a time of direct exclusion of blacks from other pieces of society.

This showing that the average African-American’s faith is what kept them strong and able to do whatever it takes in their struggle for freedom. However the sermon in a typical “Negro” church would also show just what kept them so strongly endowed in their religion.

In Frederick Douglass’s narrative, “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass”, he speaks of how he gained his education. He discusses who helped him and who discouraged him from getting an education. He mainly taught himself how to read and write, but he would have been nothing without the help of one of his master’s wife, Mrs. Auld. This narrative has shown that even the slightest education can be very abundant and meaningful. Through this essay it becomes evident that education is only a privilege.

Such unity and self-determination was evidenced in 1801, when Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church published a hymnal by and for African Americans (Costen, 81). Hymns have served black people in their everyday lives and had and have

Sernett, Milton C. Bound for the Promised Land: African American Religion and the Great Migration. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press Books, 1997. Explores the role of the Great Migration in transforming black churches into centers for social activism.

In the middle of her struggle, Moody offers insights and correctives to some common interpretations of down south black involvement. They believed that since the black churches were focal points of the community’s beliefs and social groups that they were also in the front position during the first occurrence of racial discrimination. Although, for Moody’s experience, this was not true, well at least in Centreville and the rest of Wilkinson

In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the dehumanization of slaves often occurs, as white plantation owners view slaves as objects undeserving of humane treatment in order to uphold power and warrant their unjust practices. Limiting knowledge and prohibiting education for African Americans was one strategy common among slave owners, as “it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant” (17). Due to their lack of intellect, slaves could not recognize the injustices of the slavery system and had little chances of escaping. When Mrs. Auld attempts to teach Frederick Douglass how to read and write, Mr. Auld claims, “A n***** should know nothing but to obey

John B. Vason, who was a local barber and a philanthropist, led a group of Blacks who met at Pittsburg’s African Church on January 1832.They. The purpose for their motives and plans was for blacks to be educated because it was a gateway to be equality. They state not allowing blacks to be educated causes “ the debase the mind, and subject it votaries to the lowest vice”(150). In addition, not being educated causes blacks to be degraded and put in bondage in the United States. They state that blacks are equally intellectual and “susceptible to improvement” as the white man. Furthermore, the state those blacks should have the right to purchase “books and periodicals”, they should have the right to raise money, to purchase ground, and a suitable

(Response to Question 2) In studying the Black Church not only as an institution, but as a transitioning tradition—I have come understand the role it plays in the lived Black experience. It is within the Black Church that one encounters a Divine that affirms and respects Black bodies, communities, and cultures. And from that affirmation and respect, derives the societal call to address the systemic oppression and disregard of Blackness.

This book represents thirty years of searching for the truth of the gospel and is a collection of essays on Black Theology. While working on his Ph.D. in systematic theology Cone had an awakening from his theological slumber as a result of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The more involved in the Civil Rights movement Cone became the more he realize how limited his seminary education way. Hence, in this book Cone reflects on how the Civil Rights movement caused him to raise questions such as what theology had to do with the black struggle for racial justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement helped Cone to look at theology and the struggle of black people with injustice. Thus you have James Cone drawing upon decades

- Ashely Scott’s CAMD Scholar Presentation: Instead of a meeting, come to Kemper at 6:30pm to watch Ashley present her research about Spirituals and the Inversion of the African-American Church

First, ethnic diversity is on the rise in American churches today, and it has been for some time. According to Duke University, “the percentage of people attending congregations in which no ethnic group constitutes at least 80% of the regular attendees increased from 15% in 1998 to 20% in 2012” (Chaves and Eagle 20). Furthermore, the trend shows a slight acceleration (Chaves and Eagle 20). The next study is due in 2018, and one could extrapolate that the trend will continue. Additionally, the Duke Study attributes the increasing diversity to immigration developments, increased interracial marriage, and increased educational attainment among African Americans (Chaves and Eagle 21). Furthermore, it is fitting that this trend illustrates God’s

Although this information on Liberation Theology is essential to understanding of this concept, the focus of our presentation, in relation to our class, was Black Liberation Theology. It is easy to see how African Americans relate to the idea of Liberation Theology, as a historically socially oppressed group of peoples. The encompassed theme of Black Liberation theologians is the concept of God emancipating African Americans from white racism. Jesus in Liberation Theology is commonly represented as a ‘Poor Black Man’, therefore allowing the representation of a relatable figure for the African American people. One way in which we felt the concept of Liberation Theology come together with class discussion, was in relation to the Black Liberation Theologian, James Cone, whom we had previously discussed in class time, leading up to this presentation.