Black Diamond Band Essay

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

During the early 1970’s legendary singer, songwriter, music producer and minister, Reverend Al Green, dominated music charts with his classic hits of southern soul music. Records including “Let’s Stay Together,” “Tired of Being Alone,” and “Love and Happiness,” has endlessly been passed down through generations of families predominantly in the African American community (Dr. J). Although Green has had an enormously influential impact on the history of R&B music, the eleven-time Grammy award winner decided to step away from soul music at the peak of his career and rededicate his life to Christ. He strolled down many paths of which the religious author, James Martin, refers to as the paths of belief, exploration, and return. To further understand how Al Greens has explored each of these paths, this essay will analyze significant moments in the life of Reverend Al Green.

Peter Randolph, too, presented the durable linkage between African-Americans, especially during slavery. Their alliance was characterized by creating the so called, “plantation churches” whenever they could not attend the actual church services. By doing so, they could simply gather together, remember their traditions, dance, sing, recite their prayers, sorrows or play banjo. All those familiar activities were helping them hold on to their culture, refine their identity and avoid the “Social Death” or “Cultural Genocide” they were subjected to. Similarly, creating the AME Church, along with following churches, such as the Ethiopian Church of Jesus Christ, was a method of showing to the society that the African history and beliefs are not forgotten.

Local churches around Blythe came together under Palo Verde College Performing Arts Center’s roof, to lift up holy hands, sing to the Lord a new song and worship as a interdenominational congregation.

While I was volunteering at a local emergency shelter with a friend, a team of gospel singers visited the shelter, hoping to enliven spirits through song. Being worship leaders at our own church, my friend and I anxiously, yet excitedly, joined them. Before singing, we all agreed on a list of simple, but powerful, Christian songs that everyone would be able to sing along to. The melodies, piercing the atmosphere, soon had shattered families standing hand in hand, joining our growing chorus of hope for a speedy recovery in Houston.

These three perceptions are distinctly different, but ultimately speak to the contextual nature of Black theology—rooting worship, adoration, and discipleship within the notion a (conscious) living G-d. The first perception explored is the image G-d adored through the lens of Sister Sweet and Mother Darling. At first glance, these women appear different in life style and theology—different churches, different abilities, and different approaches to discipleship. But upon further examination, one discovers the same paradigm at work. Both have lost children to AIDS. Both have committed themselves to a praxis centered theology to process their loss. Mother Darling is street missionary and Sister Sweet is a disabled woman confined to a wheel that feeds the birds and attends to the needs of the Little piece of Heaven Church. Both have found peace in their personalized work for the Lord. Their G-d is a “shelter in a time of storm.” The second perception is the image of G-d as seen through Deacon Zee. This G-d is one of salvation and complacence for Deacon Zee. The “White Jesus” he prayed to for his assistance in finding his copy of the Wall Street Journal—a nuanced symbol for prosperity. This G-d speaks to the corporate nature and element of

After the Civil War, African Amerians organized their own churches and religious denominations. “The church was integral to the lives of most black people. It fulfilled spiritual needs through sermons and music” (pg. 319). These churches would also help the sick, the bereaved, and those in need when they didn’t even have the money to spare. “The church service itself was the most important aspect of religious life for most black congregations” (319).

“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.

By revealing the opposition and obstacles, the black church may seize the opportunity of becoming a force to be reckoned with in our society. America was born with a grotesque, cancerous disease called slavery. This disease lingers to this day in many forms and subtle variations. The plantation mentality is still with us. Sometimes it masquerades as democracy and free enterprise, but the effect is the same on the spirits of the poor and oppressed. When black men moved indoors to work in industry and business, they found themselves imprisoned behind the walls of institutional racism. Nothing really had

Historically, the Black church has been a place that has inspired soulful expression. During slavery, it was the only place that had minimal or no supervision by white, slave masters. The church and its tenets stood as both a spiritual and physical manifestation of the hopes and dreams of a people who desired to be released from their bondage. The theological views embraced by the African diaspora in the church were inexorably linked with their belief that God would punish their oppressors and reward the righteous in this life or the next.

Lincoln, C. Eric, and Lawrence H. Mamiya. The Black Church in the African-American Experience. Durham: Duke UP, 1990. Print.

Historically in the African American community the church has been a one stop shop: a welcoming spot for newcomers, a refuge for the needy, and a source of guidance for

The annual praise house church service event occurred on November 5, 2017, in Allen Chapel AME Church at 11am. There were representatives of Christ Our Redeemer AME church, pastors from other church homes, non Ida B. Wells and Persist members, and alumni that attended this praise house. Anyone and everyone was welcomed to partake in the celebration of the praise house tradition of the plantation church. My role was to help lift the voices of the Bush Arbor Choir and to harmonize with my church sisters to fill the sanctuary with the old ritual hymns and negro spirituals , that would get people moving and rejoicing for the Lord. This praise house service was performed not only to reflect upon honoring our ancestors in the African Slave

In more modern times, the Black Church is now facing new issues that challenges its purpose. It faces conflict from the Hip Hop generation- the generation of Blacks born to members of the Hip Hop generation. The problem is now this generation is being ignored by the church, and they are need of help. They need guidance in a world that is giving them hundreds of mixed signals as to what they need in life, which is basically leaving them to raise

The second vocal ensemble of the night started out with a song which included a twelve bar blues, called “ I use to know you”. This performance consisted of the most combinations of solos of the night as well as using an improvising style. The entire band started all together which led to a Trumpet solo. Then Jose on the Sax did his solo followed by the pianist comping. Then the choir along with the band joined together to lead to a female solo which was particularly interesting since she was scatting. The second performance of this ensemble was “Spring can really hang you up the most” which consisted of 3/4 time and 4/4 time. This started with a female solo vocalist then a male one. The band as a whole played together and ended with a male solo scatting. The third and shortest performance of the night was a vocal acapella piece, “Love walked in” which was short and sweet. The fourth performance of the night was a Richmond Rogers piece. This had a rhythmic swing/salsa feel from the “Lady is a tramp”. This started with the rhythm section, with the male vocalist and horns. Then the female vocalist from the choir joined and concluded this piece. The fifth performance for the group was a sequel to voice stand an acapella piece by Greg Jaspers. This song started with the choir using their voices as the instruments altogether. The final performance of the night was one of