Into the Pulpit: Southern Baptist Women and Power Since World War II, by Elizabeth Flowers

African American women represent a significant proportion of congregation in most African American churches. “African American women make up about 66-88 percent majority in African American churches though they are not well represented in the church leadership.” The greatest variation that can be observed in women’s leadership is in the pastoral category. The situation is worse for unmarried women who want to be church ministers, pastor or preacher but it becomes complicated for women who are in relationships but not yet married. Nonetheless, unmarried women are still being ordained and appointed as pastors and bishops at a growing rate. One of the remarkable appointment which also marked a milestone

She includes illustrations and photos depicting various political cartoons, petitions, artifacts, and engravings between pages 80 and 81. In her preface she first introduces the limitation of having white, middle-class women reformers. Chapter one, The Roots of Reform, introduces us to how women, empowered by the church first start exploring various charitable forms of outreach, the effect of the Second Great Awakening, and the first leading women; such as Juliana Tappen and Maria Weston Chapman. Chapter two, Charity and the Relations of Class, explores the middle -and upper-class women's need to perform charity. (Again tying in religion) The poor merely existing as a way for the wealthy to earn their way into heaven. We see the invention of the poor house, and how to define who was the "worthy poor." We see the invention of the Asylum as well as early talks of abolitionism. Chapter three, "Drinks, Sex, Crime, and Insanity", introduces the first major movement of the antebellum era, temperance, and the role alcohol played in the antebellum life. We see the emergence of Susan B. Anthony. This is the chapter where we begin to see more radical action from women, and some earlier reformers step away because they are scared of how far the movements are going. These movements are beginning to keep the women out of the kitchen just a little too long. Women begin to have more say, and do more than just simply make speeches and hand out pamphlets. Chapter four, Antislavery, is where we see the biggest divides in the reform movement. Women were divided on issues such as colonization, ending slavery, or should they even be involved at all. Many women wanted to be abolitionists, but did not want to associate with black people. Chapter five: Women's Rights, explores the earliest movements in the women's right cause. We see the effects of the Seneca

In 1880, Turner rode a wave of populist popularity to become the first southern bishop elected in the AME Church at the General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. As Bishop, Turner dedicated himself to building a denomination. The AME Church had begun to lose ground to the fast-growing Baptist denomination, which allowed greater freedom of expression during service. Turner wrote a hymnal which included adaptations of many "slave ditties," as Bishop Payne called them. He worked to give southern congregations a greater voice among the AME hierarchy, which, dominated as it was by Northerners, tended to look down on their southern brethren. And he gave women a greater role in the denomination. He even ordained a woman as deacon, but that move was condemned so loudly that he rescinded it and never spoke about it again - the one subject on which he was silenced. He would also prove to be the most controversial. He provoked white racists in print, and advocated a wholesale move of blacks back to Africa "to achieve our dignity and manhood." He ordained a woman, Sarah Ann Hughes, as a deacon in the church. During his tenure, he presided over the 8th, 5th, 1st, 12th, 6th and 7th Districts.

When reading Lynn Japinga’s Essential Guide to Christianity and Feminism, there are many different lessons that you can take from it, ranging from lessons on what it means to be a feminist, what it takes to be considered a practicing Christian, and the many critics that both Christians and feminists face. Much like The Bible, the lessons you take depends on how you read it and what of your own knowledge and experiences you bring into the analysis. As someone who is on the forth year of sociology and gender studies programs, I went into the reading with a preconceived view on what it means to be a feminist and with knowledge of the potential dangers that women within Christianity face.

This semester, as a class, we have peeled away the layers of what evangelicalism and fundamentalism means throughout history, especially in our Western culture. I am intrigued with them both and their very presence in many of our modern-day congregations, as well as the secular parts of our society. After visiting Grace Covenant Church of Austin, Texas, many of the attributes that have been emphasized in books such as Rediscovering an Evangelical Heritage by Donald Dayton and American Apocalypse by Matthew Sutton, I experienced while visiting Grace.

These are the issue that the modern African American pastor must address currently. His/Her preaching must speak true, authentic words for the oppressed, the down-trodden, the deprived, the captives, the poor, the rich, the illiterate, as well as to the intellect. Presently, the hostile moment of worldliness is a belief that life is to be realized at any cost to self. Thus, here lies the Christian paradox: through the Gospel we have to see Jesus as a truth relevant to humanity’s need to rise higher. The Gospel is to be preached to all. It is a Gospel to save the humanity of African American people but the gospel is beneficial for all. Therefore, the African American preacher’s message must have within its content something more than that which causes the people to enter in a foot-patting, hand-clapping, highly emotional, ecstatic worldly experience, but also a content which serves to balance the life of God’s people on earth.

I am the minority of the usual church; typically I am one of four white people who attend the 8am service. I first went with a friend’s family after she had pass away. I was never nervous about going to a predominantly African American church. Everyone welcomed me. The family I went with had me stand up when they called for new people to the church. It then took me 30 extra minutes to get out of the church because everyone gave me a hug. Going into part two of this project I was actually very nervous about going to the Korean church. I think being by myself had a lot to do with it along with not know the language. I was very nervous about not understanding anything that was going on. Additionally I was worried they would not want me there.

The roots of a black woman’s struggle heightens the sole reasons why she bends over backwards for herself and her community. This showcase of bravery and courage is further elaborated in Ross’s first chapter named “Religion and Public Life: Early Traditions of Black Religious Women’s Activism.” Ross does an excellent job at unfolding the ignorance of black male religious leaders during the Civil Rights Movement. Black ministers and other male figures during this time fell extremely short by failing to acknowledging the women who offered much more than a helping hand in promoting change. Black religious women in the Civil Rights Movement provided a critical influence to the success of the movement. They furnished multiple ideas that embraced racial uplift and social responsibility all while making connection to religious life. Religion has always been crucial to not only black people but also to the minority race period. They place an immense reliance on a power that is much, much greater than their own. Having faith in something is innate; and is an essential need for humans. Therefore, there is

As of today, religion still maintains an impact throughout the domain of the South. Religion in the South supports infrastructure educational and social services. It also inhibits the growth of the traditional denominations to prosper, ranging from Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran and even Catholic. Baptist make about 50% of church affiliation population in the south while Methodist is about a quarter and Presbyterian around 10% or so ( Wison 1).Throughout the entire range of life of many religious denominations since they were first introduced to the South, they have been able to preserve their culture even during the social changes. To fully understand the southern religious establishments, we must compromise motives, interaction and movements

References are vital to explain cultural differences. Certain historical accounts provide students with a platform to interpret and analyze struggles and breakthroughs in modern culture. Main lectures for the class will come from William Alexander Percy: The Curious Life of a Mississippi Planter and Dancing in Hellfire. Opposition to sexual freedom is, in its entirety, nothing more than discrimination. Discrimination is some form plaques Mississippi in the modern progressive movement. Holding on to traditional values forms the basis of Southern Culture. William Alexander Percy provides insight during the Jim Crow south. William Percy’s story originates from the elite planter society which dominated Southern Mississippi in post Antebellum society.

Born February 27, 1897 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Marian Anderson was only 6 years old when she joined the choir at Union Baptist Church. As a child, her church helped raise money for her to attend music school for a year, since her family could not afford it .When she joined the choir, she earned the nickname “Baby Contralto”. Her father’s death when she was 12, didn’t have an effect on her love for singing. The church raised $500 for her to get singing lessons from Guiseppe Boghetti, who was a well respected voice teacher and tenor. Marian would soon be a star.

Hatch’s book is one of an era and a topic that I had never studied before. Hatch’s book covers the period from the end of the American Revolution through the mid-1840s. However, I believe the topic should be considered through today’s rise of the televangelist and the mega-churches of America. Hatch outlines the rise of churches (as egalitarian based) based on the belief, which coincided with the rise of the American population and its expansion westward.

The second paper, written by David Norris, focuses mainly on the history of Pentecostal women in ministry. He gave a brief mention to the emergence of Holiness women preachers, and then fast-forwards to the Pentecostal movement. Because many of the people involved in the Pentecostal movement had once been a part of the Holiness movement, women were generally accepted as ministers. However, even here women were relegated to the margins. They took the broken, burnt out, run down churches that no one else wanted. Many times these women would revitalized a run down church only to step down, or be shunted aside, so a man could take over as pastor. According to Norris, at the founding of the UPCI nearly 22% of the licensed ministers were women. This number has steadily declined over the past 50 years until only 3% of the licensed ministers are women. Norris gives four possible reasons for this: 1. Because women did not learn how to theologically defend their position at the beginning of the movement, they do not know how now that the climate has changed to where they must defend their calling. 2. There were many more denominations involved in the Pentecostal movement than just the Holiness groups who were not willing to license women. 3. There are little or no role models who promote women in

He married Dorothy Plackett (1756–1807), of Hackleton, on 10 June 1781. In 1783, having been persuaded of the principles of the Baptist denomination, he was baptized by John Ryland (1753–1825), in Northampton. While continuing to practise as a shoemaker he preached to the Baptist congregation at Earls Barton, near Northampton, and in his spare time studied Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. In 1785 he moved to a residential Baptist pastorate a few miles away at Moulton, though still needing to augment his income by schoolmastering and shoe making.

Women as pastors has been a controversial way before Joyce Meyer’s ministry. Biblical exegesis requires sensitivity to the historical context of all passages in the Scripture. We must probe the Word looking for a verse to make a statement without knowing. Often times we must read the verses or even books before or after the chosen the first to gain a thorough understanding. When Scripture is taken out of its context, fallacies and blurred perspectives result. More than likely, the security officer was referring to Timothy 2 emphasized by