History and Sociology of American Black Church

This is a bible college and seminary level course in Ecclesiology and Black religion. Students will come to understand the Black church as it relates to the history of African Americans and to contemporary Black culture. The course will relate to the internal structure of the church and the reactions of the church to external and societal challenges. Students will be guided through the History of the Black church, its roots, culture, prophetic tradition and its contributions to black group identity, theology, politics, and the larger American society. Additionally, the course examines the political philosophy, social issues, preaching, and worship in the Black church.

Students who subscribe will be able to identify trends that will define the Black church well into the next century. The definition of the black church as an institution involves the seven historic American Black denominations: the African Methodist Episcopal Church; the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A.; the National Baptist Convention of America; the Progressive National Baptist Convention; the Church of God in Christ.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:

Raboteau, Albert. Slave Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978.

Lincoln, C. Eric. The Black Church in the African American Experience. Durham, NC: Duke University Press Books, 1990.

SUPPLEMENTAL TEXTBOOKS:

Gates Jr., Henry Louis. The Black Church–This is My Story; This is My Song. New York: Penguin Press, 2021.

Reddie, Anthony C. Introducing James Cone. London: SCM Press, 2022.

RECOMMENDED READING

Douglas, Kelly Brown. The Black Christ. Maryknoll NY: Orbis Books, 2021.