African-American Religion

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that African-American churches served as the foundation for the African-American struggle for civil rights during the 20th century. The author traces the history of the churches, focusing on their importance socially as well as spiritually to the community. The author is somewhat critical of mainstream Christianity and its exclusion of Blacks. The paper concludes by citing major Black religious figures in America and acknowledging that religion has impacted African-American history from a highly diverse set of directions.

From the Paper:

"Still, the notion that the Christian Church has been a leading force in the movement towards social change for the African American has not gone unchallenged. Some have contended that the Christian Church as acted as an opiate for generations to the African American people. One critic stated, "Instead of cursing the white man, [blacks] shout at the Lord. Instead of kicking whitey, [blacks] kick over the pew." Those who believe that the African American Church acts as an opiate to the black sub-culture contend that it induces many individuals to appeal to God for social change, when, more realistically, they should be acting to bring about social change themselves; in other words, they believe that the church provides an outlet for black people's frustrations, so they can be directed away from actions that might elementally undermine the current radicalized American social system. Eventually, a scientific study conducted by Gary Marx in the 1960's attempted to find any correlation between the level of religious fervor of black Americans and their associated beliefs regarding the Civil Rights movement: "Specifically, Marx established that in his sample, the greater the subjective importance of religion to black respondents, and the more often they went to church, the less militant they were in support of the civil rights issues." Even more recent theorists have agreed with the assessment of the role of the African American Church in social activism; arguing that it is centrally a device for passivity and control."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adams, Reverend Charles. "Burden of Black Religion." Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. Detroit: Sunday April 12, 1992. Cassette tape.
• Colaiaco, James. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. Brooklyn: Carlson Publishing, 1989.
• Drake, St. Clair. The Redemption of Africa and Black Religion. Chicago: Third World Press, 1970.
• Harris, Fredrick C. Something Within: Religion in African American Political Activism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
• Wilmore, Gayraud. African American Religious Studies. Durham: Duke University Press, 1989.

More papers on African-American Religion:

• Term Paper # 127680 : "African-American Baptist Church"
• Research Paper # 4507 : "The Resiliency of African-American Families"
• Essay # 87052 : "African American Women and Religion"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: