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African-american religion: interpretive essays in history and culture the rise of african churches in america
Christianity in African American culture
Christianity and African American culture
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African Americans practice a various number of religions, Christianity is by far the most popular. Up to the present day religiosity has always been a coping behavior among African Americans. The majority of them found peace and hope in their spirituals during slavery. Throughout one of the most dark times in our nations history, religion has played a big roll for African Americans. They created ways of expressing African meanings and values through the form of songs and stories. Due to their enslavement they established and passed down their own practices, religious services, and religious socialization. Many African American families formed their own practices since the olden days. Several of their practices that are still used until …show more content…
They created their own times and found secret locations as a group or community. According to the book, World Religions in America, there are four types of African American churches. The Pastoral type, the Prophetic type, the Political type, and the Nationalist type. Beginning with The Pastoral Type, this is the oldest type which was used before forming individual churches and it was focused on hope for a better future and the goodness found in people or God. As stated in the book, "optimistic in outlook, they have consistently challenged blacks to be more self-respecting, industrious, honest, thrifty, self-reliant, morally virtuous, and hopeful that a better day will surely dam because of God's providence," (Neusner 66). It shows how this type of church provided comfort and grew hope in their hearts. The second type, The Prophetic Type, focuses more on proclaiming the justice of God by publicly condemning all forms of racial injustice. As stated, "Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther king Jr., and Jesse Jackson represented some of the greatest leaders to emerge from the prophetic type of ministry," (Neusner 67). This type is similar to the Pastoral Type but it focuses more on spirituals, the guttural exuberance of the gospel music, and the persuasive oratory of dynamic preaching. The third type, The Political …show more content…
In this day and age, many people tend to not socialize daily about religion as much as before because many people simply do not believe in God as well as others do. Many people agree that our generations thinking is way different from our grandparents. Thus, every community church has its own activities for the youth to participate in outside the church and so does the African American churches. These activities expose the children about the role of religion in ones life and help them grow in it. Some activities can be volunteer work in the church where younger people help before the service. Holding activities to show that the church is not just a place to only show ones devotion to God, but for people to be involved in it as a community. Another way to be involved and show gratefulness is joining the churches choir. Also, some churches form bible study circles as well as prayer circles to teach the kids in a more exciting way. Most churches have found ways to get kids of younger age excited about religion. They hold multiple activities and field trips throughout the year so the kids can reflect what they have learned outside the church on to their daily lives. Children are usually lead by their mothers. African American mothers are one of the most religious people as a group. As Theola Labbe-DeBose stated in the article, Black Women are Among Country's Most Religious Groups, "African Americans
Becoming a true theologian and scholar deals with not limiting the extents of homiletics. The assumption is that the black preaching tradition is distinct and identifiable. What is interesting for any African American student of homiletics is that while many argue for a defined set of African American homiletic characteristics, there is little agreement on what these characteristics are? When people try to characterize what makes African Ame...
Montgomery, William. Under Their Own Vine and Fig Tree: The African-American Church in the South. Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 1993. Print.
Africanisms in America are a highly surveyed topic for the black community. Joseph E. Holloway describes Africanisms as “those elements of culture found in the New World that are traceable to an African origin” (Holloway 2). I believe, that africanisms are the traditions and cultural behaviors of African Americans that resemble the some of the same traditions and cultures in Africa. Which makes you ponder about what current elements does our culture use that ties back to Africa. Which in fact there are several africanisms that still exist. African Americans have retained an essence of Africa in their speech, hair care, clothing, preparation of foods, and music by over centuries of separation from the Dark Continent.
Christianity in the context of American slavery took on many faces and characteristics. As a religion, it was used as a tool of manipulation for slave masters to further justify the institution, and particularly assert authority over their slaves. In the slave community, Christianity was adapted in the slave community as a means to shape an identity and create a sense of dignity for an oppressed people. Christianity in the context of the slave community was a means to uplift and encourage the slaves, a way in which to advance the interests of slave-holders, and in some cases, a means used to justify freedom.
Black Liberation Theology can be defined as the relationship that blacks have with god in their struggle to end oppression. It sees god as a god of history and the liberator of the oppressed from bondage. Black Liberation theology views God and Christianity as a gospel relevant to blacks who struggle daily under the oppression of whites. Because of slavery, blacks concept of God was totally different from the masters who enslaved them. White Christians saw god as more of a spiritual savior, the reflection of God for blacks came in the struggle for freedom by blacks. Although the term black liberation theology is a fairly new, becoming popular in the early 1960’s with Black Theology and Black Power, a book written by James H. Cone, its ideas are pretty old, which can be clearly seen in spirituals sang by Africans during the time of slavery nearly 400 years ago.# It was through these hymns that black liberation spawned. Although Cone is given credit for “the discovery of black liberation theology,” it’s beliefs can quite clearly be seen in the efforts of men like preacher Nat Turner and his rebellion of slavery in mid 1800’s or Marcus Garvey, one of the first men to “see god through black spectacles” in the early 1900’s. More recently black theology emerged as a formal discipline. Beginning with the "black power" movement in 1966, black clergy in many major denominations began to reassess the relationship of the Christian church to the black community. Black caucuses developed in the Catholic, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches. "The central thrust of these new groups was to redefine the meaning and role of the church and religion in the lives of black people. Out of this reexamination has come what some have called Bla...
In their quarters, slaves expressed themselves with some what more freedom from white slave owners. Religion provided a feel of similar freedom and also gave slaves mental support. By attending church, slaves created a Christianity that emphasized salvation for every race, including slaves.
African Americans started to go to school and became accustomed to American culture, so church became a regular thing. In the church they would sing, clap, stomp, and have a call and response way of singing, called Negro Spiritual. Soon Negro Spiritual became well known and some choruses went abroad to Europe or Africa to sing.
Although White and Black Americans were very clearly segregated and European culture was oppressing the spread of African ideals, it is surprising to witness how neither culture assimilated into one another, as there were several conditions that allow this phenomenon to happen. Firstly, it was undeniable that a huge part of Europe’s economy relied on the production from the slaves to provide the necessary primary goods. Therefore a huge number of slaves were sent to American to meet this demand for labor. The African heritage was constantly refreshed in the peoples mind from the continuous waves of Africans capture and sent to America. Secondly, the multi-tribal composition the African-Americans turned American into a huge cultural furnace as the different traditions meet and interact closely. With limited historical/political/social constrain due to their enslaved status, African-Americans became very adaptive to their constantly changing environment. Thirdly, the introduction of Christianity established a pathway for the slaves to learn English which was forbidden by law as they got in touch with hymn singing. As African traditions heavily revolves around music, hymn singing was then merged with features of African music. These conditions “gives witness to a form out of which slaves sang the blues before there was a blues; where it has ceased, other forms have encased the function formerly served by lining out.” (Dargan 9) Its potential of unceasing adaptation resisted and endured the dominance of European culture, which prevented cultural assimilation where black slaves would be completely removed from their African
As a reaction to being torn violently from their roots, the slaves tried to resume their cultural and religious traditions. Ancestral spirits, forces called supernatural, were invoked and celebrated in secret, far from the master's eyes, yet in the shadow of the Church, as the worship of saints and the Catholic sacraments served as a screen and a support for African beliefs. The creation of a coherent belief system was extremely important in the development of a feeling of cohesion among the slaves which would provide them with a sense of self and community.
Slavery was ubiquitous throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Slaves would get so frustrated with the abuse they received and would try to run away to the North, where African Americans could become free citizens. The North abolished slavery later in time because it wasn’t as dependent on it as to the South. Spirituals sung by slaves were vital to the escape of runaway slaves.
The beginning of African American slavery in America in 1619 deeply impacted the culture of African Americans. The overall experience that African American slaves encountered throughout their journey to freedom is a tragedy. As a whole, they were continuously disrespected and treated poorly by nearly all white people. Regardless of what type of slave or which geographical area the slave resided in, they were considered property and were never capable of being equal to whites. Nearly two and a half centuries later in 1865, slavery was abolished with passing of the 13th amendment. African American slaves may have been severely mistreated on a daily basis, but they were able to deal with the circumstances that were laid out in front of them by turning to religion and coming together as a family (House).
It must be noted that for the purpose of avoiding redundancy, the author has chosen to use the terms African-American and black synonymously to reference the culture, which...
In From Slavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that “the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas” (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since. We as Americans have studied American history all throughout school, and took one Month out of the year to studied African American history. Of course we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold which will take more than a month to learn about.
The development of Black Theology in the United States was one that shocked the nation as a whole. While in slavery, Blacks had to sneak and hold church services. This was partly because Whites felt that Blacks were not able to be accepted into heaven, and they believed that once one as a Christian they could no longer be enslaved. So to appease their conscience, they would not allow Blacks to take part in theology. Due to these issues, Black Theology soon originated within the United States.
In today's world, there are many different ways to get involved in religion; various methods have attracted groups of all ages and races. One popular association is FCA or Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This particular group has helped me to find Christ in my own life. There are a lot of unconventional activities to help the younger generations get involved. Some of these activities included Death Week, which focused on death and pain, meetings about family and divorce, lectures to help people reach for their goals, and encouragement speakers. There is a great deal of fun incorporated into all the seriousness, though. We went on ski trips, did missionary work, and put on skits. All of these activities involved Christ in some way, and helped the younger generation to realize that being spiritual was not 'uncool.'; When I attended the FCA meetings, it was the one time that I actually felt free from all my problems. FCA helped me to find my spiritual self and gave me a sense of completion.