God In America: The Black Church. In the fall of 2. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the African American minister from Chicago's Trinity Church, had denounced the United States with inflammatory language: "God damn America!" Wright's most famous parishioner was the leading Democratic contender for the presidential nomination, Barack Obama. Trinity was Obama's spiritual home - - the place where he had found religion, where he was married, and where his daughters had been baptized. Rev. Wright, a former Marine with a Ph. D., had served as his spiritual mentor. While many white voters seemed surprised, puzzled and shocked by Wright's angry rhetoric, African Americans were less so.
Obama seized the moment to deliver a profound meditation on race in America, a speech titled "A More Perfect Union." Tracing the deep historical roots of racial inequality and injustice, Obama put Wright's anger into historical context. In very personal terms, he also described his experience at Trinity: Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America. Eventually Obama broke with Wright and left Trinity, but his speech illuminated the role of the black church in the African American experience. Standing apart from the dominant white society, yet engaged in a continuing dialogue with it, the church evolved with countless acts of faith and resistance, piety and protest. As historian Anthea Butler has observed, the church has been profoundly shaped by regional differences, North and South, East and West, yet in both the private and public spheres, the church was, and remains, sustained and animated by idea of freedom. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has more than 1.7 million members in more than 10,000 congregations and worshiping communities answering Christ's call to mission and. The National Black Church Initiative’s African American Family Circle Initiative. Primary Documents: African American History; African American History in the West; Global African History; Listed below are major documents that help explain the. The Black Panther Party or the BPP (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a revolutionary black nationalist and socialist organization founded by. The term "the black church" evolved from the phrase "the Negro church," the title of a pioneering sociological study of African American Protestant churches at the turn of the century by W. E. B. Du Bois. In its origins, the phrase was largely an academic category. Many African Americans did not think of themselves as belonging to "the Negro church," but rather described themselves according to denominational affiliations such as Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and even "Saint" of the Sanctified tradition. African American Christians were never monolithic; they have always been diverse and their churches highly decentralized. Today "the black church" is widely understood to include the following seven major black Protestant denominations: the National Baptist Convention, the National Baptist Convention of America, the Progressive National Convention, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and the Church of God in Christ. Origins. New historical evidence documents the arrival of slaves in the English settlement in Jamestown, Va., in 1. They came from the kingdoms of Ndongo and Kongo, in present- day Angola and the coastal Congo. In the 1. 50. 0s, the Portuguese conquered both kingdoms and carried Catholicism to West Africa. It is likely that the slaves who arrived in Jamestown had been baptized Catholic and had Christian names. For the next 2. 00 years, the slave trade exported slaves from Angola, Ghana, Senegal and other parts of West Africa to America's South. Here they provided the hard manual labor that supported the South's biggest crops: cotton and tobacco. In the South, Anglican ministers sponsored by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, founded in England, made earnest attempts to teach Christianity by rote memorization; the approach had little appeal. Some white owners allowed the enslaved to worship in white churches, where they were segregated in the back of the building or in the balconies. Occasionally persons of African descent might hear a special sermon from white preachers, but these sermons tended to stress obedience and duty, and the message of the apostle Paul: "Slaves, obey your masters."Both Methodists and Baptists made active efforts to convert enslaved Africans to Christianity; the Methodists also licensed black men to preach. During the 1. 77. Old and New Testaments. No story spoke more powerfully to slaves than the story of Exodus, with its themes of bondage and liberation brought by a righteous and powerful God who would one day set them free. Remarkably, a few black preachers in the South succeeded in establishing independent black churches. In the 1. 78. 0s, a slave named Andrew Bryan preached to a small group of slaves in Savannah, Ga. White citizens had Bryan arrested and whipped. Despite persecution and harassment, the church grew, and by 1. First African Baptist Church of Savannah. In time, a Second and a Third African Church were formed, also led by black pastors. In the North, blacks had more authority over their religious affairs. Many worshipped in established, predominantly white congregations, but by the late 1. African Societies. Functioning as quasi- religious organizations, these societies often gave rise to independent black churches. In 1. 78. 7, for example, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones organized the Free African Society of Philadelphia, which later evolved into two congregations: the Bethel Church, the mother church of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination, and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, which remained affiliated with a white Episcopal denomination. These churches continued to grow. Historian Mary Sawyer notes that by 1. African churches representing four denominations in 1. South Carolina to Massachusetts. In black churches, women generally were not permitted to preach. One notable exception was Jarena Lee, who became an itinerant preacher, traveling thousands of miles and writing her own spiritual autobiography. The Second Great Awakening and "Hush Harbors"In the late 1. Americans, black and white, enslaved and free, were swept up in the revival known as the Second Great Awakening. In the South, the religious fervor of evangelical Christianity resonated easily with the emotive religious traditions brought from West Africa. Forging a unique synthesis, slaves gathered in "hush harbors" - - woods, gullies, ravines, thickets and swamps - - for heartfelt worship which stressed deliverance from the toil and troubles of the present world, and salvation in the heavenly life to come. Yet most of the enslaved lay outside the institutional church. In the 1. 83. 0s and 1. Southern churchmen undertook an active campaign to persuade plantation owners that slaves must be brought into to the Christian fold. Because plantations were located far from churches, this meant that the church had to be carried to the plantation. Aided by denominational missionary societies and associations, plantation missions became popular institutions. But missionaries recognized that Christianity would not appeal to all enslaved blacks. Novice missionaries were warned: He who carries the Gospel to them … discovers deism, skepticism, universalism … all the strong objections against the truth of God; objections which he may perhaps have considered peculiar only to the cultivated minds … of critics and philosophers! The Methodists were the most active among missionary societies, but Baptists also had strong appeal. The Baptists' insistence that each congregation should have its own autonomy meant that blacks could exercise more control over their religious affairs. Yet the independence of black churches was curbed by law and by the white Southern response to slave uprisings and abolition. Abolition. In the years leading up to the Civil War, the black church found its political and prophetic voice in the cause of abolition. Black ministers took to their pulpits to speak out against slavery and warned that any nation that condoned slavery would suffer divine punishment. Former slave and Methodist convert Frederick Douglass challenged Christians to confront an institution that violated the central tenets of the Christian faith, including the principle of equality before God. In 1. 82. 9, African American abolitionist David Walker issued his famous tract, "Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World," urging slaves to resort to violence, if necessary. He, too, warned of divine punishment: "God rules in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. His ears continually open to the tears and groans of His oppressed people. In the North, black ministers and members of the African American community joined white abolitionists in organizing the Underground Railroad, an informal network that helped persons escaping bondage to make their way to freedom. Prominent among these activists was Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery in 1. Philadelphia. Having secured her freedom, Tubman put herself in jeopardy by making repeated return trips to the South to assist others. Her courage and determination earned her the affectionate sobriquet "Moses."Emancipation and Reconstruction. For those who yearned for freedom, the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln on Jan. Exodus story of the ancient Israelites: God had intervened in human history to liberate his chosen people. But the stroke of a presidential pen did not eliminate poverty and dislocation, chaos and uncertainty. In the North, black churches organized missions to the South to help newly freed persons find the skills and develop the talents that would allow them to lead independent lives. Education was paramount. African American missionaries, including AME Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne, established schools and educational institutions. White denominations, including Presbyterian, Congregational and Episcopal congregations, also sent missionaries to teach reading and math skills to a population previously denied the opportunity for education. The Convention Movement Of The Black Baptist Church- Articles- Blackand. Christian. com. September is traditionally. Baptists from around the country travel and join. Baptists in meetings to lift spirits, hear reports and raise money. These "annual sessions" reflect. Benjamin Mays described the. The. great importance attached to the political maneuvering at a National Baptist. Convention.. can be explained in part by the fact the Negro is largely. The local churches, associations. Negro's Democratic and Republican. Legislature, his Senate and House of Representatives.". There is evidence that the, "very. America was a Baptist church. Savannah, Georgia, around 1. It should be noted. In January. 1. 98. Chicago Defender observed the 2. United States, The First Bryan. Baptist Church. (3) The church was established January 2. Andrew Bryan, a slave and the first pastor. It was originally known. First Colored Baptist Church of Savannah. Bryan is said to have. Rev. George Liele, another slave who purchased his. South. Liele is also credited with organizing a missionary. Jamaica in 1. 78. The missionary's role is significant to black Baptist church history. The mission movement is the source for the convention movement. Rev. Lott. Carey traveled to Sierra Leone, West Africa in 1. African mission. In his book, A History of Black. Baptists. Leroy Fitts states, "the evolution of an African mission was a strong. Baptists. The primary objective of most organized movements was. Jesus Christ to millions of Africa's sons and. To this end, much of the economic. African mission." (5) The first attempt at organization beyond the local church occurred in. Providence Baptist Association in Ohio. The second oldest. Baptist churches on the national level was. Wood River Baptist Association founded in 1. Illinois. In 1. 84. American Baptist Missionary Convention came into existence.(6) With. Civil War's end in 1. Baptists began to establish programs. To do this in a more. In 1. 86. 6, Baptists in North Carolina organized the first state convention. By 1. 87. 0, every Southern state had formed a Baptist Convention and reports. Baptists. (7) The growth. In 1. 86. 7 the Consolidated American Baptist Convention was organized. Then, in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1. Southern Negro Baptist churches, associations, and. Foreign Mission Baptist Convention. USA."(8). Rev. W. H. Mc. Alpine was elected the first president. The American National Baptist Convention was organized in 1. Baptist National Educational Convention was established. In 1. 89. 5, a meeting attended by more than 2. Atlanta. Georgia. The three largest conventions of the day: the Baptist Foreign. Missionary Convention, the American National Baptist Convention and the. National Baptist Educational Convention merged to form the National. Baptist Convention of the United States of America. This brought both. Baptist churches together. Among the delegates. Rev. A. D. Williams, pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and grandfather. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.(9) At the group's 1. Chicago, internal problems arose. At issue. was whether the National Baptist Publishing Board, the organization that. Sunday school and Christian Education materials. Convention or a separate entity, able to keep all of. Convention related materials. The. Board, under the leadership of Rev. R. H. Boyd, had grown into a thriving. It sponsored the annual meeting of the National Sunday School. Baptist Training Union Congress. Boyd's decision to incorporate the. Publishing Board caused a legal battle that culminated in a split from. National Baptist Convention, USA. On September 1. 5, 1. National. Baptist Convention of America was formed. The first president. Rev. Edward P. Jones. The National Baptist Convention of America. Boyd" Convention because of its. Publishing Board. It was, for several years. In 1. 96. 1, several members of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.. Progressive National Baptist Convention (go. Black Church section of Blackand. Christian. com). The three Conventions: the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. NBC). the National Baptist Convention of America (NBCA) and the Progressive. National Baptist Convention (PNBC), continued to meet as separate entities. African American Christians. In 1. 98. 8. hopes of unifying the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., and the National. Baptist Convention of America were raised when a historic meeting. On Thursday, September 8, 1. Texas- -one. in Dallas (NBC), the other in Fort Worth (NBCA). Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak. South Africa was the keynote speaker. Both Rev. T. J. Jemison, president. National Baptist Convention, USA and Rev. E. Edward Jones, National. Baptist Convention of America president, addressed the huge crowd talking. But while conversations were. National Baptist Convention of America. The historic promise was lost as an old issue resurfaced. Attendance at the Sunday School Congress of the National Baptist Publishing. Board was growing and profits were increasing. When Rev. Dr. E. Edward. Jones was elected president of the "Boyd" convention in 1. Convention would move forward with a progressive. Jones oversaw the incorporation of the group into the National. Baptist Convention of America, Inc., in 1. His predecessor, Rev. Dr. James Carl Sams had served as president for nearly twenty years. Sams'. leadership was marked with frustration, particularly among younger ministers. Jones, better educated and younger than Sams, had fresh. Yet, the controversy surrounding the Publishing Board's relationship. Parent Body of the NBCA resulted in the establishment of yet another. African American Baptists. One convention delegate explained it this way. A conflict developed. Boyd (Dr. T. B. Boyd. III) and the Sunday School Congress and those who supported Jones' effort. Publishing Board completely under the tent of the National. The Boyd family is credited with helping many. Thus with strong ties. Boyd to keep his position as. Sunday School Board and for the Board to manage its own budget. Convention. On November 1. Dallas, Texas, the National. Missionary Baptist Convention of. America was formed. Prominent. pastors and churches from Texas, California, Illinois and Florida joined. The Rev. S. M. Lockridge of San Diego was elected president. In 1. 98. 9, the first official assembly of the newly formed Convention met. Chicago, Illinois with Rev. W. N. Daniel, pastor of Antioch Baptist. Church, serving as host pastor. Daniel was also elected to serve as the. Treasurer. One significant factor in the National Missionary's. National Baptist Convention of America, left to. This move significantly decreased the membership. Jones's convention. While the Convention movement of the African American Baptist Church has. African American religious life. In the next installment of this article, we will talk about the formation. Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship by Bishop Paul Morton in.
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