The Black Church in the Post-Civil Rights Era

by Pinn, Anthony B.

• ISBN13: 9781570754234
• ISBN10: 1570754233
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-01
• Publisher: Orbis Books

Summary

Pinn describes themes in the history of the Black Church as well as the major beliefs and forms of worship that define this tradition. He then focuses on the practices of the Black Church, especially as it has engaged in issues of economic development and justice, and struggles with such issues as the full inclusion of women, sexuality, and health. Throughout, Pinn highlights the important and creative tension between "spiritual" and "mundane" concerns to which the Black Church must respond and by which it is shaped.

Author Biography

Anthony B. Pinn is associate professor of religious studies at Macalaster College in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Note on Terminology	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
Historical and Theological Background
Themes in Black Church History, 1864 to 1970	p. 3
The Church and Its Relationship to Africa	p. 4
The Great Migration and Religious Diversification	p. 7
The Black Church's Social Gospel: Jesus and Jobs	p. 10
The Church and the Civil Rights Movement	p. 13
The Black Church on Black Power	p. 14
Themes in Black Church History, 1970 to the Present	p. 17
The Black Church in Decline, 1970s-1980s	p. 18
The Failed American Dream and Church Growth--1990s	p. 27
1970s-1990s: Growth and Decline?	p. 34
Burnings! A Late-Twentieth-Century Challenge to the Church	p. 35
Beliefs and Worship in the Black Church	p. 37
What the Church Believes	p. 37
Worship as Celebration of Belief	p. 46
Themes in Contemporary Praxis
The Black Church on Economic Issues	p. 73
Community Economic Development	p. 74
Poverty and Environmental Racism	p. 82
The Black Church on Health and Sexuality	p. 94
Illicit Drugs	p. 95
HIV/AIDS	p. 95
The Black Church, Health, and Health Care	p. 96
Health Care on the Congregational Level	p. 101
Sexuality and Homophobia	p. 105
Sexism and Church Ministry	p. 116
Black Women and Auxiliary Work	p. 117
Women as Ordained Ministers	p. 120
Womanist Theology and the Critique of Sexism	p. 131
Future Considerations: Technology and Megachurches	p. 133
The Megachurches	p. 135
Impact of the Megachurch Phenomenon	p. 136
Chronology	p. 141
Notes	p. 145
Selected Resources	p. 161
Academic Books	p. 161
Popular Literature	p. 165
Encyclopedias	p. 166
Journals and Periodicals	p. 166
Documentaries	p. 168
Internet Resources	p. 168
Index	p. 171
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