Disciplines
• Black
Studies
• African Studies
• African-American Studies
The
World Black Experience is inextricably tied
to religion in the U.S., Africa and throughout
the Diaspora - from indigenous religious
practices, to ancient Ethiopian Christian
churches and Christian evangelization in
Africa in recent centuries, to the growth
of Islam in Africa and the role of Christianity
and Islam in the lives of those of African
descent in the United States.
Most current growth in
Christianity, from evangelical Protestantism
to Mormonism to Anglicanism, is in the southern
hemisphere, particularly Africa. African
churches tend to be theologically conservative
and will have an impact on the future direction
of these faiths. Some believe Christianity
in Africa is a holdover from an imperialist
era. Others see it as authentically African,
combining Christian beliefs with the worldview
and culture of traditional African religions.
More than 10 percent of the population in
parts of Africa practices indigenous religions,
which impacts how Christianity and Islam
are practiced, including conservative doctrine,
openness to supernatural ideas and concern
for "earthly" issues such as justice
and poverty.
Historically, Christians
have been on both sides of the apartheid
movement in South Africa and the slavery
issue in the Americas, using theology to
support each argument. The concept of "black
theology" grew out of the U.S. civil
rights revolutions of the 1960s, rooted
in a Christian tradition among American
blacks that understood God as siding with
the oppressed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
insisted on Christianity's need to address
social injustice. After leaving the Nation
of Islam, which advocated a separate black
state, Malcolm X preached that the values
of Islam could transcend racial boundaries.
Desmond Tutu, an Anglican priest, argued
in his "ubuntu theology" for inclusiveness
and overcoming barriers that divided people.
Christianity was entrenched
in North American black communities by the
end of the 19th century, often mixed with
African religious elements. The Christian
message for blacks represented the hope
of future happiness, with popular spiritual
and secular songs including exhortations
to moral behavior, imagery of heaven and
anticipation of the coming of God's Kingdom.
The Pentecostal movement, which began in
California in early 20th century, focused
on overcoming racial barriers and welcomed
mixed congregations. Today, Pentecostalism
is growing rapidly among blacks, and many
of the nation's largest black churches are
Pentecostal.
African-Americans
make up an estimated 20 percent of the roughly
3.5 million American Muslims, and an estimated
30 percent of those regularly attending
mosques. Most follow W. Deen Mohammed or
another orthodox teacher. Louis Farrakhan,
head of the Nation of Islam, which does
not follow mainstream Islam, leads an estimated
100,000 African-American Muslims.
Black churches have long
emphasized social services. Now the growing
number of predominantly African-American
megachurches -- those with average Sunday
attendance of 2,000 or more -- are aggressively
expanding outreach and economic development
efforts, affecting the nature of surrounding
neighborhoods. Some have started community
development corporations that develop housing,
new businesses, health clinics and social
programs. Churches are confronting black
men's issues, family issues and health issues
in the black community.
African-American
churches continue their history of activism
and political involvement, redefining activism
in the post-civil rights era. African-American
churches are known as incubators of political
and community leadership, musical talent
in many genres and repositories of black
history. Researchers could look at how religious
involvement affects the lives of black membership
and black communities, whether religious
involvement promotes racial integration
or solidifies racial identification, or
attitudes in black religious communities
toward working with faith-based government
programs which share common goals but potentially
different ideologies.
Journal
of Religion in Africa
Religion
& American Culture
West African Religion
African Spirituality
Journal
of Theology for Southern Africa
American
Academy of Religion Syllabi Search
Medicine,
Religion and Politics in Africa and the
African Diaspora
Prof. Erica James
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Archaeology
of the African Diaspora
Professor Theresa A. Singleton
Syracuse University
Music,
Religion and Ritual in Africa
Dr. Daniel Avorgbedor
Ohio State University
Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations
Association of Muslim Social Scientists of North America
Family Christian Association of America
International Black Christian Entrepreneurs Association
• See a full list of professional associations and resources here.
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