In order to fully appreciate the Black Church in the 20th Century, one must understand its origins. Historically, black churches have been the most important and dominant institutions in African American communities. They have had more influence in molding the thoughts and lives of African Americans than any other single factor. Until recently, however, the black church was predominantly a rural church. This can be attributed to an 1890 census which indicated that nine out of ten black people lived in the South and more than eighty percent of them in rural areas. Only after the two World Wars and the Korean War did a massive migration of Blacks to the urban north occur.

The Black rural church was characterized by a clergy that often held secular jobs in order to support themselves economically. Much of the black rural congregation was poor and although fiercely devoted to the pastor, could not adequately take care of the pastor's economic needs. The churches did not provide pension benefits or health insurance, and this forced the clergy to work long beyond their retirement age. Due to their lack of resources, black rural churches did not participate in many community outreach programs, and very seldomly supported black institutions devoted to higher learning. Despite these shortcomings, the greatest strength of the black rural church lies in the loyalty of its members towards each other and to the church. Even today, the rural church serves not only as a religious institution, but as a social club, a political arena, an art gallery, and a conservatory of music. In effect, the lives of the black rural church members are centered around their church.

    Before the mass migration of Blacks to the north, many Blacks living in the urban cities had already organized independent black denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and their Baptist counterparts. During the period of migrations, the urban churches helped acculturate rural migrants to the urban environment. Participation in social outreach programs that provided services to the poor was spurned on by flamboyant messiahs like Father Divine. Eventually, however, the black urban churches began to reflect the differentiation, stratification, and pluralism which the urban environment encouraged. The secular roles that the black church had traditionally nurtured, including politics, education, economics, and even black culture, came under the guidance of institutions such as lodges, fraternities, and civil rights organizations like the NAACP. Furthermore, the congregation reflected economic and class stratification because of the availability of different kinds of jobs. The urban clergy, therefore, could devote themselves entirely to the church because their economic needs were met by those who were relatively affluent in the congregation. Higher learning was also encouraged, and the churches generously donated funds to Christian black colleges.

Due to the increased educational levels found among members of the congregation and the clergy, as well as new modes of communication, a sense of group identity among Blacks began to emerge. Influential thinkers, such as W.E.B. DuBois, encouraged blacks to associate with one another rather than to try to acculturate themselves into the white American society that always discriminated against them. He believed that organized group action along economic lines would allow blacks to earn a better living which would then allow them to support agencies for social uplift. Other social activists, who were products of the Harlem Renaissance, developed a new concept of the Negro. This "new Negro" had self-respect, self-dependence, a new outlook, and assumed roles of leadership. In effect, this new Negro would no longer subject himself to the humiliation heaped upon him by white America. With such revolutionary ideas emerging and taking root, the seeds for the Civil Rights Movement were quickly planted.

Beginning with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, the Civil Rights Movement was anchored in the Black Church, organized by both activist black ministers and laity, as well as supported financially by black church members. Led by Martin Luther King, who combined his theological scholarship with the social gospel passed on to him by his father, the Civil Rights Movement was aimed at empowering the Negro because "Freedom is participation in power". The Black churches served as the major points of mobilization for mass demonstrations and meetings, and the church members actively helped the civil rights workers because of convictions that were religiously inspired. Although the Black Power Movement, which was seen as a cry of disappointment, was rejected by King because it advocated black separatism, other leaders, such as Malcolm X, advocated black nationalism and urged a revolution. Both leaders, however, recognized that the black community needed to gain economic independence while eliminating certain social evils, such as drug addiction and adultery.

Since the Civil Rights period, a revolution in consciousness that encompasses all Black institutions, including the Black Church, has emerged. Black liberation theology, the view that religion should be viewed and interpreted from a people’s own experience, has influenced the urban clergy. Black pastors are conscious of the need to provide black role models for their members and to support church-related black colleges. In addition, an interest in politics has reemerged, from the Reverend Jesse Jackson'spresidential candidacy bids in 1984 and 1988 to the election of thousands of black officials in large urban areas and small towns. The Black Church has played a significant role in the politics of the past and will continue to do so even though its political nature may be ambiguous at times because of its double African and American heritage.

---

Website Evaluations

"The History of Gospel Music": This site provides a comprehensive overview of the different types of gospel music and its early African American heritage. For African Americans, swaying with the choirs, tapping one’s feet, or simply raising one’s hands to the rhythm is an integral part of the religious experience. The site is enjoyable because it provides many pictures and graphics.

• "About the African Methodist Episcopal Church": This site explains why the A.M.E. was established by Richard Allen, and provides information on the Greater Institutional A.M.E. Church. Recent activities and accomplishments of the A.M.E. Church are also listed.

• "The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church": This comprehensive site provides a mission statement of the church as well as the general rules and doctrines upon which the church is founded. It is very well organized and provides much information.

• "The Universal Peace Mission Movement of Father Divine": This site not only details the life of Father Divine, but it also explains the beliefs and practices that characterized his Movement. Even today, the Universal Peace Mission Movement exists as a number of independent church corporations, businesses, and religious orders.

• "NAACP: Online": This official website for the NAACP provides a historical perspective, a listing of the programs sponsored by the NAACP, and current issues that involve the NAACP. Each section is very detailed and links are carefully selected to provide even more information.

• "W.E.B. DuBois: Freedom Fighter": This essay illustrates the life of W.E.B. DuBois, from his early childhood to his accomplishments as a scholar activist. He was dedicated to solving the "twentieth century’s problem of the color line", and the essay provides a concise summary of his lifetime achievements.

• "The Civil Rights Movement": This comprehensive essay begins with an excerpt from Martin Luther King’s "Letter from Birmingham Jail". It then describes some of the catalysts leading up to the Montgomery boycott of the city buses. Many actions on the part of King and his followers are described, ending with the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

• "King: Biography": Organized like a timeline from the years 1929 to 1968, this website succinctly lists the activities of Martin Luther King. Links are provided to written versions of King’s speeches as well as to documents that provide graphics and more information.

• "Minister Malcolm X": This essay explains how the Nation of Islam, and its leader Elijah Muhammad, influenced the ideology espoused by Malcolm X. Malcolm’s activities are explained as well as how he emerged as one of the most important political leaders of the black masses.

• "Comparison of Martin and Malcolm": This essay compares and contrasts the views shared by Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. It is interesting because it illustrates the point that although both leaders had very different ideologies, they both had the same goal and became role models for the African-American youth as they strived to end exploitation, discrimination, and racism.

• "Interview Jesse Jackson": This interview is very informative because it does not just focus upon Jackson’s political activities. Rather, one hears about Jackson’s relationship with King and his viewpoints concerning the progress that has been made regarding race relations and what remains to be accomplished.

Return to Topics Covered by Our Class
Return to Religious Traditions of the African Diaspora