The Negro Church In America The Black Church Since Frazier

Frazier's study of the black church and an essay by Lincoln arguing that the civil rights movement saw the splintering of the traditional black church and the creation of new roles for religion.

According to C. Eric Lincoln, the turbulent decade of the Sixties witnessed the death of the Negro Church. In its place, the offspring of the conflict between "conscienceless power" and "powerless conscience," is the Black Church. No longer the dependent bastion of Black prudence, Black institutional religion -- whether traditional, pentecostal, or Muslim -- has assumed a new role of leadership in its centuries-old quest for social and spiritual justice in America. C. Eric Lincoln is presently Chairman of the Department of Religious and Philosophical Studies at Fisk University and is the founding President of the Black Academy of Arts and Letters Book jacket.

A nongovernmental survey of urban and rural churches of black communities based on a ten year study.

Originally published: Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press, [1957].

The Black Church is a history of a rich past, a vibrant present, and a promising future particularly within the African American community. The black church has a wealthy tradition of religious experience in the history of the church. The burden of conventional views regarding the black church in our society is vague and often disregarded in the mainstream of our Christian faith due to the lack of knowledge and possible stereotypical mind-sets. To resolve this, the black church's identity must be expressed and respected in the history of Christendom. The black church has always been a beacon of hope to many people of color who search for strength, fellowship, and validation with their faith in God and among all Christian believers throughout the world.

Benjamin E. Mays (1894-1984) was President and Professor Emeritus of Morehouse College.