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The History of Black Americans and the Black Church

The church and religion has played and continues to play a big role in the African-American community. Yet, many of us who grew up in the traditional black church do not have an understanding of how our faith evolved under the duress of slavery and discrimination to be and to represent what it does today. The purpose of this broadcast is to provide that background knowledge while also pointing out the dividing line between what is just tradition and true faith in Jesus Christ.
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Now displaying: March, 2015
Mar 26, 2015

Our Scripture verse for today is Philippians 1:29 which reads: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."

Our History of Black Americans and the Black Church quote for today is from Lee June, a professor at Michigan State University and the author of the book, "Yet With A Steady Beat: The Black Church through a Psychological and Biblical Lens." He said, "While I fully understand how over time the institutional church has come to have the structures and titles it has, it is time to reconsider where we are in light of Scripture. We must critically examine whether we have created the church in our image as opposed to what Jesus Christ intended. The emphasis in Scripture is not on titles, names, or positions, but rather upon service. Let us continually strive to live up to this expectation."

In this podcast, we are using as our texts: From Slavery to Freedom, by John Hope Franklin, The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier, and The Black Church In The U.S. by William A. Banks. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to purchase any one of these books from our website, HistoryBABC.com.

Our first topic for today is a continuation of our look at the earliest African states from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin. We are going to look at the West African Coast and European Merchant-Traders.

"The 1591 Moroccan conquest of Songhay had not ended the trans-Saharan trade: the southern terminals had merely shifted eastward to the Hausa states and the Bornu empire. By the early twentieth century, however, when Great me west African Britain, France, and Germany were completing their conquests of West African states, the locus of power in West Africa had long since passed from the savannah kingdoms to forest-belt states located along the Gulf of Guinea to the south..."

Our second topic for today is "The Negro Adapts Christianity to His Experience in the New World, Part 1" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier.

"The Negro slave found in Christianity a theology and a new orientation toward the world at large and in doing so he adapted the Christian religion to his psychological and social needs. One of the best sources of information on the manner in which the Negro adapted Christianity to his peculiar psychological and social needs is to be found in that great body of sacred folk music known as the Negro Spirituals..."

Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by William A. Banks

We will continue looking at a Comparison of African Slaves with European Immigrants: "Whites who were indentured or contract servants were able to change their condition of living. Owners of White slaves found them more difficult to handle and keep. White slaves could run away and mix with the majority population or settle down in new areas and escape detection. Blacks could not. They had no such control over their destinies..."

Mar 20, 2015

Our Scripture verse for today is Romans 15:13 which reads: "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

Our History of Black Americans and the Black Church quote for today is from Lee June, a professor at Michigan State University and the author of the book, "Yet With A Steady Beat: The Black Church through a Psychological and Biblical Lens." He said, "Mother, in the Bible, generally refers to a female parent. Within many Black churches, however, 'mother' takes on an additional meaning and refers to older women who have been faithful to the congregation and who have typically served for a number of years with distinction. Thus, 'mother' has become a title of endearment, distinction, and special honor. Within the church, the term 'Father' does not have a similar meaning beyond a parent as does the designation 'mother.' However, in the New Testament, both Jesus and the New Testament writers refer to God as Father. While the use of 'Father' in reference to God is biblically sanctioned, the use of the term currently with Black churches has raised some concerns. That is, some have wondered whether this may be one of the reasons why some Black males have trouble identifying with God as a loving Father, given the estrangement of many Black males from their biological fathers. This is a concern worth attending to, but the solution to this concern is not to stop using the term in reference to God; rather this must become a sensitivity factor and has implications for how we teach and reach out to youths, both male and female."

In this podcast, we are using as our texts: From Slavery to Freedom, by John Hope Franklin, The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier, and The Black Church In The U.S. by William A. Banks. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to purchase any one of these books from our website, HistoryBABC.com.

Our first topic for today is a continuation of our look at the earliest African states from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin. We are going to look at the Empire of the Congo.

The absence of substantial physical barriers in some areas south of the equator made possible the continuous infiltration of migratory tribes, which hampered political stability. The lands of the Bantu, San, Khoikhoi, and Pygmies certainly had some political organizations, and there is considerable anthropological and archaeological evidence to sustain the view that in some areas there existed rather advanced cultures. But it is clear that none of them reached the size or influence of West African states such as Mali and Songhay...

Our second topic for today is "Christianity: A New Orientation Toward Existence, Part 3" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier. He writes:

The Bible was the means by which the Negroes acquired a new theology. As we have noted, the Negroes who were brought to the New World undoubtedly carried memories of their gods. These memories were lost or forgotten and there was a determined effort on the part of the whites to prevent any resurgence of African religion. It was from the Bible that the slaves learned of the God of the white man and of his ways with the world and with men...

Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by William A. Banks

COMPARISON OF AFRICAN SLAVES WITH EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS 

Memories of Africa were erased. Family ties were destroyed. To safeguard against rebellion, members of the same tribe were separated, for without a common language there would be less chance of revolt. For economic reasons families were split up: a father sold to North Carolina, a mother and baby sent to Georgia, an older child delivered to a plantation owner in Virginia—never again to see one another. Within Africa, polygamous marriages were legal and ceremonies were performed, but for the American slave these were practically non-existent. Instead, for the most part, there was promiscuity. The tremendous deleterious effect this had on Black family life is still felt today. Slaves faced a different climate, a new environment, and an unknown tongue. The uprooting, fear, and cruelty they experienced made their lives miserable...

 

Mar 13, 2015

Our Scripture verse for today is 1 Peter 2:9-10 which reads: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

Our History of Black Americans and the Black Church quote for today is from Lee June, a professor at Michigan State University and the author of the book, "Yet With A Steady Beat: The Black Church through a Psychological and Biblical Lens." He said, "Within the Black community and the 'Black Church' the person who is a pastor is often more revered for preaching than for pastoring. As noted by Hamilton, preaching is one of the qualities that is most desirable and reinforced. I believe that this overemphasis on preaching has often led many pastors to neglect the 'shepherding' and leadership aspects of their roles. An additional widespread belief about preaching is that it is an activity to be geared toward believers and within a church setting. Speaking in contrast to this belief, Douglas in The New Bible Dictionary indicated that preaching in the early church was an activity geared toward nonbelievers."

Our first topic for today is a continuation of our look at the earliest African states from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin. We are going to look at the Hausa states.

The Afno, or Hausa, people are said to have had seven original states, the best known of which were Kano, Zaria, and Katsina. The Hausa states occupied roughly the area that today is northern Nigeria. Each kingdom retained its identity, with Kano emerging into the limelight for a while, then yielding to Katsina, and so on. There was commerce with the other African states and across the Sahara. Katsina became a center of learning where law and theology were studied and where the language of the people was refined. It was not until the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Islam made noticeable inroads, that the Hausa states began to yield to outside influences...

Our second topic for today is "Christianity: A New Orientation Toward Existence, Part 2" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier. 

There were some misgivings and in some instances strong opposition to acquainting the Negro with the Bible. This fear of teaching the slaves the Bible was tied up with the laws against teaching slaves to read and write. But it was also feared that the slave would find in the Bible the implications of human equality which would incite the Negro to make efforts to free himself. Opposition to teaching the Negro the Bible declined as masters became convinced that sufficient justification for slavery could be found in the New Testament. In fact, some masters became convinced that some of the best slaves—that is, those amenable to control by their white masters—were those who read the Bible...

Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by William A. Banks

Nearly twenty million Blacks were made captive over the span of nearly 300 years (1517-1840). A more conservative estimate is 14.6 million. They were crammed into ships like sardines into a can and brought across the Atlantic, from the Gulf of Guinea to the New World, in a trip called the Middle Passage. An estimated 12 million landed in Latin America and about 2 million were brought to the United States. Millions died resisting capture or as captives held in Africa waiting to be shipped out. Still others committed suicide. Others, beaten and too weak to continue the trek in the coffle (land convoy of slaves chained together) were abandoned to die...

Mar 6, 2015

Our Scripture verse for today is James 2:26 which reads: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Our History of Black Americans and the Black Church quote for today is from Lee June, a professor at Michigan State University and the author of the book, "Yet With A Steady Beat: The Black Church through a Psychological and Biblical Lens." He said, "Just as there are types and models of churches, there are also types of individuals and titles represented in the church. Names and titles are worthy of review and discussion for at least two reasons. First, names and titles can have both positive and negative impacts on behaviors, perceptions, and expectations within the church community. A person will behave in their personal and corporate lives according to what he or she thinks he or she is supposed to be. Secondly, names and titles need to be examined as to which are of biblical origin and the impacts of their use and misuse. This is critical because one reacts to the labels and behaves in conformity to what one believes the labels mean and connote. I believe that the extra biblical and non-biblical meanings given to several of the terms commonly used already have and continue to impede the overall impact and influence of the church community."

In this podcast, we are using as our texts: From Slavery to Freedom, by John Hope Franklin, The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier, and The Black Church In The U.S. by William A. Banks. 

Our first topic for today is a continuation of our look at the earliest African states from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin. We are going to look at the Mossi states.

Our second topic for today is "Christianity: A New Orientation Toward Existence, Part 1" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier. 

Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by William A. Banks // AFRICAN RELIGION (PART 2)

Mar 1, 2015

Welcome to this special edition of The History of Black Americans and the Black Church podcast. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. In light of Black History Month, I want to share with you the biography of three of the most influential black Christians in history -- George Washington Carver, a scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor; Rosa Parks, the woman who sparked the Civil Rights Movement, and Ralph David Abernathy, a preacher and civil rights leader.

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