Our Scripture verse for today is Hebrews 12:28 which reads: "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear."
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 the biblical expectation of giving for believers is carried out through tithes and offerings, many congregations still succumb to other methods of receiving and raising money. Although some of these practices are understandable historically, there seems to be no real justification or rationale for many of the various fund-raising practices that continue. Here I am speaking of such practices as baby contests, the selling of dinners, Tom Thumb weddings, Ms. Church contests, etc. All of these activities seem to have outlived their usefulness as viable fundraising efforts, particularly as a way to regularly support the congregation. More fundamentally, these practices can bring shame upon the name of Jesus Christ and often communicate to those outside of the congregation that there is a level of spiritual immaturity operating among the members."
Our first topic for today is titled "The Slave Trade and the New World (Part 1)" from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin.
When the Christians of Western Europe began to turn their attention to the slave trade in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, they were not introducing a new practice. Although they displayed much originality in approach and technique, they were engaging in a pursuit that had been a concern for countless centuries. As a matter of fact, slavery was widespread during the earliest known history of Africa as well as of other continents. Doubtless there was cruelty and oppression in African slavery as there was anywhere that the institution developed. At least in some portions of Africa there was no racial basis of slavery.
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Our second topic for today is "The Negro Church: A Nation Within a Nation, Part 1" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier. He writes:
The “Invisible Institution” Merges with the Institutional Church
The Civil War and Emancipation destroyed whatever stability and order that had developed among Negroes under the slave regime. An educated mulatto minister of the AME Church who went from the North to the South following Emancipation wrote: “The whole section (in the neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina) with its hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children just broken forth from slavery, was, so far as these were concerned, dying under an almost physical and moral interdict. There was no one to baptize their children, to perform marriage, or to bury the dead. A ministry had to be created at once -- created out of the materials at hand.”
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Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by Dr. William A. Banks.
Today we are looking at part 1 of Chapter 4: "Reconstruction and Retaliation -- 1866 to 1914"
JIM CROW
If the material which has been covered thus far in this text could be entitled "Slavery to Freedom," the next section, embracing the Civil War to World War 1, can be called "Freedom to Jim Crow." Jim Crow is a slang term for the post Civil War practice of systematically segregating and suppressing the American black man. It was the successful attempt by whites to shackle the freed blacks and to establish a permanent caste system based on race. Jim Crow was a character in a play by Thomas D. Rice who died in 1860. In the play, performed in a New Orleans theater, the Negro folk-nonsense ballad was sung by a Negro cripple who flopped about the stage imitating the motions of a crow. It was such a success that black-faced comedians of both races all across the country tried their hand at it. The term probably came to have its present meaning because it describes the Negro crippled by the many segregation laws established at this time.
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Our Scripture verse for today is Psalm 1:1-2 which reads: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
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 Church' and depending on the denomination, the ritual of baptism is performed differently. For some it is done by total immersion and others practice 'sprinkling.' Some baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit while others baptize in the name of Jesus only. But regardless of the specific practice, this act has tremendous spiritual and psychological significance to the one being baptized as well as upon the congregation. In baptism, one experiences identification with Jesus Christ, a movement from being a 'sinner' to becoming a 'saint.' It is a washing away of sins, a cleansing, and is part of becoming a new person in Christ."
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 titled "The Christian Kongo" from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin.
The kingdom of Kongo in West Central Africa was founded in the fourteenth century. It was unique for its voluntary conversion to Catholicism, which occurred after the Kongolese king Nzinga a Nkuwu asked Portuguese priests to baptize him in 1491. He adopted his baptismal name João I and established trade and religious relations with Portugal, allowing Portuguese merchants and priests into his kingdom. However, in Kongo, Africans and not the Portuguese controlled the church, and thus Catholic worship melded indigenous religious beliefs and practices with Christianity.
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Our second topic for today is "The Institutional Church of the Free Negroes, Part 8" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier. He writes:
The Free Negroes Establish Their Own Churches (Continued)
With the division of congregations came the development of a distinct religious observance combining elements of African ritual, slave emotionalism, southern suffering, and individual eloquence. Working-class Baptist and Methodist church services fused African and European forms of religious expression to produce a unique version of worship that reflected the anguish, pain, and occasional elation of nineteenth-century black life in the United States.
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Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by Dr. William A. Banks.
Today we are continuing with part 5 of Chapter 3: "Reaction -- 1820 to 1865"
EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE CIVIL WAR
By the 1850s, cotton had become king, accounting for nearly half of the total value of our exports. And the black man who worked the cotton had become a great divider of men. Things were heading toward a climax in the 1850s and, as time wore on, turbulence increased. Deciding which states would become free of slavery was a problem. Slave owners and abolitionists were at each others' throats. The novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, by H. B. Stowe appeared in 1352 and had a tremendous impact against slavery. The Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court was handed down in 1857. Scott, taken to free territory by his master, filed a lawsuit for his freedom, but the court denied it, claiming he could not sue because he was not a citizen.
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Our Scripture verse for today is Colossians 1:9 which reads: "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
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, "Although what is called the ‘Black Church’ is still the most powerful institution within the Black community, there is a need for some midcourse corrections. Though there are many encouraging signs, the dangers are there also. Our challenge in the years ahead is to continue to maximize the resources that will advance Christ's church as a whole."
Our first topic for today is titled "The New World Experience" from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin.
As Van Sertima has ably pointed out in his book, They Came Before Columbus, peoples of African descent arrived in the United States before Christopher Columbus allegedly discovered America. It should also be noted that there were Africans who were on the same ship with Columbus during his exploration. The fact remains, however, that most African Americans arrived in the United States as slaves, and a few arrived as indentured laborers.
In the early 1400s, the Portuguese began to make their way along the west coast of Africa. It was Portugal that led Europe in its search for an all-water route to the East—India, China, and the East Indies.
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Our second topic for today is "The Institutional Church of the Free Negroes, Part 7" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier. He writes:
The Free Negroes Establish Their Own Churches
After Richard Allen and Absalom Jones organized the Free African Society, they differed as to whether Negroes should model their church organization after the Methodist or after the Protestant Episcopal Church. Allen was of the opinion that the Methodist form of worship was more suited to the religious needs and form of worship to which the Negroes had become accustomed. As a consequence of this difference between Jones and Allen, Jones organized the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas but the majority of the Negroes who had seceded from the white church followed Allen.
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Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by Dr. William A. Banks.
Today we are continuing with part 4 of Chapter 3: "Reaction -- 1820 to 1865"
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES AND SLAVERY
Not only were scriptures cited in an attempt to support the belief that Negroes were cursed, but they were used to support the very institution of slavery itself. These passages include Ephesians 6:5-9, Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9-10; 1 Peter 2:18-19; and Philemon.
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Our Scripture verse for today is Matthew 5:14-16 which reads: "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
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, "Both the pastor and the church community have been major contributors to promoting the spiritual as well as the psychological well-being of individuals. While the landscape has changed dramatically over the years, both the church setting and the pastor remain vital to the overall well-being of individuals involved in the church community. It is my belief that the historical 'Black Church' had more of a way-of-life effect on its parishioners than many contemporary congregations do. Further, as individuals began to compartmentalize their lives, some of the natural psychological benefits arising from church involvement started to dissipate. As the deep psychological impact of the 'Black Church' began to be removed from it, its all-embracing benefits also started to wane."
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 titled "African Culture and the Diaspora" from the book, "From Slavery to Freedom" by John Hope Franklin.
Students of Africa and America have discussed for many years the question of the extent to which African culture was transplanted and preserved in the New World. Of course, a considerable number of students formerly contended that nothing existed in Africa that approached civilization and that there was, therefore, nothing for Africans to bring with them. As evidence to the contrary began to pile up, that position was no longer tenable. Questions still remained as to whether Africans continued to be African in ways other than color and whether any substantial elements of Africa became part of the general acculturative process taking place in America. Sociologists like E. Franklin Frazier and Robert E. Park have failed to see anything in contemporary African-American life that can be traced to the African background. On the other hand, scholars like Carter G. Woodson, Melville J. Herskovits, Lorenzo Turner, John Blassingame, and Albert Raboteau have insisted that the African cultural heritage can still be seen in many aspects of American life today. In the 1960s and 1970s the debate was revived when many blacks and some whites began to insist that a substantial portion of African culture not only survived the Atlantic crossing but has persisted to the present day. Although the controversy continues unresolved, it nevertheless seems possible to make a tentative statement about this important problem.
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Our second topic for today is "The Institutional Church of the Free Negroes, Part 6" from The Negro Church in America by E. Franklin Frazier. // Conflict over the Question of Status (Continued)
The question of status was not confined to the South. In the North as in the South a number of Negro preachers had acquired some distinction and had preached to predominantly white congregations. Among these was Lemuel Haynes, the illegitimate child of a Negro and a white woman who was born in Connecticut in 1753. He took the name of a white benefactor who took him in his home when he was abandoned by his mother. Haynes grew to manhood in Massachusetts after having been bound out as a child of five months. It was in the home of the man to whom he was bound out that he first read the Bible and conducted the family prayers. He was licensed to preach in the Congregational Church and serve in a number of churches in New England.
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Our third and final topic for today is from "The Black Church in the U.S.: Its Origin, Growth, Contributions, and Outlook" by Dr. William A. Banks. Today, we are continuing with part 3 of Chapter 3: "Reaction -- 1820 to 1865".
THE HAMITIC CURSE
One belief held by many during this period was the "Hamitic curse," and Genesis 9:25 was a favorite text of many Southern preachers. A study of Genesis 9:20-27 reveals that it was Ham, the father of Canaan, who saw Noah's nakedness. However, the curse is upon Canaan, Noah's grandson. Because the Bible does not teach that curses fall indiscriminately upon the heads of the innocent, different solutions have been offered as to why Canaan and not Ham was cursed. Some have suggested that the words "his younger son", meaning “the little one,” could refer to Canaan as well as to Ham, thus punishing Canaan for his own sin and not that of his father. One thing is clear: those who talk about the Hamitic curse must remember that Canaan, not Ham, was cursed. If Ham bore blame, we are unaware of his punishment. It is simply prophesied that the moral guilt of Ham would manifest itself in Canaan and his descendants. Thus, first of all, it was Canaan, not Ham, upon whom the curse fell.
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