Session 2

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— filed under: Faith, Africa, Faith and the African American Experience, Africana Studies, African-American

The Black Church

Difficult to define precisely - multiple scholarly conceptions
Embraces all Africana Christians
Includes several Historically Black Denominations - e.g., AME, AMEZ, CME, COGIC, etc.
Is theologically diverse
Fosters spiritualities of empowerment
Is dynamic and evolving

Faith, Ontology, & Africana Spirituality

The Middle Passage, slavery, and segregation elicited an ontological crisis for African Americans
Faith is more than an intellectual exercise
Beliefs and actions are intertwined
Spirituality, self-conception, and wellness are directly related
Enculturation and other adaptive theological strategies help to ensure intellectual integrity & wholeness
Lived experience and spirituality must be congruent

Africana Christian Theologies

Consist of global conversations about Christian faith that conform to no single paradigm
Those in the Americas tend to deal with the implications of Christian discipleship and ongoing social marginalization
Vary in their attitudes toward and embrace of indigenous African and Africana faith traditions in the Americas such as Voudun and Santeria
Use narrative, poetry, the visual arts, and music to talk about God
Take seriously the role of Divine images in fostering holistic, inclusive, and affirming spiritualities

Questions - Part 2

What impact did divine images have on the health and well-being of enslaved and free Blacks in the Americas?
In what ways is Henry McNeal Turner’s idea that slavery was Divinely sanctioned to bring civilization to Africans problematic?
How is the debate between Daniel Alexander Payne and Turner about worship style and leadership in the Church emblematic of an ongoing conversation in the American Diaspora about the relationship between Christianity and African religious survivals in the New World?
How do the pioneering efforts of Elias Camp Morris, Richard Henry Boyd, William J. Seymour, Charles Price Jones, and Charles H. Mason contribute both to the coalescence of an independent Black Church movement and its fragmentation along both theological and denominational lines?

Copyright 2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. administrator. (2006, September 05). Session 2. Retrieved September 05, 2008, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/africana-studies/faith-and-the-african-american-experience/Lecture%20Session%202.html. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Course Contents Faith and the African American Experience Home About the Professor Syllabus Calendar Readings Seminar Talking Points Assignments Final Exam	Personal tools Log in Register You are here: Home → Africana Studies → Faith and the African American Experience → Session 2
	Info Session 2 Document Actions — filed under: Faith, Africa, Faith and the African American Experience, Africana Studies, African-American The Black Church Difficult to define precisely - multiple scholarly conceptions Embraces all Africana Christians Includes several Historically Black Denominations - e.g., AME, AMEZ, CME, COGIC, etc. Is theologically diverse Fosters spiritualities of empowerment Is dynamic and evolving Faith, Ontology, & Africana Spirituality The Middle Passage, slavery, and segregation elicited an ontological crisis for African Americans Faith is more than an intellectual exercise Beliefs and actions are intertwined Spirituality, self-conception, and wellness are directly related Enculturation and other adaptive theological strategies help to ensure intellectual integrity & wholeness Lived experience and spirituality must be congruent Africana Christian Theologies Consist of global conversations about Christian faith that conform to no single paradigm Those in the Americas tend to deal with the implications of Christian discipleship and ongoing social marginalization Vary in their attitudes toward and embrace of indigenous African and Africana faith traditions in the Americas such as Voudun and Santeria Use narrative, poetry, the visual arts, and music to talk about God Take seriously the role of Divine images in fostering holistic, inclusive, and affirming spiritualities Questions - Part 2 What impact did divine images have on the health and well-being of enslaved and free Blacks in the Americas? In what ways is Henry McNeal Turner’s idea that slavery was Divinely sanctioned to bring civilization to Africans problematic? How is the debate between Daniel Alexander Payne and Turner about worship style and leadership in the Church emblematic of an ongoing conversation in the American Diaspora about the relationship between Christianity and African religious survivals in the New World? How do the pioneering efforts of Elias Camp Morris, Richard Henry Boyd, William J. Seymour, Charles Price Jones, and Charles H. Mason contribute both to the coalescence of an independent Black Church movement and its fragmentation along both theological and denominational lines? Copyright 2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. administrator. (2006, September 05). Session 2. Retrieved September 05, 2008, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/africana-studies/faith-and-the-african-american-experience/Lecture%20Session%202.html. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.	Reuse Course Download this course or reuse in OpenOCW. Download this course Export into OpenOCW

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Session 2

Document Actions

The Black Church

Difficult to define precisely - multiple scholarly conceptions

Embraces all Africana Christians

Includes several Historically Black Denominations - e.g., AME, AMEZ, CME, COGIC, etc.

Is theologically diverse

Fosters spiritualities of empowerment

Is dynamic and evolving

Faith, Ontology, & Africana Spirituality

The Middle Passage, slavery, and segregation elicited an ontological crisis for African Americans

Faith is more than an intellectual exercise

Beliefs and actions are intertwined

Spirituality, self-conception, and wellness are directly related

Enculturation and other adaptive theological strategies help to ensure intellectual integrity & wholeness

Lived experience and spirituality must be congruent

Africana Christian Theologies

Consist of global conversations about Christian faith that conform to no single paradigm

Those in the Americas tend to deal with the implications of Christian discipleship and ongoing social marginalization

Vary in their attitudes toward and embrace of indigenous African and Africana faith traditions in the Americas such as Voudun and Santeria

Use narrative, poetry, the visual arts, and music to talk about God

Take seriously the role of Divine images in fostering holistic, inclusive, and affirming spiritualities

Questions - Part 2

What impact did divine images have on the health and well-being of enslaved and free Blacks in the Americas?

In what ways is Henry McNeal Turner’s idea that slavery was Divinely sanctioned to bring civilization to Africans problematic?

How is the debate between Daniel Alexander Payne and Turner about worship style and leadership in the Church emblematic of an ongoing conversation in the American Diaspora about the relationship between Christianity and African religious survivals in the New World?

How do the pioneering efforts of Elias Camp Morris, Richard Henry Boyd, William J. Seymour, Charles Price Jones, and Charles H. Mason contribute both to the coalescence of an independent Black Church movement and its fragmentation along both theological and denominational lines?