Christ Is Black with a Capital "B": African-American Christianity and the Black Studies Project

Black Studies, as an academic discipline, has been an ideological weapon in African-American resistance against cultural domination from its genesis in 1960s to present. Throughout its history, Black scholars have been producing a body of knowledge that is contributive to intellectual and political liberation of African-Americans fighting subalternation by existing social order. However, while engaged in this project, these scholars have consistently failed to appreciate value of African-American Christianity as an instrument of counter-hegemony. For instance, in his work, Introduction to Black Studies, Karenga (1993) offers a very insightful and well-informed review of history and sociopolitical influence of African-American Christianity and Black church. However, when he develops strategies of cultural resistance, he ignores Black Christianity as a source of inspiration and consults instead the ancient Egyptian religious and ethical tradition (p. 230).(1) This situation points to an omission in literature that I address in this article. I argue that a study of history of African-American church and its theology reveals four salient contributions that institution is capable of making to today's Black struggle for in US. In developing this thesis, I first examine development of African-American church and sociopolitical implications of its ideology. I then argue that observations from this research indicate that Black Studies advocates should begin to appreciate African-American Christianity as a source of counter-hegemonic theory and praxis. The History and Sociopolitical Influence of African-American Church The history and sociopolitical influence of African-American church documents an interminable struggle for liberation against exploitative forces of European domination. Although Black religion is predominantly Judeo-Christian, its essence is not simply white religion with a cosmetic face lift. Rather quintessence of African-American spiritual-mindedness is grounded in social and political experience of Black people, and, although some over years have acquiesced to dominant order, many have voiced a passionate demand for freedom now. The history of African-American church demonstrates that institution has contributed four indispensable elements to Black struggle for ideological emancipation, which include a self-sustaining culture, a structured community, a prophetic tradition, and a persuasive leadership. The Church of Slavery and African-American Struggle (c. 1750-1865) The church of slavery, which began in mid-eighteenth century, started as an underground organization and developed to become a pulpit for radicals like Richard Allen and platform for revolutionaries like David Walker. For over one hundred years, African slaves created their own unique and authentic religious culture that was parallel to, but not replicative of slaveowner's Christianity from which they borrowed. Meeting on quiet as invisible church, they created a self-preserving belief system by Africanizing European religion. Commenting on this experience, Alice Sewell, a former slave of Montgomery, Alabama, states, We used to slip off in de woods in de old slave days on Sunday evening way down in de swamps to sing and pray to our own liking (Yetman, 1970, p. 263). During late 1700s, when slavery was being dismantled in North, free Black Methodists courageously separated from patronizing control of white denomination and established their own independent assemblies. This marked genesis of African-American resistance as a nationally structured, mass-based movement.(2) In 1787, Richard Allen, after suffering racist humiliation at Philadelphia's St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, separated from white congregation and led other Blacks, who had been similarly disgraced, to form African Methodist Episcopal Church (A. …