San Antonio College Library

A close look at the religious landscape of African American communities presents a layered religious reality comprising many faiths and practices. This work provides an introduction to this religious diversity of African American communities in the United States, with "snapshots" of 11 religious traditions practiced by African Americans.

Given the unique history of African Americans and their diverse religious traditions-seen in black Christianity, the Nation of Islam, Voodoo, and others-is there one fundamental meaning to black religion in America? What is the heart and soul of African American religious life? As a leader in both black religious studies and theology, Anthony Pinn has probed the dynamism and variety of African American religious expressions. In this work, which he...

Believing that African American religious studies has reached a crossroads, Cornel West and Eddie Glaude seek, in this landmark anthology, to steer the discipline into the future Arguing that the complexity of beliefs, choices, and actions of African Americans need not be reduced to expressions of black religion, West and Glaude call for more careful reflection on the complex relationships of African American religious studies to conceptions of class,...

Attempts "to present certain aspects of a living religion in the terms of its believers ... thousands of Negroes in the deep South."

"Arriving on ships named Brotherhood and John the Baptist, slaves who had previously embraced tribal religions in their home countries faced the Christianity of their captors. Africans did not simply adopt the religion of the European colonists; they used the power, principles, and practices of Christianity to blaze a path to freedom and deliverance. In the process, the moral fabric of the nation was tested and took on a new texture and strength unique...

"A Fire in the Bones is a fascinating and moving collection of essays from one of America's most prominent scholars of religious history. In his first book since the classic, Slave Religion, Albert Raboteau shows how the active faith of African-Americans shaped their religious institutions and forged the struggle for social justice throughout their history. Covering many traditions - Baptist revivals, the AME Church, Black Catholics, African orisa...

Offers insight into the history of African American religious traditions in the United States.

"Soul Mates shines a much-needed spotlight on the lives of strong and happy minority couples. Wilcox and Wolfinger find that both married and unmarried minority couples who attend church together are significantly more likely to enjoy happy relationships than black and Latino couples who do not regularly attend. They argue that churches serving these communities promote a code of decency encompassing hard work, temperance, and personal responsibility...