1. The Afro-American Church l Background ATR on Africa’s Gold Coast Spirits Supreme Creator Nature reveals God God cares how we live How much ATR survived? Much (Herskovits) Little (Frazier)

2. The Afro-American Church l Slave trade Numbers 7-10 million taken 6-7 million arrive 450,000 in British North America Triangular trade

3. Slaves Rum Molasses The Afro-American Church

4. l Slave trade Numbers 7-10 million taken 6-7 million arrive 450,000 in British North America Triangular trade Middle Passage 30% casualty rate 600% potential profit

5. The Afro-American Church l Christian justification of slavery Natural law OT NT Augustine Whitefield

6. The Afro-American Church l Christian war against slavery Quakers Congregationalists Samuel Hopkins Methodists Social forces against slavery Great humanitarian impulse Liberal political thought

7. The Afro-American Church First wave of abolitionism 1750-1815 Slavery is unfortunate Washington “sure but imperceptible abolition”

8. The Afro-American Church Economic forces supporting slavery 1730-60 new machines New markets Cotton gin King Cotton 1791 $5 million/year 1826 $307 million/year 1820 22% of US export 1857 57% of US export Value of slaves skyrockets

9. The Afro-American Church Cotton exports grow from $5m in 1791 to $307 m in 1826

10. The Afro-American Church 1822 Cotton’s market share grows from 22% in 1822

11. The Afro-American Church 1857 to 57% in1857

12. The Afro-American Church l Christian war against slavery Second wave 1835-65 Slavery is sin Wendall Phillips Jesus and Washington

13. l Christian war against slavery Second wave 1835-65 Slavery is sin Wendall Phillips Jesus and Washington W. L. Garrison Splits in churches The Afro-American Church

14. l How A-A became Christians Cotton Mather “The Negro Christianized” Methodists & Baptists Targeted AA Simple Gospel message Anti-slavery stands Full membership for AA 1790 12% of AA were church members

15. The Afro-American Church l As the Methodists came up in the world, the world came up in the Methodists and they (& others) began to discriminate against AA. l AA form their own denominations

16. The Afro-American Church l 4 post Civil War options Stay in southern church w/ inferior status Join northern AA denomination AME AMEZ Join new denomination (CME) Join northern white denomination

17. The Afro-American Church l AA church served 2 functions For Whites it kept AA down 1667 Virginia law “Baptism does not liberate” Only lower-class denominations evangelized Simplified Christianity Morality (Keep rules  Go to heaven) Eschatology Church politics diffused political concern Anti-intellectual tradition in church hurt education

18. The Afro-American Church For AA it was a way to escape White oppression Concern with freedom Identification with Israel in Egypt Promotion of escape Actual Underground railway Slave insurrections led by pastors Final Spiritual

19. The Afro-American Church Emotional outlet Social Recognition and prestige Fellowship Stability l Present Some say AA church is dying Less oppression Fewer attenders

20. The Afro-American Church Since it no longer fulfills its old role it has assumed new roles Secular and political Adam Clayton Powell Martin Luther King, Jr. Jesse Jackson Middle class and accomodationist Storefront Cultic Revolutionary Irrelevant

21. The Afro-American Church l Revival in the AA church Multicultural theology Bill Pannell, Tom Skinner, John Perkins, Eugene Rivers Inter-racial partnerships Multicultural congregations Christians model reconcilation

22. The Afro-American Church Dangers Whites cling to enculturated Christianity AA become impatient, judgmental, & self- righteous Both AA & Whites might remain individualistic, accomodationist, and other-worldly