African-American Religion: Interpretive Essays in History and Culture

How is the religious experience of African Americans different from that of white Americans? Is this a story of spiritual discovery and development, or one of compulsory Christianity? African-American religions encompass a broad spectrum of beliefs and practices.African American Religionsbrings together the most important essays on the development of these traditions. The first part of the book orients African American religion to American history and the study of religion. The essays that follow trace the histories of many religious and cultural traditions, from the early cultural contact of Africans and Europeans, to the relationship between slavery and an emerging Black Christianity; from the place of Africa in the African-American religious consciousness, to contemporary issues such as women in the ministry and Black nationalism.