History and Heritage of African-American Churches

History and Heritage of African-American Churches

by L. H. Whelchel
History and Heritage of African-American Churches

History and Heritage of African-American Churches

by L. H. Whelchel

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Overview

L.H. WHELCHEL, JR., university professor, pastor, and civil rights activist, has written one of the most comprehensive texts on the origins and development of the African-American churches in the United States, and their impact on the civil rights movement. Dr. Whelchel, who teaches at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and participated in the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., provides the reader with an understanding of the culture, mind, and heart of African-American Christianity as it emerged during slavery, drew on African roots, and provided community and leadership for those it served.



This book is comprehensive in that it begins with a look at "Mother Africa" and the early church fathers inspired by Jesus and the gospels. It provides a unique look at the departure of Roman Christianity from that of the early African Christian Church Fathers. Whelchel observes that many of the traditions and doctrines of the early church came to be considered heresies as Roman emperors and Popes sought to transform Christianity into the religion of the empire. The author notes that many African traditions have more in common with the culture of ancient Israel and the early churches than with Roman civilization.


But Christianity has been more alive as a religion of the oppressed than as the religion of empire. African-American slaves, even while being oppressed by White Christians in the South, responded to the message of the Bible taught by Christian evangelists, and itinerant workers. Slaves set up their own churches, and learned to read using the Bible. They were inspired by the freedom and liberation, both spiritual and physical, that it taught, and they developed their own Christian communities that served them during slavery and strengthened them in the struggle for freedom from slavery right through the Civil Rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



The African-American Christian faith provided forbearance and courage during the perils of reconstruction; and it provided hope in the early twentieth century as the courts debated whether blacks should be considered "separate but equal" or fully integrated citizens. Dr. Whelchel provides a detailed account of how it was the African-American Churches pushed for, organized, and won full freedom in the Civil Rights Movement, and how that faith continues to nourish Americans.


Unlike secular historians who see the Civil Rights movement solely in political and economic terms, Whelchel makes a strong case that the African-American's faith in God, nourished by African-American churches, was the driving force behind the civil rights movement. This book will be particularly valuable for those seeking to understand the spiritual roots of African-American communities.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940013416963
Publisher: Paragon House Publishers
Publication date: 09/26/2011
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Sales rank: 799,638
File size: 3 MB

About the Author

L.H. Whelchel is a respected scholar, university professor, and civil rights activist who trained hundreds of ministers. A successful church pastor for 25 years, he brings the meticulous research skills of the scholar together with first hand experiences as a minister and the passion of an activist to give an insightful and informative look at the history and heritage of African Americans. Dr. Whelchel is currently Professor of Church History at the Interdenominational Theological Center. His other published works include Hell Without Fire: Conversion in Slave Religion, How Long This Road: The Life and Legacy of C. Eric Lincoln, My Chains Fell Off: Heart Religion in African-American Tradition and My Chains Fell Off: William Wells Brown, Fugitive Abolitionist.
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