The History and Heritage of African American Churches: A Way Out of No Way
The title understates the scope of this work, which includes Discussion & Review Questions at the end of every chapter to encourage classroom use. For while the development of Christianity among the African Americans whose forebears came to North America as slaves is a principal subject of the book, Whelchel considers that development within the broadest possible context. He begins with the origins of H. sapiens and civilization in Africa, argues the centrality of Africa in the development of the great monotheisms, presents the African pedigree of Christian theology, sketches the career of the early African church and how it spread the religion to West Africa, traces the rise of the black slave trade fomented by western European imperialism, and discusses The American Practice of Slavery—all before arriving at the Christianization of North America’s slaves. The book concludes with the outgrowth of the civil rights movement from the black church, and throughout he’s more attentive to larger events than to those of black church history, narrowly conceived. A bigger book than it first seems. --Ray Olson