African American History: A Close Up on Baptist Churches Essay

As you reckon through the door on the archetypal level of this San Francisco-based Baptist-rooted perform, you become overwhelmed by the warm hug and kiss of Sister Whats-her-name? as she bold and amicable greets you, Good morning God bless you Walking up the stairs heading into the Worship Center, Brother and Sister So and so in a heartfelt way embrace you, just as an aunt or uncle would at a family function. In an instant, you are drawn in by the harmonious tattle of the choir over the upbeat sounds of musicians playing the drums, keyboard, guitars, organ and tambourines.As you estimate almost, you may not recognize everybody, but you sense a sinewy family-like bondage.Although the love of Christ is entirely-inclusive to any and everyone, this non-exclusive church is pre governingly African American in population. Thither is a noticeably implied bond which considerms to be more than genuine, the more melanin you contain.This trem canously impacts individuals within the c ongregational community. Why is it that the nearly segregated hour in America bides to be 1100am sunlight morning? Research directs us towards clues on how church origins and U.S. history has and electrostatic is heavily influencing African Americans in the Modern church build of today.In mob P. Eckmans Exploring Church History he writes about the lay outation of the church starting with the Apostolic Age, which began around 30 B.C. and immediately followed the death of de representryman Christ in the first century, through the modern church of the twenty-first century.Reviewing the timeline from the Apostolic Age (1st century) to the Church Fathers (95-300s), onto Ancient Church and Theology (4th century), chase the Medieval Church (400-1500s), through the Re makeup period and Catholic Church (16th century), to the Scientific Revolution (1600-1700s) onto the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, we discover that many an(prenominal) events influenced the building and fo rming of the black church in America.Tracing these events we can see a thread of the Christian Church trailing through European countries for several(prenominal) hundreds of days. In the latter of events above, we learn that Europeans began enslaving Africans and started to migrate over to a undercoat that we now know as America. During the rebelmental period of the first African American Churches in the 1700-1800s striverry was very prevalent in the join States.Henry H. Mitchell, author of colour Church Beginnings, predisposes how though enslaved Africans had their own religious traditions and practices, there were some overlooked factors that contributed to their fascination in Christianity which soon took route in the African American Society. He goes on to state that the normal West African town was a community of faith.The tribesmen generally put on that if they lost a war to another tribe or nation, the deity of the triumphant party ought to be included in their belief s since the conquerors god was unshakable enough to grant them victory (Mitchell, varlet 33). He discusses how they found expectedness mingled with their expressive African culture and the unheard of, free expressiveness for whites in their churches.The Africans became more and more interested as they began interpreting the Bible for themselves and found parallels in traditional African religion. They were able to relate to the Old volition stories like the enslavement of Hebrews by the Egyptians and saw anticipate in Moses and Jesus as mighty deliverers.The above mentioned were significant factors which ultimately led to African slaves placing their hope in the white mans God and BibleThe Black church in America had its origins in the slave religion of the American South. Deprived of their identity, oppressed by their know, and unable to establish their own institutions, many slaves turned to Christianity. Faith in Jesus Christ gave them hope for the next when His justice wo uld right the wrongs done to them. (Eckman, page 98)Near the dawning of the system of the original black churches in the 18th century, some slave masters allowed or even required slaves to attend church services with them. Others allowed monitored the adore services, however, they were plagued with fears of possible rebellion. Mitchell describes contrasts among liberal and oppressive slave masters. Some oppressive masters withheld experience of Christianity from slaves and beat or even killed those who began to worship God devotedly (Mitchell, page 33).Many, if not all, plantations held stealthy worship services in the woods, swamps or brushes. L. Maffly-Kipp describes, in her article African American Religion in the Beginning, how the slaves use symbolism that was not detectible by their captors. Its as though Africans began to develop a secret society and reactively initiated exclusive churches.The underground services of worship were labeled as the Invisible Institution since they were invisibly held to the eyes of slave masters. Here the slaves began mixing the Christian faith with African rhythms and singing, which led to the formation of the Negro spirituals (Maffly-Kipp). Most spirituals contained two-folded meanings of worship and freedom. From time to time, (especially in February or around January 15th) well hear some of these old Negro spirituals in todays predominantly black churches. Maffly-Kipp infers as the Africans made their appeals of justice unto God, they were also organizing and readying escapes.According to Melva Wilson Costen, author of African American Christian Worship, the first African American church of record, founded in 1758 in Luneberg, VA, was called Bluestone African Baptist Church owned mostly by slaves. The number of African American churches grew throughout the U.S. between the years of 1750-1800 (over 20 churches of record). Bluestone and subsequent black founded congregations contained partial white populations where they were outnumbered by blacks however Euro-American preachers, as controlling moderators, oversaw these churches.African Americans were not encouraged to head for the hills the congregations (though many were considerably powerful preachers and potential leaders) nor were they allowed any voting privileges. The African American Church continued to evolve in the South and dominant denominations of Baptist and Methodist expanded nationally from 1841-1865. Leadership began to change as did laws towards the end of the 19th century, post the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, 1865 Abolition of Slavery (13th Amendment), 1868 civilised Rights (14th Amendment) and 1870 take Rights (15th Amendment).The early Black Church played a significant map in social activism by oratorical pressing towards the abolitionist movement, assistingin the Underground Railroad, ministration in civic and social responsibility, and through slave insurrections. As Mitchell put it, in the root culture of Africa n Americans, postcode is excludable from the design and will of God (page 138).This is noteworthy were able to see a continuum of legislative struggle against Africans throughout American history, in a way which the church is affected and involved. In 1894, a pride-filled, yet rare, exception for African Americans occurred when the pastor of the first African Baptist Church was elected Moderator and sermonizer of the Philadelphia Baptist Association. While racial discrimination took many blows, one civil reference in Louisiana devastated the progression towards its elimination.In 1896 the U.S. Supreme dally rule to enact the separate-but-equal principles in the famous Plessy v Ferguson case, disregarding equality tour planting proliferate seeds of separatism throughout the nation (Records of Supreme Court). This legal opinion gravelly punctured the church as it promoted separation between Christians, which was unlike to the Love thy neighbor as thyself Christian teachings.As history reveals, for more than 50 years our national society was structured in such way to where the non-association between European Americans and minority races was the norm. After several years of social discomfort, the church began to take a stand against this legal inequality.In Rhetoric, Religion and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965 by Davis Houck and David Dixon a passion-filled recording of Dr. Martin Luther King jr. speaking at a conference in Nashville, TN on April 25, 1957 is referenced (pages 217-224). We find Dr. King proclaiming his strong conviction of faith and declaring his hope in God for deliverance while attacking the moral issues of the Supreme Courts decision made in the 1896 case.The revolutionary reverend, who led the Civil Rights Movement, charged the Christian Church with the responsibility of standing up against segregation and discrimination (Houck & Dixon, page 220), speaking to all Christians urging them to keep in mind that they answer to God a nd not the opinions of men. In all my interrogation, it was here that I saw the shift of focus from African American Christian Heritage to just Christian Heritage.How difficult would it be for the masses to gain this concept after hundredsof years of contradictory conditioning?We now live in an era postdating the Civil Rights Movement by more than 40 years in a time where we as a nation elected our first African American president. In the most diverse area of the region (San Francisco), while we are starting to see more racially structured churches in the Bay Area, 1100am Sunday morning for some reason continues to be the most segregated hour across the U.S. Clearly these historical events continue to affect todays African Americans within church communities and all people within congregational communities. What else can be concluded from this research? Old habits die hard..Works CitedAmmerman, Nancy Tatom. Congregation & Community. New Brunswick Rutgers University Press, 1997. PrintCosten, Melva Wilson. African American Christian Worship. Nashville Abingdon Press, 1993. Print.Eckman, James P. Exploring Church History. Wheaton Crossway Books a division of Good News Publishers, 1996. Print.Houck, Davis W. Dixon, David E. Rhetoric, Religion and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965. Waco Baylor University Press, 2006. CityCat.Web. March 3, 2010. Maffly-Kipp, L.. African American Religion In the Beginning. Mississippi Link 4 Feb. 2010,Ethnic NewsWatch (ENW). ProQuest. Web. 3 Mar. 2010.Mitchell, Henry H. Black Chruch Beginnings The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years. Grand Rapids William B. Eerdmans Publising Company, 2004. Print.Records of the Supreme Court of the get together States. Plessy v Ferguson OurDocuments.gov, May 18, 1896, Web. March 3, 2010