New Day Begun: African American Churches and Civic Culture in Post-Civil Rights America

Published by Duke University Press 2003

New Day Begun

African American Churches and Civic Culture in Post-Civil Rights America

Edited by: R. Drew Smith
With contributions by: Lewis Baldwin , Allison Calhoun-Brown and Corwin Smidt

Volume 1 in the series The public influences of African American churches

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822384793

Overview
Contents

About this book

This collection discusses African American churches’ involvement in post-civil rights era political culture, with regard to faith-based services, black nationalism, evangelism, and community development.

Author / Editor information

R. Drew Smith is Director of the Public Influences of African-American Churches Project and Scholar-in-Residence at The Leadership Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He is an Advisory Board Member for the Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College and for the Pew Civic Partnership. He has a Ph.D. in political science and a masters degree in divinity from Yale University.

Reviews

“This is an excellent collection of essays dealing with the multidimensional relationships between black churches and American politics since the civil rights movement. These fine essays cover a variety of topics from a historical overview of the role of black churches in politics to the issues of civil society, civil religion, gender discrimination, Pentecostalism and politics, community development corporations, and ethical reflections on Charitable Choice. This volume is highly recommended to scholars, clergy, seminarians, and lay leaders who want to keep up with contemporary developments in black church involvement in politics.”—Lawrence H. Mamiya, coauthor of The Black Church in the African American Experience

“This scholarly work provides stimulating perspectives on the interface of members of the black religious community with public policy and moral imperatives. The first volume has whetted my appetite for subsequent publishings and deepened my appreciation for the venture. The continuing struggle for the 'beloved community' is well served by a journey through the pages of this publication.”—Joseph E. Lowery, Co-founder and President Emeritus, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Convenor, Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda

“This volume, uniquely, fills an urgent need for reliable information and analysis concerning the style and manner of civic engagement of the black church since the civil rights movement. Anyone who wants to understand the role of the black church in current electoral politics and in government-financed faith-based initiatives in housing, community development, and other programs must read this book.”—Mary Frances Berry, Chairperson, United States Commission on Civil Rights and Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Introduction: Black ChurchesWithin a Changing Civic Culture in America R. Drew Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART I Institutional Characteristics, Historical Contexts, and Black Church Civic Involvements
1. Revisiting the ‘‘All-Comprehending Institution’’: Historical Reflections on the Public Roles of Black Churches Lewis Baldwin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
2.What a Fellowship: Civil Society, African American Churches, and Public Life Allison Calhoun-Brown Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
3. System Confidence, Congregational Characteristics, and Black Church Civic Engagement R. Drew Smith and Corwin Smidt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
PART II Black Churches and Normative Assessments of the American Political Context
4. ‘‘To Form a More Perfect Union’’: African Americans and American Civil Religion David Howard-Pitney Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
5. Recognition, Respectability, and Loyalty: Black Churches and the Quest for Civility Walter Earl Fluker Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
6. No Respect of Persons? Religion, Churches, and Gender Issues in the African American Community Allison Calhoun-Brown Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	142
7. ‘‘Doing All the Good We Can’’: The Political Witness of African American Holiness and Pentecostal Churches in the Post–Civil Rights Era David D. Daniels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
8. Blyden’s Ghost: African American Christianity and Racial Republicanism C. R. D. Halisi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
PART III Black Churches and ‘‘Faith-Based Initiatives’’
9. Doing Something in Jesus’ Name: Black Churches and Community Development Corporations Michael Leo Owens Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
10. Faith-Based Initiatives and the Constitution: Black Churches, Government, and Social Services Delivery David Ryden Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	248
11. On Seducing the Samaritan: The Problematic of Government Aid to Faith-Based Groups Samuel K. Roberts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	278
Appendix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	293
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	305
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	307

Language: English
Publisher: Duke University Press
Pages
- Main content: 328
Illustrations
- Other: 29 illus.

eBook

Published: July 2, 2003
ISBN: 9780822384793