Video from PBS
"Official Website: https://to.pbs.org/2MFmZSR | #BlackChurchPBS Henry Louis Gates, Jr. talks about the origins of the Black church and its continued influence as the spiritual, cultural, and political epicenter of the African American community. Tune in or stream The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song starting Tues., Feb. 16 at 9/8c." from video introduction.
All of us in America owe a great deal to our Black Brothers & Sisters in Christ. Not only have they stood up to the hate and bigotry that ahs so often defined our culture but they kept our Lord foremost and central to their lives. In their suffering they followed Jesus!
Video from PBS NewsHour
"A new four-part series, “The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This is Our Song," premieres Tuesday on PBS. It’s a sweeping history of religion, politics and culture led by Henry Louis Gates Jr., the noted Harvard scholar and host of the PBS show "Finding Your Roots." He joins Jeffrey Brown to discuss the documentary, as part of our arts and culture series, "CANVAS." from video introduction.
Black Church History
"During the decades of slavery in America, slave associations were a constant source of concern to slave owners. For many members of white society, Black religious meetings symbolized the ultimate threat to white existence. Nevertheless, African slaves established and relied heavily on their churches. Religion offered a means of catharsis… Africans retained their faith in God and found refuge in their churches. However, white society was not always willing to accept the involvement of slaves in Christianity. As one slave recounted “the white folks would come in when the colored people would have prayer meeting, and whip every one of them. Most of them thought that when colored people were praying it was against them.." from the article: A Brief History of the Black Church In America
From the website: Black Christian News Network 1
"For centuries, the black church has stood as an institution built on community, family, justice, and freedom.
The black church can be defined as the body, entity, or institution formed in hush harbors of plantations — secret gathering places for the enslaved to engage in their religious and spiritual practices — which over generations, emerged into a valuable and pivotal place of community, protest, and worship.
A diverse, multidimensional body consisting of varying truths, realities, and mission where two things — Jesus Christ and blackness — exist in unison among differing faith traditions, contexts, and theological premises. These institutions birthed numerous Protestant denominations, non-Christian movements rooted in the liberation of black people, institutions of higher learning, and more..." from the article: The Importance of a Thriving Black Church