1. The Black ChurchDr. Leslie Burl McLemoreJackson State University

2. The pivotal role of the Black Church in the lives ofAfrican Americans can not be described in words shortof life saving. The church provided the foundationfor the very survival of African Americans in NorthAmerica during and after slavery. It has been notedthat most of the first Black congregations andchurches formed before 1800 were founded by freeBlacks. These individuals saw the church as aninstitution that could provide earthly comforts, andeventually, heavenly salvation. The Black Church hasplayedand continues to playdifferent roles in thelives of their members 3. If I go to church on Sunday,Then the Cabaret on Monday,Taint nobdys biz-ness if I do.Taint Nobodys Biz-ness If I Do Porter Grainger/ Everett Robbins 4. 1. What was the historic role of the Church in the Black Community?2. How did religion help to shape and direct the philosophical thinking in the Black community and what role did the church play in this process?3. How did the modern-day Civil Rights Movement benefit from the existence of the Black Church?4. What future role should the church play in helping to solve the variety of issues facing the Black community? 5. 1746 February 13, 1818ABSALOM JONES Born into slavery In 1778, he purchased his wifes freedomso their children would be free; sevenyears later he was able to purchase hisown After founding a black congregation in1794, in 1804, he became the first AfricanAmerican ordained as a priest in theEpiscopal Church of the United States. As one of the first African Americanslicensed to preach in the MethodistChurch, he was Lay minister to blackmembers in the interracial congregationof St. Georges Methodist Church 1787 founded the Free African Society(FAS) 1792 Founded the congregation of theAfrican Church in Philadelphia 6. RICHARD ALLEN (BISHOP) February 14, 1760 March26, 1831 Born into slavery Minister, educator and writer He joined the Methodist churchat age 17 Opened the first AfricanMethodist Episcopal Church(AME) in 1794; elected Bishop ofthe AME in 1816 1795 Ordained as a deacon 1804 Ordained as a priest 7. PRINCE HALL MASONS About September 12, 1748 December 7, 1807 In 1773, Prince Hall became a preacher in the Methodist Church with a Charge at Cambridge On March 6, 1775, he was made a master mason in Irish Constitution Military Lodge No. 441. When the Military Lodge left the area, the African Americans were given the authority to meet as a lodge The black church and Prince Hall Freemasonry both played important roles in the black experience in America; one secular, the other spiritual - played equally important, interrelated roles in the way the black community addressed social, political, and economic problems in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. 8. Outstanding Church Leaders 9. Religious and Cultural Force in The Black CommunityHOWARD THURMAN 1899 April 10, 1981 Author, Philosopher, Theologian Dean of Chapel Howard University and Boston University Named honorary Canon of the Cathedral of Saint John Divine, New York City Ebony Magazine named him one of the 50 most important figures in African American History. 10. Religious and Cultural Force in The BlackCommunity August 1, 1894 March 28, 1984 BENJAMIN MAYES The youngest of eight children Minister, educator, scholar andsocial activist Mentor to Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr. 1922 Ordained a BaptistMinister 1926 Executive Secretary of theTampa, Florida, Urban League 1934 Dean, School ofReligion, Howard University 1940 President, MorehouseCollege 11. January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Clergy, Activist, Nonviolent Leaderin the African American Civil RightsMovement 1955 Led the Montgomery BusBoycott 1957 Helped to organize theSouthern Christian LeadershipConference (SCLC) 1959 Awarded Anisfield-WolfBook Award for his book, StrideToward Freedom: The MontgomeryStory 1963 Kings efforts led to theMarch on Washington where hedelivered his I Have A Dreamspeech 1964 Youngest person to receivethe Nobel Peace Prize 12. Born Elijah Robert Poole ELIJAH MUHAMMAD October 7, 1987 February 25, 1975 The sixth of thirteen children Religious leader, mentor toMalcolm X Led the Nation of Islam from 1934until his death in 1975 1931 attended speech on Islam andBlack Empowerment by Wallace D.Fard 1934 Name minister of Islam 1934 the Nation of Islampublished its first newspaper, FinalCall to Islam 1942 Arrested for failure toregister for the draft during WWII 1972 Nation of Islam net worth of$75 Million 13. The Modern Civil Rights Movement 14. As an agency of Social Control and Change As an agency of Economic Development As an Educational Institution Its impact on the Modern Civil RightsMovement 15. Malcolm X vs Martin Luther King 16. Nation of Islam Video Malcolm X Before Leaving Nation of Islam 17. Born August 5, 1938JAMES HAL CONE Architect of black liberation theology His book, Black Theology and Black Power, provided a new way to articulate the distinctiveness of theology in the black church. Taught Theology and Religion at Philander Smith College, Adrian College in Michigan and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. 1977 Awarded the Charles A Briggs Chair in systematic theology 18. Black Power Economic Development Black ManifestoWe are therefore demanding of the white Christian churches and Jewish synagogues which are part and parcel of the system of capitalism, that they begin to pay reparations to black people in this country. The New York Review of Books 19. Nation of Islam Video Malcolm X Thoughts on Nation of Islam After Leaving 20. Has the church fulfilled its earthly andheavenly mission? How do you see the long term mission of thechurch evolving? Does the church have the power to reframethe fundamental questions of today?