(Akiit.com) I am among those who tremble when I hear people refer to “The Black Church.” Christians believe that there is only one church and the only proper description of the church is the Christian Church. However, ever since the beginning of the Christian movement, ethnic and doctrinal distinctions were made among the followers of Jesus. Many of the books in the New Testament are identified by the geographical location of the intended recipients. We therefore often refer to the Galatian Church or Thessalonian Church. In that sense this “black church” recognition of a significant number of Christians whose common identity is the African American experience is as valid within the Christian tradition as scholarly and historical references the “Roman Church” or the “Ethiopian Coptic Church.”
So my negative feelings about the term “the black church” is not in response to the word “black.” Rather it is in response to the word “the.” Whenever someone waxes eloquent about “the” black church I want to ask them which black church they mean. Historically, black churches have a common heritage being the only major branch of Christianity that emerged from a dispute related to justice and not doctrine.
The major schisms in Christian history in the 4th, 10th and 16th centuries were all related to differences in Christian doctrine. The 18th century movement of black Christians in North America, however, resulted from black worshippers refusing to be treated as less than human by their white Christian counterparts. This protest against Christian injustice by black Christians gave birth to what we now call “the black church” and every African American congregation has its roots in this legacy. The term “black church” summarizes the institutional response of black Christians in North America to the individual and institutional racism practiced by white Christians.
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