African-American Religion

About the Book

Literature on North American slavery is almost inexhaustible but negligent of the religious culture of the slaves, most especially African-American Christianity. As noted in Robert Handy’s insightful article, for several decades African–American Christianity appeared only as incidentals in the general historiography of American Church history. Considering the immeasurably positive role of the Church in the lives of African-Americans, this oversight is almost inexcusable. Even where studies in slave Christianity have been attempted one would search in vain for any substantial discussion of the mutual effects of the slaves’ original African religion and Christianity. Thus this study is a contribution to recent explorations into that vital aspect of the history of African slaves in North America – their Christianization. The study focuses on the question of why the African slaves were apparently more responsive to Christianity in the Great Awakenings than during the previous evangelization efforts by the Anglican missionaries. I propose that the continuities as well as discontinuities between Christianity and African Traditional Religion were key among determinant factors in the slaves’ response to Christianity. Basically, the slaves responded to the type of Christianity in which these factors were more prominent, the Great Awakenings vis-à-vis the Anglican version. The first chapter of this study highlights the problem of past inattention to slave Christianity, especially as it relates to African Traditional Religion. In Chapter two, I argue for both West Africa as the original home of the slaves and African Traditional Religion as the predominant religious culture of that region. The third chapter describes the process, personnel, and problems encountered in slave Christianization. Chapters four and five analyze and evaluate the impact of Christianizing efforts by the Anglican missionaries and revival evangelists respectively. Chapter six summarizes and discusses the value of my findings for the African-American Church and Christianity in general. The study contains suggestions for further research.

About the Author

David Musa (Ph.D, Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois) is currently adjunct assistant professor of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, adjunct assistant professor of religion, Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin, with responsibilities for creating and directing the West African J-term courses in Ghana and Senegal, having previously taught at Carthage College for 7 years. Musa’s Ph.D. research was focused in African-American religious studies. Apart from other teaching responsibilities, he created and taught courses in African-American religion at Carthage College. He earned his undergraduate degree (B.Sc.) and a Diploma in Education (Dip.Ed) from Fourah Bay College (University of Sierra Leone). David also earned his M.A. from Wheaton College, Illinois, as well as an M.Div. from Trinity International University. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Agape Voluntary Effort (SAVE Inc.). a non-profit (501(c)3) Christian humanitarian entity created nearly 20 years ago for the express purpose of meeting physical and spiritual needs of civil-war degraded Sierra Leone. David has published the History of Christian Mission in Sierra Leone, in The Evangelical Dictionary of World Mission, Scott Moreau, ed.