Blacks and Whites in Christian America: How Racial Discrimination Shapes Religious Convictions

Index

271 Index Academic model of Christianity: defined, 68; overview of, 67; Rev. Robinson on, 74 Academic-versus-experiential dichotomy: and black and white Protestants views of God, 159; in relation to being a “good person” (Rev. Boyd), 137–138; in relation to blacks’ commitment to a far-reaching faith (Dr. Cone), 156; level of operation, 69; tested across range of religious actions and beliefs, see chapter 5; as widely accepted and deeply rooted, 78; Affirmative action, 13, 171, 178, 205 African American (Old Negro) spirituals, 45–46 African culture: and black Protestantism, 7, 33, 37, 61, 66, 114, 128–129, 166–167; in relation to blacks’ beliefs about “reincarnation ,” 148–153. See also Voodoo African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.): as first Protestant denomination founded by blacks, 19, 190; our interviewees’ beliefs about reflective thinking, 95–99; religious affiliation of pastor interviewed in this study, 23, 26, 81, 96, 98, 117, 130, 185; requirements for ordination, 79. See also Turner, Henry McNeal Africanisms, 149 Afrocentrism, 146 Afterlife, 53 An American Dilemma (Myrdal), 169 Ancient Egyptians, 146, 150 Anderson, Elizabeth, 125 Apostles’ Creed: beliefs associated with, 11, 53; and explanation for racial differences in religious sensibilities (Dr. Cone), 76; importance of, 48–49; longer form, 48; strongest tie binding black and white Protestants, 56, 57, 199. See also Survey findings Astrology: church teachings about, 145; defined, 144; explanation for blacks’ attention to, 147 Atlanta, 111 Bader, Christopher, 122 Baptist, 12, 13, 20, 24, 28, 58, 60, 61, 69, 92, 95, 97, 111, 116, 117, 159, 187 “Beloved Community,” Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of, 4, 9, 200–204; challenges to, 204–207 Berger, Peter, 113 Bibb, Henry, 37 Big Bang Theory, 91 Big Momma, 73, 90, 104, 153 Black and white Protestants, explanation for research focus, 9–10 The Black Codes, 170 Black Nationalism: defined, 146; habit of inclusion among blacks, 155–157, 167 Black Power Movement, 146–147 Black sacred cosmos: Africanisms and, 149; in relation to the afterlife, 53, 154; and building blocks of black Protestant faith, 8, 28, 200; defined, 6–7; expanded commitment to social justice, 196–197; 169; in relation to blacks’ faith-based open-mindedness and tolerance for others, 167; in relation to blacks’ faithbased tolerance and open-mindedness, and the limits of, 157–166; and identity politics, 169; as theologically broad and definitive, 134, 167 Blyden, Edward, 36 Broad and definitive: defined and applied to the black sacred cosmos, 134, 167; definitive, as pertaining to Biblical SheltonEmerson_pp271-280.indd 271 SheltonEmerson_pp271-280.indd 271 7/30/12 10:02 AM 7/30/12 10:02 AM 272 Index Broad and definitive (continued) perspectives, 88; theologically, the African American Protestant religious tradition as, 30, 137, 140 Brown, Simon, 43 Brown v. Board of Education, 171 Buddhism: as a universal religion, 3; as related to yoga, 148 Canaan, 35 Catholics, 10 Christianity as a universal religion, 3 Civil Rights Act of 1964, 171, 205 Civil Rights Act of 1968, 171, 205 Civil Rights Movement: and the African American Protestant religious tradition, 33; and America’s “race problem,” 171, 176; and King’s “Beloved Community,” 201; as a “church movement,” 129, 203; as referenced by our interviewees, 22, 129, 146–147, 194; and the racial reconciliation movement, 181; limits to success of, 205 Civil War, 169, 170 Cleveland, Ohio, 17, 20, 21, 98, 107, 117, 120, 158, 192, 195 Complex subjectivity, 114–115, 131 Cone, James H.: on Black Nationalism and commitment of blacks to a far-reaching faith, 156; on blacks’ beliefs about miracles , 143–144; on blacks’ emphasis on God as an “impersonal force,” 165–166; on blacks’ “Jesusology,” 154, 166; career overview, 19; on God as a “liberator,” 44; on “purpose” in black religion, 114, 115; on racial differences in religious sensibilities , 76–78; on racial discrimination and the African American Protestant religious tradition, 27; on racial identity and religious affiliation, 20; on racial reconciliation, 195–196; as references by our interviewees, 194; relevance to the study, 19, 29 Conjure, cultural tradition of, 37 Cooper-Lewton, Nicholas, 114 Creation, in six 24-hour days: references of interviewees to survey finding, 80, 90–91, 94, 97, 98. See also Survey findings Cultural factors: and the academic-versus-experiential dichotomy , 84–85; description of, 59: differences among followers of the same faith, 2–3, 11, 59; as pertaining to epistemological explanations, 66–67; as pertaining to racial differences in religious sensibilities, 62; in relation to interpreting the Bible (Pastor Smith), 97–98; Cultural imperatives...