The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness

Cover, Series Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

The DI V I DE D M I N D of the BL AC K C H U RC H This page intentionally left blank RELIGION, RACE, AND ETHNICITY General Editor: Peter J. Paris Beyond Christianity: African Americans in a New Thought Church Darnise C. Martin Deeper Shades of Purple: Womanism in Religion and Society Edited by Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas Daddy Grace: A Celebrity Preacher and His House of Prayer Marie W. Dallam The Methodist Unification: Christianity and the Politics of Race in the Jim Crow Era Morris L. Davis Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism Jonathan L. Walton American Muslim Women: Negotiating Race, Class, and Gender within the Ummah Jamillah Karim Embodiment and the New Shape of Black Theological Thought Anthony B. Pinn From Africa to America: Religion and Adaptation among Ghanaian Immigrants in New York Moses O. Biney Afropentacostalism: The Changing Discourses of Black Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity Edited by Amos Yong and Estrelda Y. Alexander Creole Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Vodou and Santería to Obeah and Espiritismo, Second Edition Margarite Fernández Olmos and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness Raphael G. Warnock For a complete list of titles in the series, please visit the New York University Press website at www.nyupress.org. This page intentionally left blank The DI V I DE D M I N D of the BLACK CHURCH THEOLOGY, PIET Y, AND PUBLIC WITNESS RAPHAEL G. WARNOCK a NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London www.nyupress.org© 2014 by New York University All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Warnock, Raphael G. The divided mind of the Black church : theology, piety, and public witness / Raphael G. Warnock. pages cm. — (Religion, race, and ethnicity) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8147-9446-3 (alk. paper) 1. African American churches. 2. Black theology. I. Title. BR563.N4W28 2013 277.3’08308996073—dc23 2013017725 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Also available as an ebook In honor of my wonderful parents, the late Reverend Jonathan Warnock and the Reverend Verlene Warnock To all of my beloved siblings and to those whom I am blessed to serve as pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church This page intentionally left blank ...