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1 1 Why Do African Americans Pray So Often? Long before we got serious about writing this book, we had concluded that black Christians more often publicly display their religious faith than white Christians do. Two observations shaped our beliefs about this. First, we stopped counting the number of times that we had seen a black athlete, actor, or musician give glory to God after winning the Super Bowl, an Emmy, or an American Music Award. It happened so often that it seemed customary. However, we both admitted that we still take notice when white athletes or artists do so (especially non-country-music singers). Second, when asked the everyday obligatory question “How are you?” we noticed that many African Americans respond with “I’m blessed. And you?” It is worth noting that we are just as likely to hear this reply on a Wednesday afternoon as we are a Sunday morning. Moreover, the “And you?” reply is a thinly veiled test of one’s faith; it often inspires a public discussion over God’s impact on a person’s life. These testimonials can take place at any moment, in any setting from sanctuaries to subway trains, from Bible study groups to ball games. Just to be clear, we are not saying that white Christians do not thank God in secular public settings or that they do not have their own faithbased adages (some might even respond with some variation of the expected reply, such as “I’m blessed by The Best. And you?”). But in our view, it seemed as if these small but noticeable differences were motivated by a distinct sense of Christianity among blacks rather than whites. We did not get serious about writing this book until we experienced an awkward situation that forced us to deliberately engage the fault SheltonEmerson_pp001-270.indd 1 SheltonEmerson_pp001-270.indd 1 7/30/12 10:02 AM 7/30/12 10:02 AM 2 Why Do African Americans Pray So Often? lines between religion and race. The following encounter supported our speculations about the unique manner in which African American Protestants go about their religious faith. We had narrowed our search for an administrative assistant down to three people and had begun the final step of interviewing our top candidates. Sharon1—a tall, 30-something-year-old African American woman—was one of the final three. Her interview took place on a rainy Houston day, so we let her know that it was okay if she needed some extra time to freshen up before our meeting. The interview went pretty well. It was only awkward because Michael and I both instinctively knew that one of our other candidates was a better fit for the position. Maybe Sharon sensed this. In our final moments together, she told us that she was “so nervous” about the interview that she had spent the additional time before our meeting praying in the bathroom. “I had to talk to the Lord,” she said with a smile. “I needed some extra strength!” We all shared in a good laugh. But then she went on to tell us how she prays several times a day, just about anywhere and everywhere and whenever she feels the need to “call on the Lord.” Sharon volunteered all of this information and even gave specifics—despite this being an interview for a secular job at a secular institution. Before leaving, she openly thanked the Lord for getting her to our offices safely and asked for His “mercy” in getting back home. After the interview, Michael and I talked about Sharon at length. I told him that as far as I could tell, many churchgoing African Americans approach their religious faith in the same way that Sharon does. “Black folks pray all the time,” I said. “It’s just what we do.” I followed up this observation with a question: “How many white Sharons are out there?” I was curious to know whether he believes that whites often call on the Lord in a public bathroom or pray several times a day. I figured that he would have a better idea than I do, since I am black and he is white. Michael stopped and paused. “Probably not too many, perhaps a few evangelicals.” That got us thinking: Do black Christians pray more often than white Christians do? And if so, why do African Americans pray so often? Conventional wisdom presumes that despite minor cultural difSheltonEmerson_pp001 -270.indd 2 SheltonEmerson_pp001-270.indd...

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