The African American Religious Experience in America

Most who think about African American religion limit themselves to black churches, or perhaps to aspects of Islamic thought and practice. But a close look at the religious landscape of African American communities presents a much more complex, thick, and layered religious reality comprising many competing faiths and practices. The African American Religious Experience in America provides readers with an introduction to the tremendous religious diversity of African American communities in the United States, with snapshots of 11 religious traditions practiced by African Americans—from Buddhism to Catholicism, from Judaism to Voodoo. Each snapshot provides readers a better understanding of how African Americans practice their faiths in the United States.

The African American Religious Experience in America provides resources for students taking classes on the history of American religion, African American Studies, and on American Studies. In addition to the in-depth discussion of the varieties of African American Religion, the volume includes a historical introduction to the development of African American Religion, a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, a series of short biographies of important figures in the history of African American religion and a bibliography of sources for further study. Finally, the book includes a series of primary source documents that will provide students with first-person accounts of how religion is practiced in the African American community both today and in the past.

Pinn (humanities and religious studies, Rice U.) describes various forms of African American experience, bringing into relief some of the more prominent Christian and non-Christian traditions. Each chapter discusses the origins of a particular tradition, the nature of African American participation, and the general beliefs held by most adherents.
Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Pinn (humanities and religious studies, Rice U.) describes various forms of African American experience, bringing into relief some of the more prominent Christian and non-Christian traditions. Each chapter discusses the origins of a particular tradition, the nature of African American participation, and the general beliefs held by most adherents. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Most who think about African American religion limit themselves to black churches, or perhaps to aspects of Islamic thought and practice. But a close look at the religious landscape of African American communities presents a much more complex, thick, and layered religious reality comprising many competing faiths and practices. The African American Religious Experience in America provides readers with an introduction to the tremendous religious diversity of African American communities in the United States, with "snapshots" of 11 religious traditions practiced by African Americans--from Buddhism to Catholicism, from Judaism to Voodoo. Each snapshot provides readers a better understanding of how African Americans practice their faiths in the United States. The African American Religious Experience in America provides resources for students taking classes on the history of American religion, African American Studies, and on American Studies. In addition to the in-depth discussion of the "varieties of African American Religion," the volume includes a historical introduction to the development of African American Religion, a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, a series of short biographies of important figures in the history of African American religion and a bibliography of sources for further study. Finally, the book includes a series of primary source documents that will provide students with first-person accounts of how religion is practiced in the African American community both today and in the past.

Relates the complex and diverse history of how African Americans have practiced and experienced religion in the United States.

ANTHONY B. PINN Anthony B. Pinn is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University. Pinn is the author/editor of fifteen books, including: Varieties of African American Religious Experience (1998); The Black Church in the Post-Civil Rights Era (2002); and Terror and Triumph: The Nature of Black Religion (2003).

Acknowledgements

Introduction

An Overview of African American Religion

Sources of African American Religion

Development of African American Religion

The Varieties of African American Religion

Black Spiritual Churches

Buddhism

Humanism

Judaism

Nation of Islam

Protestant Churches

The Roman Catholic Church

Santeria

Sunni Islam

Voodoo

Glossary

Chronology

Biographies

Appendix

Bibliography