Spring 2018/Fuller Online
TH542
Clarke
TH542: THEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF BLACK EVANGELICALISM IN AMERICA (4 Units: 160 hours). Clifton Clarke.
DESCRIPTION: Evangelical Protestantism has played a vital role in shaping American history, culture and religion. It is estimated that some 25-35% of the American population (c. 70-100 million) today identifies with this movement. Far from being a monolithic entity, however, the religious, ideological, and social allegiances of evangelicalism are quite diverse. Black evangelicalism is a very important expression of the evangelical tradition and is also variegated. Black evangelicals can be found among Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal denominations, Anglican and other traditions. This course offers a sympathetic but critical exploration of both the history and theology of Black evangelicalism in the United States. Locating the roots of black evangelicalism in the black religious experience in the United States, the course further traces its development in the revivalism of the 18th and 19th centuries, and its current expressions in America. The course also engages students in discussions of contemporary works of constructive theology authored by black evangelicals especially as they deal with pressing issues for its churches and ministry (race relations, the role of women in the church, homosexuality, biblical authority, etc.).
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to (1) trace out the history of black evangelical thought in America from its beginnings to the present; (2) identify and describe the importance of key leaders, movements, and institutions that contribute to black evangelicalism in America; (3) engage in respectful dialogue about theological issues with an understanding of the perspective of Black evangelicalism; (4) describe the range of theological perspectives that Black evangelicals in America have on selected issues such as race relations, gender, black theology, biblical convictions, etc.; and (5) demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the religious diversity associated with evangelical and charismatic Christianity.
COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours, which is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.
REQUIRED READING: 1050 pages required.
Cone, James. The God of the Oppressed. Orbis Books, 1997. ISBN: 978-1570751585. Pub. Price $22.00. [100 pp. assigned]
Irons, Charles R. The Origin of Proslavery Christianity: White and Black Evangelicals in Colonial and Antebellum Virginia. University of North Carolina Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0807858776. Pub. Price $37.50 [250 pp. assigned]
Lincoln, C. Eric and Lawrence H. Mamiya. The Black Church in the African American Experience. Duke University Press, 1990. ISBN: 978-0822310730. Pub. Price $31.95 [250 pp. assigned]
Matthews, Mary Beth Swetham. Doctrine and Race: African American Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism Between the Wars. University of Alabama Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-0817319380, Pub. Price $49.95 [200 pp. assigned].
Raboteau, Albert J. Slave Religion: The Invisible Institution in the Antebellum South. Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN: 978- 0195174120. Pub Price $19.99 [100 pp. assigned]
Roberts, Rita. Evangelicalism and the Politics of Reform in Northern Black Thought (1776-1863). Louisiana State University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0807137086, Pub. Price $39.95 [150 pp. assigned].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Cannon, Katie. Katie’s Canon: Womanism and the Soul of the Black Community. Continuum International Pub. Group, 1996. ISBN: 978-0826408341, out of print but available used.
Emerson, Michael O. and Christian Smith. Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. OUP, 2000. ISBN: 978-0195147070, Pub. Price $19.99.
Esrskin, Noel Leo. Plantation Church: How African American Religion Was Born in the Caribbean. Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0195369137. Pub. Price $28.95.
Field, Bruce. Introducing Black Theology: Three Crucial Questions for the Evangelical Church. Baker Academic Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0801022784, out of print but available used.
Gilbreath, Edward. Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s inside View of White Christianity. IVP, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830833627. Pub. Price $16.00.
Harvey, Paul. Through the Storm, Through the Night: History of African American Christianity. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. ISBN 978-0742564749, Pub. Price $29.00.
Kostarelos, Francis. Feeling the Spirit: Faith and Hope in a Black Storefront Church. University of South Carolina, 1996. ISBN: 978-1570030512. Pub. Price $4.50.
Marsden, George. Fundamentalism and American Culture. Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0195300475. Pub. Price $19.99.
McCray, Walter. Pro-Black, Pro-Christ, Pro-Cross: African Descended Evangelical Identity. Black Light Fellowship, 2012. ISBN: 978-0933176607. Pub. Price $24.95.
Mitchell, Henry. Black Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years. Eerdmans, 2004. ISBN: 978-0802827852. Pub. Price 23.50.
Pannell, William. My Friend, the Enemy. Word Books, 1968. ASIN: B0007I9ALA, out of print but available used.
Perkins, John. Let Justice Roll Down. Baker Books, 1976. ISBN: 978-0801018152. Pub. Price $15.99.
Sernett, Milton, ed. African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness (The C. Eric Lincoln Series on the Black Experience). Duke University Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0822324492. Pub. Price. $32.95.
Skinner, Tom. Black & Free. Xulon Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-1597810999. Pub. Price $15.00.
Williams, Delores. Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk. Orbis Books, 2013. ISBN: 978-1626980389. Pub. Price $24.99.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs (Fall 2015).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.