Open Access Journal Atlanta University Center
Not a member yet
962 research outputs found
Sort by
African Roots of Afro-American Baptismal Practices
Get PDFBaptismal waters, for Black worshippers, whether identified as a particular place in a large body of water (river, creek or ocean), a small body of water near or “in” a church (pool or baptistry) confined in a small bowl on a table or in a font, flow from African streams. Although largely defined by Western Christianity as a rite of initiation, incorporation, cleansing, washing away of sins, symbolic understandings can be traced to traditional African religions. Symbolism plays an important role in the life of Africans and Afro-Americans. Through symbols one can communicate that which is difficult to express in words; through symbols the world is made transparent, and explanations can be given to incomprehensible phenomena. Through symbols the absolute or ultimate truth can be apprehended or suggested. Humans touch and see “outer fringes” which may be the deceptive phenomenon or reality. Symbols are signs that point to a deeper reality. As such they are forms of communication and marks of identification which facilitate existential living. Africans long recognized the inability of humans to explain the inevitability of life and death and have utilized symbols as a natural response to interpreting reality. 
The Use and Performance of Hymnody, Spirituals, and Gospels in the Black Church
Get PDFSince the 17th century, Black Americans have participated in two culturally distinct religious traditions. The first tradition represents that associated with white Protestant denominations. The second was independently developed by Blacks, utilizing the concepts and practices retained from their West African heritage. These two traditions are easily distinguished by ideology, worship style, and musical practices. The musical repertoire of Black congregations that adhered to white Protestant doctrines is derived from official hymnals which include psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Conversely, the repertoire of churches, whose religious ideology is uniquely Black, consists of Black folk spirituals and gospels. Songs of these two idioms are derived from several sources: 1) West African musical traditions; 2) Black secular idioms; 3) original Black compositions; and 4) white Protestant psalms, hymns, and spiritualsongs.1 The music, which characterizes autonomous Black congregations, differs in function and performance style from that of Black congregations that adhere to the doctrines of the white Protestant church. Music performed by the former group constitutes an integral and intrinstic part of the liturgy. The manner in which this music is performed is based on the aesthetic principles and social norms that have evolved from West African cultures. Whereas spirituals and gospels are the dominant musical forms found in autonomous Black churches, white Protestant hymns, especially those of Isaac Watts and the Wesley brothers, continue to be mainstays of the repertoire even today. When performed, however, these songs either conform to the dictates of Western European traditions or congregations may choose to modify them in accordance with Afro American aesthetic principles. The use and performance of music in the Black church will be explored in this discussion through an examination of 1) the events that led to the conversion of Blacks to Christianity; 2) the formation of independent Black religious groups, and 3) the social and cultural milieu which fostered the development of a unique Black religious music
A Response to Dr. Proctor’s Paper
Get PDF“The Theological Validation of Black Worship,” by Samuel Proctor, is a vigorous, stimulating and somewhat provocative discussion of Black Worship. My response to this presentation falls under three categories: 1) The problematic emerging from the title of the paper; 2) The validity of the critique regarding style of worship; and 3) The reconstruction of the critical question regarding theology and Black Worship
Books and Articles on Afro-American Worship: An Annotated Bibliography
Get PDFThis annotated bibliography represents a portion of the research performed in preparation for a major publication on Afro American Worship by the author. Books devoted exclusively to worship or liturgy in Black traditions are quite limited. Articles have appeared more frequently since the 1970s, but most often the subject is not treated in detail. Much of the data about this significant, uniquely Afro-American phenomenon can be gleaned from the words of slaves and ex-slaves as well as journalism diaries and extant reports from missionaries. Another valuable source is the research in the area of music which acknowledges the importance of the worship context for the creation, shaping and transmitting of music forms and styles. Care has been taken to include in this list only those musical sources which provide primary information particularly valuable for worship research
The Influence of Baby Showers on Breastfeeding Practices: Qualitative Findings From Mothers, 2022
Get PDFBreastfeeding is a critical practice that does not only help children survive, but provides them with nutrients required for optimal growth, physical and mental development as well as prevent infant mortality. In Botswana, available national data suggest that 40 percent of mothers initiate breastfeeding after birth (UNICEF, 2013). It has been observed that few babies (20 percent) are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life (UNICEF, 2013). Additionally, very few babies (6.9 percent) are breastfed to the recommended age of two (UNICEF, 2013). This suboptimal early nutrition profile may predispose Batswana children to poor health outcomes in both their infanthood and childhood years as well as in adulthood. The government of Botswana has made efforts to promote best breastfeeding practices but given the decline in the rate of breastfeeding, such efforts appear futile. In recent decades, there has been a shift in global health activity, with an emphasis on a return to support for community-based interventions for child survival (Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project, 2012)
The Bible and Africentric Pentecostal Moral Decision-Making, 2017
Get PDFThe following article elucidates a framework for moral decision-making, which reclaims features of African traditional religions and includes these ideas in an approach that can be used by African-American Pentecostals to justify moral claims. The suggested approach privileges the role of the human agent, not a collection of texts, in determining the rightness or wrongness of an act, or states of affairs in the world. This paper, too, invites the African-American Pentecostal to appreciate the fact that the Bible is not, a comprehensive ethics manual to be regarded as the Word of the Radical Presence. The essay closes by showing how the present model has the philosophical capital to make a strong case for what can be viewed as the distinguishing features of an Africentric Pentecostal ethical methodology and to position African-American Pentecostals to use the Bible responsibly in deciding the goodness or badness of choices and particular moral actions
Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Back Matter, 2016
No full textInterdenominational Theological Center An Ecumenical Professional Graduate School of Theolog