Divided Mind of the Black Church

Divided Mind of the Black Church Theology, Piety & Public Witness Raphael G. WarnockNew York University Press, 2014ISBN 9780814794463 Hardcover, 276 pp.6.4 X 9.3 X 1.0 inches | 1.2 pounds A revealing look at the identity and mission of the Black church What is the true nature and mission of the church? Is its proper Christian purpose to save souls, or to transform the social order? This question is especially fraught when the church is one built by an enslaved people and formed, from its beginning, at the center of an oppressed community's fight for personhood and freedom. Such is the central tension in the identity and mission of the Black church in the United States.  For decades the Black church and Black theology have held each other at arm's length. Black theology has emphasized the role of Christian faith in addressing racism and other forms of oppression, arguing that Jesus urged his disciples to seek the freedom of all peoples. Meanwhile, the Black church, even when focused