4 books found
One of the foundations of life in the black church is the proliferation of various worship practices and music. Reconciliation of Worship in the Black Church seeks to pave the way to the revitalization and restoration of faith celebration within the black church. There is a need to develop a practical theology of worship, incorporating the two main types used within the black churchtraditional, devotional-style worship, with its focus on spontaneous praise and testimony; and contemporary praise and worship, with its emphasis on rehearsed liturgy. In recent years, the rich history of traditional, spontaneous worship of the black church has been challenged by the praise-and-worship movement. Charles Lewiss insightful look at his own denomination demonstrates the importance of clinging to traditional practices while giving due consideration to modern modes of worship. Lewis sees the issue not as a choice between two competing styles but as a challenge for the church to blend the styles without compromising genuine worship or alienating large segments of the church. Carefully researched and presented from the heart, Reconciliation of Worship in the Black Church hopes to contribute to a lasting unification of worship practices.
In the summer of 1964, the turmoil of the civil rights movement reached its peak in Mississippi, with activists across the political spectrum claiming that God was on their side in the struggle over racial justice. This was the summer when violence against blacks increased at an alarming rate and when the murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi resulted in national media attention. Charles Marsh takes us back to this place and time, when the lives of activists on all sides of the civil rights issue converged and their images of God clashed. He weaves their voices into a gripping narrative: a Ku Klux Klansman, for example, borrows fiery language from the Bible to link attacks on blacks to his "priestly calling"; a middle-aged woman describes how the Gospel inspired her to rally other African Americans to fight peacefully for their dignity; a SNCC worker tells of harrowing encounters with angry white mobs and his pilgrimage toward a new racial spirituality called Black Power. Through these emotionally charged stories, Marsh invites us to consider the civil rights movement anew, in terms of religion as a powerful yet protean force driving social action. The book's central figures are Fannie Lou Hamer, who "worked for Jesus" in civil rights activism; Sam Bowers, the Imperial Wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi; William Douglas Hudgins, an influential white Baptist pastor and unofficial theologian of the "closed society"; Ed King, a white Methodist minister and Mississippi native who campaigned to integrate Protestant congregations; and Cleveland Sellers, a SNCC staff member turned black militant. Marsh focuses on the events and religious convictions that led each person into the political upheaval of 1964. He presents an unforgettable American social landscape, one that is by turns shameful and inspiring. In conclusion, Marsh suggests that it may be possible to sift among these narratives and lay the groundwork for a new thinking about racial reconciliation and the beloved community. He maintains that the person who embraces faith's life-affirming energies will leave behind a most powerful legacy of social activism and compassion.
This concise work by distinguished professor Charles Lippy surveys the varied course of religious life in America in the twentieth century. Beginning with the close of the Victorian Age, the narrative moves through the shifting power of Protestantism and American Catholicism and into the intense period of immigration and pluralism that has characterized our nation's religious experience. Later chapters cover the Jewish experience, African American religion, Native American traditions, the ecstatic personal expressions of conversion that mark the evangelical movement, the politics of religion, the proliferation of sects and cults, and the many strands of religious thought in this century. The book includes an extensive, detailed bibliography.
If you have been searching God's purpose for reaching the world for Jesus Christ, this book is for you! Dr. Jackson challenges the church to look inward and heal those who are in the pews before reaching outward to those who are hurting to fill the pews. He gives biblical scriptures that remind us that we are called to transform our communities by deepening our commitment to outreach and providing ministries that heal the broken hearted, encourage the weak and lift up those who need a helping hand-this is a must read if you want to take your ministry to another level. Mary L. Thomas EVP, the Spartanburg County Foundation "Charles Jackson is a hard-working preacher whose passionate commitment to God's mission through Jesus Christ shines through this book. Outreach Theology is grounded in Holy Scripture, informed by the Church's wisdom throughout the centuries, and filled with many helpful resources that will benefit those who love the Lord Jesus and seek to follow Him in His ministry of reaching out to all people everywhere. Pastors and congregations who are satisfied with serving themselves should avoid this book. But those who are not will find great encouragement in it." Richard Burnett, Professor of Systematic Theology, Erskine Theological Seminary Outreach Theology: by Dr. Charles J.J. Jackson is a great literary contribution to the body of Christ. This book gives insight on how believers can do true kingdom building through outreach. Outreach Theology: guides readers on how to genuinely care for those in the community for outreach starts in your common territory. This book is a must read for any and everyone who aspires to do ministry, to do mission, and to do Kingdom. So now, let your outreach begin. It's time to Transition the Traditional Church. -Charmayne Brown/Editor-In-Chief of REJOICE Magazine