More Than Keeping the Faith: The African American Church (Feb 25, 2024)
by Scott Sosebee
Through the era of slavery, Reconstruction, the time of Jim Crow, and into the modern civil rights movement one institution has been at the forefront of the struggle for African American rights, equality, and social justice—the traditional Black church. African American churches in the North manned the front lines in the struggle against slavery, moved to the South and became a bridge organization in the adjustment to freedom, stood tall against the racist policies of southern governments and society after Reconstruction, and became the leaders and organizers during the campaign for full civil rights in the mid-twentieth century. They have served as the symbol of perseverance, commitment to a strong faith, and the very spirit of the African American community.
East Texas was the center of the plantation slave economy in Texas and, thus, the region of the state with the highest Black population. On plantations, African American slaves usually attended the same churches as their white masters, where slave owners stressed the messages of strict obedience in the attempt to quell any notions of rebellion, escape, or challenge to the southern consensus of white superiority. Masters, in their minds, used religion as an institutional tool to instill respect for authority and tradition, which they thought was a justification and protection for maintaining chattel slavery.
African American slaves had different notions about the hope of religion. Within their homes and slave communities, African Americans developed their own “invisible institution,” and they gathered in “hush harbors” away from prying White eyes and worshipped in their own ways, which often included African spiritual elements that had survived the centuries of brutal slavery. Black preachers perfected the rhythmic sermon style common to African religious ceremonies and the message was often one of religious salvation that carried the double meaning of freedom from slavery. Among slaves, stories of redemption carried special significance, and the promise of heaven was a world without chains and living in bondage. Black churches also developed special reverence for the biblical tales of the Israelites escaping slavery from various rulers and valued icons such as Moses, who freed his people from slavery, and Joseph, who moved from slave to social status. For most slaves, religion was their “salve,” a way to cope with the inhumanity of slavery and try to find some semblance of order in an unjust world. Thus, the church—and ministers—became centers of the slave experience.
After Emancipation, most former African American slaves “voted with their feet” and left white congregations and, with the aid of northern Black denominations, formed new churches such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ), and independent Baptist congregations. These congregations were soon joined by the southern-based group the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, which eventually became known as the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME). Such traditionally African American denominations remain the dominant congregations among East Texas’ Black population.
Freedom brought opportunities for establishing a definitive cultural identity and the church was one of the main instruments of such an effort. The churches also became a center of aid and welfare during an era in which virtually no social “safety net” existed, often providing food and help with overdue land payments for indigent members. Their most important function was education since church schools became one of the primary facilitators of education for Blacks shut out of the meager public school system that existed in East Texas.
The church and the congregation also served a social and cultural role. Slave culture demanded an almost collective effort in forming not just communities, but families. The African American experience was a shared encounter, as all suffered under the yoke of segregation, violence, and social ostracism. Just as it did under slavery, it fell to the church to be the foundation of social life, the institution that served as a cohesive bond for the entire community. It was in churches that African Americans spoke of their tribulations and organized plans for resistance. Churches were certainly spiritual guides, but they also transferred cultural concepts that were the purveyors of what constituted the community experience. Congregations were an extended family, people who helped raise children, came to the aid of families in distress and comforted those in times of despair. Certainly, white churches served some of the same functions, but within Black churches, such a role was more pronounced—and more significant.
During the twentieth century, African American churches became the most important voices against racism and discrimination. When African Americans began to confront the egregious system of white superiority in the South, it was the church that often organized marches and ministers who became the spokesmen and took unpopular public stances that caused them to often be the victims of violence and intimidation. Ministers served dual roles as leaders organizing for civil rights and as spiritual guides. They were also often liaisons to white clergy, which sometimes helped to break down barriers through the use of doctrine and theology to thwart racism. The African American church was, once again, a meeting place and strategically played a role in the campaign against Jim Crow.
Today, the Black church remains at the center of the community and continues to spread a message of hope, faith, and a proud cultural heritage. African American ministers are still community leaders and Black congregations remain one of the primary catalysts of social justice and the continued campaign for full social equality.
The East Texas Historical Association provides this column as a public service. Scott Sosebee is a Professor of History at Stephen F. Austin State University and the Executive Director of the Association. He can be contacted at sosebeem@sfasu.edu or via www.easttexashistorical.org.