Publisher's Synopsis
Too often, consideration of African American religious expression is limited to considerations of black churches or to aspects of Islamic thought and practice. This comprehensive overview reveals the tremendous diversity of the African American religious communities in America by examining black spiritual churches, Buddhism, humanism, Judaism, Nation of Islam, Protestant churches, the Roman Catholic Church, Santerìa, Sunni Islam, and voodoo.
Anthony Pinn opens each chapter with a historical introduction to a specific tradition and the unique African American religious experience within it. This is followed by a timeline of notable events in and details of the religion's practices. The book also contains a glossary of terms, a series of short biographies of important figures in the history of African American religion, and primary source documents that offer first-person accounts of past and present religious practices.
