African American Religious Traditions

• Main Author: Jackson, Eric R.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Press of Kentucky 2023
• Subjects: North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813196916.003.0007

Black American religious traditions and Black American theology differ from the Christianity and theology of White Europeans as well as those various non-African groups who resided in the North Atlantic region. Since the first persons of African descent arrived in the Western Hemisphere, they had a unique and distinctive experience compared to their White counterparts. Additionally, although they were introduced to Christianity by their captors, Africans brought with them their own coherent Christian philosophical heritage, including a religious component that was used to counter the brutality and dehumanization of the Atlantic slave trade and enslavement. People of African descent also introduced their captors to various cultural and religious practices and traditions. Ultimately, persons of color in the Western Hemisphere created their own distinguishing ways and ideas to conceptualize their religious heritage that allowed them to speak about their own concerns and beliefs. This chapter describes these themes in great detail.